How to Edit a Video in Google Vids

Google Vids lets you make a basic video edit with a Google Account at no cost. On a desktop, start a project, arrange clips into scenes, add titles and audio, then preview and export. AI tools have separate account limits.

Before you start

You need a Google Account and a desktop computer to create and edit in Google Vids. Work and school administrators control access for their users and can manage access to generative AI features. Google lists the two latest versions of Chrome and Firefox, plus Microsoft Edge on Windows, as supported browsers; Safari does not support editing or commenting in Vids. Mobile devices can play processed videos. (Google Vids account access; Google’s Vids product page; Google’s browser and device guidance)

Start a project and add media

1. Open Google Vids. In Google Drive on the web, choose New > Google Vids. You can also open Vids and select + under Start a new video, or enter vids.new in your browser.
2. Choose a canvas and starting point. Select landscape, portrait, or square, then start with a blank project, a template, an upload, a recording, or a Google Slides presentation. (Google’s project setup guide)
3. Bring in your footage. Add media from Google Drive or Google Photos, or upload files. Google lists MP4, OGG, QuickTime, and WebM as supported video formats; images can be PNG, JPEG, or GIF. (Google’s supported media formats)
4. Place media in a scene. Create a scene with the timeline’s plus button, then drag your media into it. WIRED’s walkthrough describes these timeline controls and scene actions.

Edit scenes, titles, and audio

Build the sequence by arranging clips in the timeline. To remove a section or reuse a scene, WIRED’s walkthrough describes right-click options such as splitting and duplicating. Select a scene and choose Text > Add a title to create a title, then adjust its wording and style. WIRED also describes controls for repositioning, resizing, rotating, or animating text, along with audio fades and video transitions.

Adjust the audio track and transitions to suit the sequence, then preview the result with Play. The English-language screencast by Tasia Custode demonstrates scene creation, templates, voiceovers, and turning Google Slides into a video.

Preview, share, and export

Google limits a Vids project to 30 minutes. You can share the project with Viewer, Commenter, or Editor access. Google’s Help Center lists these export options: (Google’s sharing and export guidance)

What basic access includes, and where AI limits apply

The basic editor is separate from Gemini allowances. Google’s personal-account table lists 50 monthly credits, 60 seconds of AI video clips per month, and six preset AI-avatar generations per month. Credits do not roll over, and Google says limits may change. The same table assigns 5 credits to Help me create, 1 to an AI voiceover, 1 to an image generation or editing action, and 5 to converting Slides to Vids with an AI voiceover. These are limits for the named AI features, not for manual timeline editing. (Google’s account and Gemini feature limits)

For its specified AI clip-generation workflow, Google lists clip lengths of 3 to 10 seconds, 24 fps, 720p or 1080p, and landscape 16:9 or portrait 9:16. Those specifications describe generated clips, not every manually edited project or export. On September 23, 2026, Google announced no-cost Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash video generation in Vids for Google Account users, with 1080p among the announced controls. (Google’s AI clip specifications; Google’s September 23, 2026 announcement)

Google lists Illinois and Texas among the locations where its specified AI feature for editing uploaded videos is unavailable. That restriction applies to that AI feature, not to ordinary manual timeline editing.