A Full Guide on How to Trim Video with VLC on Win & Mac

VLC Player is truly a great tool for handling various video and audio editing tasks—it's free, open-source, and compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It's incredibly versatile: it can play multimedia files, convert file formats, trim and edit video and audio, and even rip DVDs. It truly functions like a professional video editor.
This guide will focus on trimming videos with VLC, providing detailed steps for both Windows and Mac devices, while also introducing you to the best VLC alternatives that can perform the same task.

Part 1. How to Trim Video in VLC on Windows and Mac

First, let's start with a theoretical confirmation—VLC Player can definitely handle video trimming with ease, both on Windows and Mac. However, it is primarily a media player, so its editing interface differs from that of conventional video editing software. Considering that first-time users may have difficulty finding the trim function on its interface, this guide will provide step-by-step instructions in this section on how to trim a video with VLC Media Player.

Let's start with Windows first:

Trim Video with VLC on Windows

Before you begin, please ensure that you have the following:

• A stable internet connection

• VLC Media Player that is compatible with your Windows computer, preferably the latest version

Here is a guide on how to trim a video with VLC.

Step 1. Download and install the adapted VLC Media Player on your Windows computer from the official website of VideoLan.

Step 2. Launch VLC Media Player. Go to the top left corner and click Media > Open File. Select the video you want to trim and click Open.

Step 3. Go to the top menu and click View > Advanced Controls. Then, you will see the editing functions displayed under the media viewer.

Step 4. Identify the section of the video you wish to trim and click the play button at the starting point. Press the red Record button.

Step 5. Play the video to the point where you want the clip to stop, then click the Record button again.

Now, you have successfully trimmed a video in VLC. If you want to find the location where the trimmed video is saved, please see:

Step 6. After finishing the clip, VLC will automatically save the file in the Videos folder on your Windows computer. You can find it from C:UsersUsersnameideo path.

Trim Video with VLC on Mac

The steps for trimming video with VLC on a Mac are just as simple.

Again, remember to make sure your Mac has a stable network connection and that the system and VLC video trimmere are compatible.

Now, let’s learn how to clip video in VLC on a Mac computer.

Step 1. Download and install VLC Media Player on your computer.

Step 2. Launch VLC Media Player. Open the file you want to trim and drag it to the playlist of VLC. The video will start playing automatically. If it is not, double-click to play it manually.

Step 3. Play or scrub to the starting point of the segment you want to keep. Go to the top menu and click Playback > Record.

Step 4. Let the video play until it reaches the endpoint of the segment. Click the Record button again to stop recording.

The trimmed video will be automatically saved in your Movies folder. The file name may start with vlc-record. You can try to find it.

Part 2. Best VLC Alternative to Trim Video

Can you trim videos with VLC Player?

Yes, based on the guidelines in the above two sections, trimming a video with VLC is quite straightforward on both Windows and Mac computers.

However, there are some issues you cannot overlook:

• The module for selecting the editing section in VLC is not very flexible and can only perform the most basic continuous section selection.

• VLC cannot split a video into multiple smaller segments, especially multiple segments of equal length.

• VLC cannot batch-process video trimming; each process can only edit one file at a time.

Currently, VLC Media Player's trimming functionality is only suitable for performing the most basic video editing tasks. If, after trying it out, you find its functionality insufficiently flexible to handle more complex segment editing, we strongly recommend exploring some of VLC alternatives.

Among all similar products, we highly recommend trying FVC Video Converter Ultimate. This software combines multiple functions such as video conversion, trimming, merging, compression, and enhancement, providing you with a one-stop solution for audio-visual and even image trimming and editing services. Additionally, it is compatible with both Windows and Mac systems, has no usage barriers, and features a clean and intuitive interface. You also need not worry about compatibility issues. FVC Video Converter Ultimate supports over a thousand multimedia formats, effectively covering any video format you might encounter in daily life.

• Supports 1000+ video, audio, and image formats.

• Provides trim, crop, and split functions. Not only can you edit the length of the video, but also support splitting the video into a number of segments of equal length.

• Supports batch uploading video files for editing.

• Provides comprehensive video playback adjustment settings, including volume adjustment, playback speed adjustment, and so on.

Here is how to trim a video with FVC Video Converter Ultimate.

Step 1. Download and install FVC Video Converter Ultimate on your computer. Click Add Files to upload the video you want to trim.

Step 2. Click the Cut icon to launch its trimming interface. Drag the time bar to set the start and end points.

You can also use the Set Start and Set End button.

After finishing trimming, click Save.

Step 3. Go back to the main interface. Click Convert All to export your video.

Part 3. FAQs of Trim Video with VLC

Conclusion

We can now confirm with certainty that VLC Player supports video trimming. To help you better understand the process, we have prepared a comprehensive guide on how to trim videos with VLC, covering both Windows and Mac platforms. However, VLC Player does not support batch processing, and the trimming functionality is quite basic.
If you are looking for a simpler tool with more trimming options, such as splitting videos into multiple segments, we recommend using FVC Video Converter Ultimate as an alternative to snip video VLC.