How to Edit Videos on Windows 11

The free way to edit videos on Windows 11 is Clipchamp, the video editor Microsoft includes with Windows 11: open it from Start, select Create a new video, import your clips, trim and arrange them on the timeline, then export at 1080p.

You have a few clips on your Windows 11 PC and want to cut them into one short video without buying an editor. Clipchamp covers that, and the Photos app handles a quick trim of a single clip.

What Windows 11 Includes for Video Editing

Windows 11 gives you two built-in tools, and picking the right one saves time:

• Clipchamp is the full editor. Microsoft calls it the official video editor for Windows and ships it preinstalled on Windows 11. Use it when you want to combine clips, cut out sections, add titles, transitions or music, and export a new video file.
• Photos can trim the start and end of one video. Use it when you only need to shorten a single clip and don’t want to build a project.

If you followed an older tutorial that told you to open Photos and choose Video Editor or New video project, that option isn’t in the current Photos app. Microsoft’s notes on the new Photos app point to Clipchamp for video editing, and the older experience that includes Video Editor is only in the separate Photos Legacy app. You may also see Windows Movie Maker in very old guides; Microsoft’s Windows 11 pages name Clipchamp as the built-in editor, so treat it as the option to use.

Throughout the steps below, picture a simple project: Priya has three phone clips from a Saturday soccer game, about six minutes in total, and wants a 60-second highlight with a title card and some background music.

Open Clipchamp and Sign In

Clipchamp keeps your project details in an account, so the first launch asks you to sign in. Microsoft’s account setup page describes signing in with a Microsoft account.

1. Select the search box on the taskbar, type Clipchamp, and open the app. You can also go to Start > All apps and select Clipchamp.
2. On the welcome screen, choose Continue with Microsoft and sign in with the personal Microsoft account you use on the PC.
3. Wait for the Clipchamp home screen to load. This is where your existing projects appear.

A few things to know before you start:

• Personal and work accounts are separate. A work or school account only works if your organization has given you a Clipchamp license, and projects made with it don’t appear in your personal account.
• You need an internet connection to sign in, save changes and use online features, but previews and exports use your PC’s own processing.
• If the app is missing or won’t open, you can use the browser version at app.clipchamp.com in Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome with the same account.

You can also start from a clip you already have. Open the video in Photos and select Edit in Clipchamp video editor. Clipchamp opens with that clip ready to use.

Start a Project and Import Your Clips

1. On the Clipchamp home screen, select Create a new video (or the + button). A blank, untitled project opens in the editor with a 16:9 widescreen frame.
2. Select the project name at the top and type a name you’ll recognize later, such as Soccer highlights.
3. Open My media in the left sidebar and select Import media, then pick your clips. You can also drag files straight from File Explorer into the media area. Use the drop-down arrow next to Import media to bring in files from OneDrive or Google Drive.
4. Drag each clip from My media down to the timeline at the bottom, or hover over a clip and select the green + button to add it to the end.

Clipchamp reads common formats, including MP4, MOV, WEBM, AVI, WMV and MKV, plus MP3, WAV and M4A audio and the usual image types. Microsoft’s supported formats list says MP4 and WEBM load fastest, because some other files are converted before you can use them.

Trim, Split, and Rearrange Clips on the Timeline

The timeline is where the real editing happens. Press the space bar to play your video, and use the plus and minus zoom buttons in the bottom-right corner of the timeline (or the fit timeline button) to see a whole clip or a single second. The steps below follow Microsoft’s Clipchamp editing overview.

1. Trim the ends. Select a clip on the timeline, then drag the green bar on its left or right edge inward. Trimming doesn’t change the original file on your PC, and if you cut too much you can use the undo button.
2. Cut out the middle. Move the seeker (the vertical playhead line) to where the unwanted part starts and select the split button. Move to where it ends and split again.

3. Delete the piece. Select the section between the two splits and press Delete, or select the trash icon.
4. Close the gap. Drag the next clip left until it touches the one before it. Clips need to sit side by side for transitions to work.
5. Reorder. Drag any clip left or right on the timeline to change the order.

For Priya’s highlight, that means trimming the warm-up from the first clip, splitting out the slow middle of the second, and moving the winning goal to the end.

When a clip is selected, a floating toolbar above the preview lets you crop, rotate, flip, fill the frame or make a picture-in-picture. The property panel on the right holds fades, filters, color adjustments, volume and playback speed, so you can slow down a replay or speed up a long walk to the field.

Add Text, Transitions, and Music

Titles and captions: Select the Text tab on the toolbar, pick a style, and select the add to timeline button (or drag it onto the track above your video). Type your words and change the font, size, color and alignment on the text tab of the property panel. Drag the ends of the text block on the timeline to control how long it stays on screen.

Transitions: Make sure the two clips touch, then open the Transitions tab and drag a transition onto the join between them. You can also select the add button that appears between two clips, which inserts a cross fade. To remove one, select it on the timeline, open the transitions tab in the property panel, and choose None.

Music and sound: Import your own audio through My media, or open the Content library and choose audio to browse free stock music and sound effects. Add the track to the timeline under your video, then select it and lower the volume in the property panel so it doesn’t drown out the footage. Clipchamp also offers text to speech voiceovers under Record & create if you want narration without recording yourself.

Export and Save the Finished Video

Clipchamp saves your project automatically as you work, but the project isn’t a video file. Exporting creates one.

1. Select Export in the top-right corner of the editor.
2. Choose a quality: 480p for quick drafts, 720p for social posts, or 1080p for the sharpest free file. 4K appears as an option but needs a paid plan. Videos of 15 seconds or less can also be exported as a GIF, and a project that contains only audio gets an audio-only option that saves an M4A file.

3. Wait for the export to finish, then save or share it. The file usually lands in your Downloads folder, and Clipchamp offers to send it to OneDrive, Google Drive, YouTube, TikTok or Dropbox.

Exports are MP4 files at 30 frames per second, according to Microsoft’s exporting and saving guide. If you plan to keep editing videos, setting up OneDrive sync on Windows 11 gives you a backed-up place for both raw clips and finished files.

What the Free Plan Covers

Most beginners never need to pay. Microsoft’s Clipchamp plans page splits it like this:

Feature	Free personal plan	Paid plan
Core editing (trim, split, text, transitions)	Yes	Yes
Stock media	Free items	Free and premium items
Export quality	Up to 1080p, no watermark	Up to 4K
Premium filters and effects	No	Yes
Brand kit	No	Yes

Paid features come through a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription or a Clipchamp premium plan. Plans and prices change, so check that page before buying.

On the free plan, premium items carry a small diamond icon. If one ends up in your project, Clipchamp warns you at export, and you can either upgrade or remove that item and export again.

Trim One Clip Quickly in the Photos App

When you only need to shorten one video, Photos is faster than starting a project. Microsoft’s Photos editing page covers this route.

1. Type Photos in the taskbar search box and open the app, or right-click the video in File Explorer and choose Open with > Photos.
2. Open the video and select Trim at the top of the window (or press Ctrl + E).
3. Drag the start and end markers to keep only the part you want, and play it to check.
4. Select Save as Copy to create a new file and keep the original.

Before you save, decide whether you need the full clip. The drop-down next to Save as Copy has a plain Save option that overwrites the original video, and the trimmed footage is gone from that file.

Fix Common Clipchamp Problems

• A file won’t import: Check that it’s a supported format. Converting it to MP4 usually solves it, and very large or unusual files can take longer while Clipchamp prepares them.
• Clipchamp asks you to relink media: Your clips stay on your PC rather than in your account, so moving, renaming or deleting the originals breaks the project. Microsoft’s media storage explainer covers this. Put the files back, point Clipchamp to them, or turn on content backup, an optional setting that uploads your media to online storage.
• Preview stutters or export crawls: Close other heavy apps and keep projects short while you learn. The tips for a slow Windows 11 computer also help with editing, and hardware acceleration settings can make playback smoother.
• You can’t find the exported file: Look in Downloads first. File Explorer in Windows 11 lists Downloads in the left pane, and sorting by Date modified puts the newest file on top.

Video Editing Questions on Windows 11

Can I edit a screen recording in Clipchamp?

Yes. Record your screen first, then import the recording through My media like any other clip. Screen recording in Windows 11 walks through the built-in recorders.

Can I use Clipchamp without a Microsoft account?

Microsoft’s setup instructions describe signing in with a Microsoft account (or a work or school account with a license), and its documentation doesn’t describe a way to use the editor without one. If you don’t want to sign in, the Photos trim tool still works for basic cuts.

Can I change playback speed?

Yes. Select the clip on the timeline and use the speed control in the property panel.

Can I edit videos from my phone?

Copy the clips to your PC first, or upload them to OneDrive or Google Drive and import them with the drop-down next to Import media. Clipchamp then treats them like any other file.

Do I lose my project if I close Clipchamp?

No. Projects save automatically and reopen from the home screen when you sign in with the same account. Keep the original clips where they were so Clipchamp can find them.

For your first try, keep it small: two or three short clips, one title, one song, and a 1080p export. Once that works, the same timeline skills carry over to longer projects.