# How to Clip a YouTube Video (Clip Button and Studio)

> How to clip a YouTube video: use the built-in Clip button (5–60 seconds) and share the link, or trim your own uploads in YouTube Studio. Step by step.

Canonical: https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/how-to-clip-a-youtube-video
Last updated: 2026-10-23

Category: YouTube. 

To clip a YouTube video, open it, select **Clip** (the scissors icon under the player), drag the selector to choose a section between 5 and 60 seconds, add a title and select **Share clip**. YouTube creates a link that plays just that moment of the original video. If the video is your own and you want to shorten the upload itself, use the **Editor** in YouTube Studio instead.

Those are two different jobs. Below you'll find how to clip a YouTube video on a computer or phone, how trimming works, when the Clip button is missing, and how to turn a moment from your own video into a Short.

## Clip, trim or Short: which do you need?

| You want to… | Use | Whose videos | Result |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Share a funny or useful moment with a friend | Clip button | Any eligible video or live stream | A link that plays 5–60 seconds of the original |
| Remove a mistake or the slow intro from your upload | YouTube Studio Editor (Trim & cut) | Your own | The same video, edited, at the same URL |
| Make a vertical highlight from your long video | Your own editing app, or YouTube's tools for turning a video into a Short | Your own | A new Short with its own URL |
| Reuse someone else's footage in your video | Ask the owner first | Someone else's | Depends on permission and copyright |

The Clip button doesn't copy, download or re-upload anything. A clip is a pointer to a section of someone's video, and the original creator keeps control of it. That's why it's the right tool for sharing other people's content.

## How to clip a YouTube video with the Clip button

The Clip feature works in the YouTube app on Android and iPhone and on youtube.com in a desktop browser. You need to be signed in.

### How to clip on a computer

1. Open the video on youtube.com.
2. Under the player, select **Clip**. If you don't see it, select the three-dot **More** menu next to Share; it's sometimes tucked in there.
3. A clip panel opens on the right. Drag the blue slider over the timeline, or type start and end times, to choose a section between 5 and 60 seconds.
4. Add a title in the text box. This is what people see when you share the link.
5. Select **Share clip**, then copy the link or pick where to share it.

### How to clip on a phone (iPhone or Android)

1. Open the video in the YouTube app.
2. Swipe along the row of buttons under the video and tap **Clip**.
3. Drag the handles on the timeline to set the section, then add a title.
4. Tap **Share clip** and choose an app, or copy the link.

### What happens after you share

- Anyone who opens the link sees the clip looping on the original video's watch page, with a button to watch the full video.
- Your clips are listed in your library: on desktop, look for **Your clips** in the left menu; in the app, tap **You** and find **Your clips**.
- You can delete a clip from that list at any time.
- If the creator deletes the original video or makes it private, the clip stops working too.

## Why the Clip button is missing

The button only appears on eligible videos, and the rules can change, so treat this list as a guide at the time of writing:

- **The creator turned clipping off.** Channels can disable it for their content.
- **The video is set as made for kids.** Clipping isn't available on these.
- **It's a live stream without DVR,** or a stream or Premiere in a state YouTube doesn't support for clipping.
- **You're signed out,** or using an embedded player on another website rather than YouTube itself.
- **Your app is out of date.** Update the YouTube app and check again.

If the button is missing, use the regular **Share** button instead. On desktop, the share box has a **Start at** checkbox, so your link opens at the moment you want to point to. It isn't a clip, but it gets your friend to the right spot.

## How to trim your own video in YouTube Studio

If the video is yours, you can cut it down without re-uploading. You keep the same URL, views and comments.

1. Go to YouTube Studio on a computer and select **Content** in the left menu.
2. Select the video's title or thumbnail to open its details.
3. Select **Editor** in the left menu.
4. Select **Trim & cut**. A blue box appears on the timeline.
5. To shorten the start or end, drag the edges of the blue box. To remove a section from the middle, select **New cut**, then drag over the part you want gone and confirm with the check mark.
6. Select **Preview** to watch the result, then **Save**.

Processing can take a while for longer videos, and the original stays live until the edit is ready. YouTube may limit edits on videos with a very high view count, especially for channels outside the YouTube Partner Program, so check the notice in the Editor if saving is blocked. The [YouTube Help Center](https://support.google.com/youtube) has the current rules.

The Editor also handles blurring faces or objects, adding audio from YouTube's library, and setting end screens.

## How to turn a moment from your video into a Short

Clips stay attached to the original video. If you want a vertical highlight that gets its own place in the Shorts feed, you need a new upload. You have two options.

### Use YouTube's own tools

On many of your own long videos, the YouTube app offers a way to create a Short from a section of the video (look under the **Remix** or **Create** options below the video). The exact wording and availability vary by country and app version, so if you don't see it, use the second option.

### Edit it yourself and upload

1. Download your own video from YouTube Studio: **Content**, then the three-dot menu next to the video, then **Download**. Better still, start from your original export, which has higher quality.
2. Open it in an editing app such as YouTube Create (available on Android in many countries at the time of writing), CapCut, Premiere or any editor you like.
3. Cut the section you want and reframe it to a 9:16 vertical canvas.
4. Add captions, since many people watch Shorts without sound.
5. Upload it as a new video. YouTube decides whether a vertical or square video counts as a Short; at the time of writing, Shorts can be up to 3 minutes long.

If you're cutting several highlights from one long video, you can schedule them instead of uploading everything at once. Schedule For You uploads each one to YouTube at the time you pick, with its own title (up to 100 characters) and description, and the same files can go to TikTok and other platforms with a separate caption for each. Our guide to [posting YouTube Shorts](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/post-youtube-shorts) covers the format, and the [YouTube title checker](https://scheduleforyou.com/tools/youtube-title-checker) helps you tighten each title.

## Clipping and copyright

The Clip button is designed for sharing, and the clip stays tied to the creator's video, so using it is fine. Things are different if you want to take footage out of YouTube.

- **Don't download other people's videos** with third-party sites or apps. It breaks YouTube's Terms of Service, and those sites are often full of misleading ads.
- **Don't re-upload someone else's footage** as your own Short or video. It can lead to Content ID claims, copyright strikes, and in some cases the loss of your channel.
- **Fair use is narrow.** Commentary, criticism and education can sometimes use short excerpts, but it depends on the details and on your country's law. "I gave credit" isn't a defense on its own.
- **When in doubt, ask.** Many creators are happy to give permission for a highlight, especially if you link back to them.

For your own channel, the safest highlight material is your own footage. It's also the material you have in the best quality.

## Frequently asked questions

### How long can a YouTube clip be?

A clip can be between 5 and 60 seconds long. You choose the section with the slider or by typing start and end times. If you need a longer excerpt from your own video, trim or re-edit the video itself.

### Can I clip any YouTube video?

No. Clipping only works on eligible videos and live streams. Creators can turn it off, and it isn't available on videos set as made for kids or on some live streams. If the Clip button is missing, share a link that starts at a specific time instead.

### Do YouTube clips count as views for the creator?

A clip plays inside the original video's watch page rather than as a separate upload, and viewers can jump to the full video from it. YouTube doesn't publish exactly how clip plays are counted in every report, so creators should check their own YouTube Studio analytics.

### Can I download a clip I made?

No. The Clip feature creates a shareable link, not a file. If you need a downloadable highlight of your own video, download the video from YouTube Studio (or use your original file) and cut the section in an editing app.

### How do I delete a YouTube clip?

Open **Your clips** in your library, find the clip and use its three-dot menu to delete it. The link stops working for anyone you shared it with.

### Will trimming my video in YouTube Studio reset its views?

No. Trimming in the Studio Editor changes the existing video, so it keeps its URL, views, likes and comments. The edited version replaces the original once processing finishes.

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