How to Trim a Screen Recording on Mac

To trim a screen recording on a Mac, open it in QuickTime Player, choose Edit > Trim, drag the yellow handles to keep the part you want, and click Trim. To cut out something in the middle, you split the clip first.

That is the free way. This guide shows the steps, then the way Quibble works, which is faster when you cut often.

Method 1: Trim the start and end in QuickTime Player (free)

Apple's QuickTime Player guide gives these steps:

1. Open the recording in QuickTime Player.
2. Choose Edit > Trim.
3. Drag the yellow handles on the trimming bar. Everything outside the handles is removed.
4. Click Trim.

For a more exact cut, click and hold a handle. Apple says this shows individual frames.

Apple's page for trimming ends after you click Trim. It points to a separate page for saving, so save or export your video the usual way before you close the window.

The catch: trimming only keeps one part. If a mistake is in the middle of the recording, you need the next method.

Method 2: Cut out the middle in QuickTime Player (free)

QuickTime Player can split a movie into clips. Apple's guide explains how to split a movie into clips and delete the parts you don't want. Put together, the steps are:

1. Choose View > Show Clips.
2. Move the playhead (the red vertical line) to where the unwanted part starts, then choose Edit > Split Clip.
3. Move the playhead to where it ends, then choose Edit > Split Clip again.
4. Select the middle clip and delete it.
5. Click Done.
6. Choose File > Save.

Apple notes that if Save is dimmed, you click the red close button in the upper left, enter information about the clip, then click Save.

The catch: this is fine for one or two cuts. If you made a recording full of pauses and "um" moments, doing this over and over takes a while.

Method 3: Quibble (cut right after you record)

Quibble opens its editor when you stop recording, so you can cut in the same place where you recorded.

1. Press ⌥⌘R to record, and press stop when you finish. The editor opens.
2. Play the video and find the start of the part you want to remove.
3. Press B to turn on the Split tool, and click the timeline to make a cut.
4. Click again at the end of the part you want to remove.
5. Press B again to turn off the Split tool. Click the part between the cuts and press Delete. Everything after it moves up, captions included.
6. Press Done Editing to get a finished MP4 (saving needs a license).

The editor also lets you:

• Pick one of eight screen aspect ratios, including 9:16 for shorts. See our guide on vertical screen recording on Mac.
• Fix or restyle the captions, which are ready the moment you stop recording, in English or Korean.
• Move the zooms around. Zoom on clicks is on by default, and you can add a zoom by hand with Add Zoom or turn them off with Use Zoom. See our guide to a screen recorder with zoom in and out on Mac.
• Move, resize and round the camera window if you recorded with Camera on.

Recording and editing are free. You need a license only to save and export the finished video.

Cut with the captions in view

Quibble transcribes on your Mac, and the captions sit with the video. When you remove a pause, you can see in the editor which words are around it, so it is easier to find the "um" or a restart.

Tips for clean cuts

• Cut a little before the first word and a little after the last word. Cutting right on a word sounds sharp.
• Leave a short pause between sentences. A video with no pauses is tiring to watch.
• Watch the cut again with sound on. A click in the audio often means the cut is too tight.
• Trim the start and end first, then cut out the middle. It keeps the timeline short.
• Zoom and highlight moments are tied to the video, so check them after you cut.

Other free options

The Photos app and iMovie can also trim video on a Mac. They take more steps for a simple trim, and we have not checked their menus for this guide. QuickTime Player is the quickest built-in tool for a trim. If you want to put your recording into CapCut for more editing, see our guide on importing a screen recording into CapCut.

What Quibble does not do

• It runs only on Macs with Apple silicon, with macOS 15 or later. It does not run on Intel-based Macs.
• It has no cloud upload or share links. You save the video file and share it yourself.
• It has no team plan. One license covers one Mac.
• Its editing is meant for quick cuts, ratios, captions and zooms. For a full timeline with many tracks, use a larger video editor.

Price

Record and edit for free. To save or export, you need a license: $7.99 per month, $79 per year, or $129 once. There is a 14-day full refund on every plan.

Frequently asked questions

How do I trim a screen recording on a Mac without extra software?

Open it in QuickTime Player and choose Edit > Trim. Drag the yellow handles and click Trim.

How do I cut a section out of the middle of a screen recording?

In QuickTime Player, use View > Show Clips and Edit > Split Clip at both ends of the section, delete the middle clip, and save. In Quibble, press B and click the timeline at both ends, press B again, then click the part and press Delete.

How do I edit a screen recording on a Mac?

For simple edits, QuickTime Player can trim and split. For captions, zooms, aspect ratios and a camera window, an editor made for screen recordings like Quibble saves time.

Does trimming lower the quality of my video?

We did not test this. Apple's guide does not describe the effect of trimming on quality, so check your exported video before you share it.

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