To edit a Snapchat video, record it (or open a saved one), then use the tools on the right of the Preview screen: text, draw, stickers, scissors, music and crop, plus filters by swiping sideways. For a saved video, swipe up from the Camera to open Memories, press and hold the Snap and tap Edit Snap; to trim or change speed, tap the Edit thumbnail on a fresh video to open the Timeline Editor.
The next thing worth knowing is where your video comes from, because Snapchat gives you slightly different tools depending on whether you just filmed it, saved it to Memories earlier, or pulled it in from your phone's camera roll. The steps below cover all three, and the table further down shows which tool lives where.
The catch most people miss: once a Snap is sent or posted, you can't edit it. Snapchat's own help pages only give you one option for a Snap that's already gone out, and that's deleting it. So if you spot a typo in your caption after posting, the fix is to edit the saved copy in Memories and post that version again.
Three ways to start editing, depending on your video
A video you've just recorded
- Open Snapchat and press and hold the round capture button to record.
- Let go. You'll land on the Preview screen with your clip playing on a loop.
- Use the tool icons down the right side: the T for text, the pen for drawing, the square sticker icon for stickers, scissors for cutouts, the music note for sounds and the crop tool.
- Swipe left or right across the video to try filters.
- If you'd like to trim, split or change the speed of a clip, tap the small video thumbnail marked Edit to open the Timeline Editor.
- When you're happy, tap the arrow to send it or post it to your Story.
A Snap you saved to Memories
- From the Camera screen, swipe up to open Memories.
- Find the video and press and hold it.
- Tap Edit Snap from the menu that pops up.
- Make your changes with the same right-side tools, then save or send.
Snapchat's help page on this asks you to watch your whole Snap back before sharing it. That's good advice, because on older long videos the edits you add at the start now carry through the whole clip, so a sticker placed in the first second can sit on top of something you didn't expect later on.
A video from your camera roll
- Swipe up from the Camera to open Memories.
- Tap the Camera Roll tab and find the video.
- Press and hold it and look for the edit option, then decorate it like any other Snap.
- Send it to friends or post it to your Story.
I've written a separate walk-through on posting to your Snapchat Story from your camera roll if that's the part that's tripping you up.
Snapchat moves things around between updates. If a button name in this guide looks different on your phone, open the app's settings or Snapchat Support inside the app and search for the word.
Which editing tool does what
| Tool | What it does | Where you'll find it |
|---|---|---|
| Text (T) | Adds a caption; tap again to change size and style | Right-side toolbar on Preview |
| Pen | Draw on top of the video in any colour | Right-side toolbar |
| Stickers | Adds stickers, GIFs, polls, time and location | Square sticker icon, right side |
| Scissors | Cuts an object out of a frame and turns it into a sticker | Right-side toolbar |
| Music note | Adds a sound or song to the clip | Right-side toolbar |
| Crop | Changes the framing of the video | Right-side toolbar |
| Filters | Colour looks, time, temperature and more | Swipe sideways on Preview |
| Timeline Editor | Trim, split, duplicate, replace, speed, volume, crop and rotate | Tap the Edit thumbnail after recording |
| Loop / Bounce | Plays once, loops, or bounces back and forth | Playback button on Preview |
Stickers can also be pinned to a moving object. Press and hold a sticker over something in the video, like a dog running across the room, and it'll follow, rotate and resize with it. To get rid of a sticker, press and hold it and drag it to the bin.
Trimming and changing speed with the Timeline Editor
This is the part people look for most, and it's tucked away. After you record a video in the Camera or in Director Mode, a small thumbnail labelled Edit appears on the preview. Tap it and your clip opens on a timeline.
- Trim: drag either end of a clip inwards to cut the start or the finish.
- Split, duplicate or delete: tap a clip to bring up these options.
- Speed: tap a clip, then Speed, to slow it down or speed it up after filming.
- Music: tap Sounds to add a track; it sits as its own layer under your clips.
- Captions and stickers: add them here and drag their layer so they appear only at the moment you want.
Snapchat notes that only one licensed song can play at a time, and if your video runs longer than the song, the song may loop to fill the gap.
Slow motion, fast and bounce effects
You've got two routes to a speed effect. The first is to set it before you film: tap the Director Mode icon on the Camera screen, then the speedometer, and pick a speed. The second is the Speed option inside the Timeline Editor, which works on a clip you've already recorded.
If you're after a back-and-forth effect, use Bounce. Record your video, tap the bounce playback button, then drag the slider to pick the part you want to bounce. It plays forwards then backwards, which is the closest thing Snapchat offers to a reverse effect; I couldn't find a separate reverse tool in Snapchat's help pages. For a full guide to this, see how to do a boomerang on Snapchat.
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Story or Spotlight: does it change how you edit?
Your editing tools are the same either way, but where the video goes changes who sees it. A Story goes to your friends (or whoever your Story settings allow). Spotlight is Snapchat's public feed, and the help centre says Spotlight Snaps are public, can be shared on and off Snapchat, and are moderated before they go out to the wider community.
A couple of things to check before posting to Spotlight:
- Your video needs to be at least five seconds long for the Post button to appear on the Camera preview.
- Because anyone can see it, avoid faces of people who didn't agree to be in it, your school name, or your street.
- Keep text inside the middle of the frame so captions and buttons don't cover it.
If you're working with still photos rather than video, the tools overlap a lot, and my guide on editing pictures on Snapchat covers the photo-only extras.
Small fixes when editing doesn't behave
| What's happening | What I'd try |
|---|---|
| No Edit thumbnail after recording | Update the app; the Timeline Editor is a newer feature |
| Edit Snap missing in Memories | Press and hold the Snap rather than tapping it once |
| Music won't add | Some songs aren't available in every country; try another track |
| Edits look wrong later in a long video | Play the whole Snap back and move stickers or text |
| Typo after posting | Delete the posted Snap, fix the copy in Memories and post again |
My advice
Save every video to Memories before you send it. It costs you one tap, and it means a typo or a badly placed sticker is a two-minute fix rather than a reshoot.
Frequently asked questions
Can you edit a Snapchat video after posting it?
No. Snapchat doesn't let you change a Snap once it's sent or posted. You can delete it, then edit the saved copy in Memories and post it again.
How do I trim a video on Snapchat?
After recording, tap the Edit thumbnail on the preview to open the Timeline Editor, then drag either end of the clip inwards to trim it.
How do I slow down a Snapchat video?
Before filming, tap Director Mode then the speedometer and pick a slower speed. After filming, open the Timeline Editor, tap the clip and choose Speed.
Can I edit a camera roll video in Snapchat?
Yes. Swipe up to Memories, open the Camera Roll tab, press and hold the video and edit it with the usual tools before sending or posting.
