How to trim and edit your video

Trimming is an easy way to fix small errors and stumbles that happen during recording.

Instead of re-recording your entire masterpiece, use Trim to edit out unwanted segments so that you can share your video with confidence.

We'll walk you through the two ways to trim your video—by editing the video's transcript, or through the video's timeline.

How to trim using your video's transcript

Trimming using your video's transcript lets you quickly remove filler words or small stumbles, making you sound more confident. Editing your video is as easy as editing a document—once you delete the words from the transcript, they're also removed from the video.

1. Choose a video from your library, then select Transcript-based trimming
2. Select any words you want to delete from your video, then select Remove
   • Use Search to find specific words you'd like to remove, then select each word and Previous/Next to see each instance
   • Use Restore when selecting a deleted word to re-add it
   • Use Remove filler words to take out unnecessary "ums" and "ahs", or Restore filler words to put them back
3. Select Save to finish, and Save again to confirm 
   • You can select Play to preview what the new video will sound like 

If you need to take a break from trimming while you do other work on the edit page, you can minimize the transcript trimming window, but don't leave the page or your changes will be lost.

How to trim your video's timeline

Trimming using your video's timeline is ideal for removing larger pieces of a video at once. For example:

• Trimming the start or end of your video helps remove any unnecessary setup and teardown
• Removing sections helps you cut out any larger mistakes or sections with dead air

To get started, choose a video from your library, select Trim (below the video preview), and follow the steps below depending on where you want to trim. You can select Play at any point in the video, before saving your changes, to preview what the new video will look like.

Trim the start or end of your video

1. Click and drag the handles at either end of the video timeline. 
   • Any portion of the timeline in a light gray colour without a timestamp will be removed from the video
   • Use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge the handles back and forth
   • Enter an exact timestamp in the fields below the video timeline to be precise
2. Select Save to finish
   • You can see the new video length at the top before saving your changes

Remove a section from your video

Use the Split feature while trimming to remove any mistakes from your video. Split divides the video into 2 or more clips, which you can then trim at the start and end to remove parts of the recording, or delete them entirely.

1. Move the playhead to the part of the video you want to change
   • Position yourself on the timeline using the timestamp above the playhead
   • Use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge the playhead by 1-second increments along the timeline
2. Select Split to cut the video into 2 or more clips
3. Click and drag each clip's handles to trim
   • Any portion of the timeline in a light gray colour without a timestamp will be removed from the video
   • Select a clip to see its duration and the timestamps of when it starts and ends
   • You can also use Split to create sections of the video you no longer want, then select Delete to remove them entirely

4. Select Save to finish 

   • You can see the new video length at the top before saving your changes

   

Revert to your original video

After you save your work using either trim option, you can select Revert to Original to bring your video back to its original state. Vidyard will undo all edits and restore the original file that was recorded or uploaded to your library.

Please note, you will permanently lose any changes after you revert. This action cannot be undone.

Frequently asked questions

What happens to my video's analytics, thumbnail, and other customizations when I trim?

When you trim or Revert to Original, it overwrites the current video file in your library. Your newly trimmed video (or the original, if reverted) is considered a new video.

It's best to trim or revert before making any customizations you don't want to lose or have to reapply.

The following are permanent results of using Trim or Revert and cannot be restored.

Can I save my video's analytics, thumbnail, captions, and audio files before I trim?

To avoid losing analytics, captions, audio files, and other customizations, we recommend duplicating the original video, then trimming the copy instead.

Alternatively, if you want to trim the original video, you can save some of your data by:

• downloading your captions and audio files so that you can re-add them after trimming the video
• downloading your custom thumbnail
• running a report to save the original video's analytics up to the current date

Can I trim older videos using their transcript?

If you added your video to your library before transcript-based trimming was available (September 2026), you can copy your video and trim the duplicate following these steps. Please follow these steps in order, or they won't work.

1. Select the video you want to trim from your library, then delete any automated captions on the video
   • You can download your captions if you'd like to before deleting them
2. Go back to your library and select the menu (3 dots) next to the video, then Duplicate
3. Select the duplicate video from your library, then select New > Request under Captions
4. Choose Detected Language (Automated) free captions, then Place order request

Once you've finished these steps and the new transcript is ready, you can use transcript-based trimming.

Will using trim affect the video's creation date?

No. Whether you use trim or revert back to the original version, your video will maintain the same creation date as when it was first recorded or uploaded to Vidyard.

Can I only revert my video to the original within a certain period of time?

No, there is no time limit. After saving your changes, you can use Revert to Original at any time, even if you've trimmed the video more than once.

Can I use my keyboard to help trim a video's timeline?

Yes, your keyboard can help you make more precise edits along the video timeline.

Use tab to move around the trim editor, then use the left and right arrow keys (⬅️ or ➡️) to nudge the playhead or clip handles in either direction along the timeline.

• Move between elements on the editor - tab
• Nudge the playhead or clip handles - ⬅️ or ➡️
• Nudge more quickly - Hold Shift + ⬅️ or ➡️
• Snap the playhead to the clip handles - Hold Shift + click and drag the playhead to either end of a clip

Can I trim a video with the Vidyard mobile app?

At the moment, no. Trim and other editing features are not supported on mobile.

To edit your videos with Trim, you must sign in to your Vidyard account with a supported browser on a desktop computer.