Trim a video for Shorts, Reels and TikTok
Cut one clip out of a longer video: drag the handles to the start and end, check it fits the app, and save it as an MP4 with the sound. Turn it 9:16 on the way if it’s a landscape video.
Free, no sign-up, no watermark. Your video stays on your device and is never uploaded.
Drag the two handles to the start and end. Click the strip to look at a moment.
- YouTube Shorts
- Instagram Reels
- TikTok
Your clip is ready.
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How to pick a clip that works as a Short
- Start on the hook. Cut the “so, um” and start on the first sentence that makes someone stop scrolling.
- End on the payoff. Stop right after the punchline, the answer or the result, not on the next thought.
- Keep it short. All three apps take up to 3 minutes, but a tight 20 to 60 seconds is easier to watch to the end.
- Make it vertical. A landscape clip plays small on a phone. Turn on “Make it 9:16”, then check the result in the free safe zone checker before you post.
Questions
How long can a Short, Reel or TikTok be?
YouTube Shorts can be up to 3 minutes, Instagram Reels up to 3 minutes, and TikTok takes up to 10 minutes uploaded in the app. Shorter usually does better: most clips that travel are under a minute. The trimmer shows which apps your clip fits as you move the handles.
Is my video uploaded anywhere?
No. The trimmer runs in your browser: your video is read from your device, cut there and saved back to it. Nothing is sent to ClipIQ or anyone else.
Does it cut exactly where I set it?
Yes. The clip is re-encoded, so it starts and ends on the frame you chose, not on the nearest key frame like a quick copy would. That takes a little longer, and the time depends on your computer.
Can I make the clip vertical too?
Yes. Turn on “Make it 9:16” and pick crop to fill or fit over a blurred background, the same as the free 16:9 to 9:16 converter. You get one vertical MP4 ready to post.
How do I know which part to cut?
Look for a moment that makes sense on its own: a strong opinion, a story with an ending, a surprising fact. Start right on the first interesting sentence. If you have a long video and no time to watch it all, ClipIQ finds those moments for you.
Rather not scrub through an hour of video?
ClipIQ watches the whole video, finds the moments worth posting, cuts them, reframes them to 9:16 around the speaker’s face and adds captions. Free plan, no credit card.