On iPhone (Native Photos App)
Apple has built a surprisingly powerful non-destructive video editor straight into the default iOS Photos app.
- 1
Open the video in the Photos app and tap Edit in the top right corner.
- 2
Tap the Crop/Rotate icon at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a square with arrows).
- 3
You can drag the corners of the box manually, OR tap the Aspect Ratio icon at the top right (it looks like overlapping rectangles) to force a specific shape like Square or 9:16 Vertical.
- 4
Tap Done. The phone will process the video for a few seconds.
On Android (Google Photos App)
If you use an Android, the process inside Google Photos is nearly identical and just as fast.
- Open the video in Google Photos.
- Tap the Edit button at the bottom of the player.
- Select the Crop tab on the bottom menu bar.
- Drag the edges to crop manually, or tap the ratio button to snap to a pre-set shape.
- Tap Save Copy. Unlike Apple, Android generally creates a duplicate file so you do not accidentally ruin your original video.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does cropping a video lower its quality?
Yes. When you crop out the edges of a video, you are physically throwing away pixels. The resulting video has a lower total resolution. When you upload that video to TikTok or Instagram, it stretches the remaining pixels to fit the screen, which can make the video appear slightly less sharp.
What is an Aspect Ratio?
An aspect ratio is the shape of the video's frame. Standard widescreen TV/YouTube videos are 16:9. Smartphone portrait videos (TikTok/Reels) are 9:16. Square videos for Instagram feeds are 1:1.
Can I undo a crop later?
If you crop the video using the native Apple Photos app, yes. Apple uses non-destructive editing, meaning it simply hides the edges. You can hit 'Revert' at any point in the future. However, if you crop using a third-party app and export a new file, the cropped data is permanently destroyed in the new file.