To use Clipchamp, go to app.clipchamp.com in Edge or Chrome, or open the Clipchamp app on Windows, and sign in with a personal Microsoft account. Click Create a new video, add your clips to My media, drag them onto the timeline, edit, then click Export and choose a resolution.
Clipchamp is Microsoft's video editor, and it's built for people with no editing experience. The free plan is more generous than a lot of older guides suggest: Microsoft's own help page says it includes core editing tools, free stock content and watermark-free exports at up to 1080p. Here's how to go from raw clips to a finished video.
Step 1: Open Clipchamp and sign in
The account you sign in with decides which version you get. Personal and work projects are kept separate.
- Personal: sign in with a personal Microsoft account at app.clipchamp.com in Edge or Chrome on a desktop or laptop, or use the Clipchamp app on Windows 10 or Windows 11.
- Work or school: sign in with the account your organisation gave you. It needs a licence that includes Clipchamp, and your projects are stored in your organisation's OneDrive or SharePoint.
Microsoft says the editor runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook through the browser. There's a handy shortcut on Windows too: right-click a video in File Explorer and choose edit with Clipchamp, or pick create a video on a file in the Photos app.
Step 2: Start a project and add your media
- On the editor homepage, click Create a new video. You can also click Create a video with AI to use Clipchamp's AI video editor instead.
- Add your files to My media by dragging and dropping them from your computer, clicking Import media, or using the OneDrive option.
- Add videos, images and audio. Files on other services need downloading to your computer first.
- Drag your clips onto the timeline, or click the green + button on each one.
Step 3: Edit on the timeline
The editor has four areas you'll use constantly: the timeline at the bottom, the toolbar on the left, a floating toolbar above your preview and the property panel on the right. Between them you can trim, crop, resize and rotate clips, add animated text and titles, use filters and effects, and add transitions. The core editing tools in the table below are all on the free plan.
| Feature | Free plan | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| AI video and audio editing tools | Included | Included |
| Screen, camera and voice recorder | Included | Included |
| Watermark-free exports | Included | Included |
| Export resolution | Up to 1080p | Up to 4K |
| Stock videos, music and images | Free stock assets | Premium stock assets |
| Brand kit for logos, colours and fonts | Not included | Single brand |
That comparison comes from Clipchamp's pricing page, as of October 2026. Premium features come with Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions rather than a separate Clipchamp plan.
Step 4: Add an AI voiceover
The text to speech feature is one of Clipchamp's best free tools, and Microsoft says it runs on Azure AI Speech.
- Click the Record and create tab on the toolbar, then choose Text to speech.
- Pick a language, then a voice. Use the hear this voice button to preview it.
- Open the advanced settings to change the pitch and pace.
- Type or paste your script into the text box.
- Click Preview to listen, then Save to add it to your video. The audio appears on the timeline above your clip.
A small trick from Microsoft's own guide: use full stops for a moderate pause and commas for a short one. Exclamation marks and capital letters don't change the delivery, so don't rely on them for emphasis. If the voiceover runs long, split the audio on the timeline and move the pieces around.
Step 5: Export and share
On a personal account, Clipchamp saves your progress automatically, so there's no save button to hunt for. When you're done, click Export at the top right and pick a resolution.
| Export option | Microsoft's suggested use |
|---|---|
| 480p | Drafts |
| 720p | Social media videos |
| 1080p HD | Streaming platforms and presentations |
| 4K UHD | 4K media files, with Premium |
| GIF | Videos of 15 seconds or less |
Your video downloads as an MP4, usually to your Downloads folder. From the export page you can also save it to OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox, upload it to YouTube or send it to TikTok. If you see diamond symbols next to the export options, you've used a premium feature. Remove it to export free, or upgrade.
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Limits worth knowing before a long project
Microsoft doesn't enforce a maximum project length, but it recommends keeping videos to 10 minutes or less for the best performance. Longer videos can cause export problems on some computers, depending on the processor, graphics card, memory and disk space. Its advice is to test a longer clip with a few quick edits and an export before you spend hours on it. Webcam and screen recordings made inside the editor are limited to 30 minutes each.
My verdict
For a small business making social clips, tutorials or short promo videos, Clipchamp's free plan covers most of what you need, and the free 1080p export without a watermark is the headline. Keep projects short, use the text to speech for quick explainers and export at 720p for social posts. If you're weighing it against other editors, my guide to whether Clipchamp is free goes deeper on the plans, and my list of video editing software for YouTube covers the alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is Clipchamp free to use?
Yes. Microsoft says the free plan includes core editing tools, free stock content and watermark-free exports at up to 1080p resolution.
Does Clipchamp add a watermark?
No. Watermark-free exports are included on both the free and Premium plans, according to Clipchamp's pricing page.
Can I use Clipchamp on a Mac?
Yes. Microsoft says the editor works on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook through Edge or Chrome, with a separate app for Windows 10 and 11.
How long can a Clipchamp video be?
There's no enforced limit, but Microsoft recommends 10 minutes or less for the best performance. Webcam and screen recordings in the editor are limited to 30 minutes.
How do I save a video in Clipchamp?
Personal projects save automatically. To get a video file, click Export at the top right, choose a resolution and it downloads as an MP4.
How do I get 4K exports in Clipchamp?
4K exports are a Premium feature, which comes with Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions.
