The complete guide to adding music to CapCut videos

Struggling to figure out how to add music? CapCut has you covered. It’s a mobile video editing app with many great options. You can explore the included music library or add your own tunes. It only takes a few quick steps, and I’ll show you exactly how to do it in this tutorial. In moments, you’ll be a CapCut music expert!

Why waste time? Let’s get started.

Why add music to CapCut videos?

Adding music using CapCut is very easy. But what are the benefits? Why should you add music to your CapCut videos?

Luckily, there are many key advantages. Adding CapCut music elevates any video into something special.

Consider this:

Music boosts engagement. As I said, no video is truly complete without music. It keeps your audience engaged. Adding a good soundtrack boosts energy and keeps things upbeat.
You can enhance the emotional impact. Think about your favorite movies and TV shows. How do they build drama and boost suspense? Often, that’s done by adding music. The same technique works well for your very own CapCut videos.
You can add your brand’s soundtrack. Have brand music to share? Want to stick with a consistent soundtrack for your projects? Using CapCut music makes it easy to add your brand’s custom sounds.
Filling silence keeps things interesting. Long periods of silence in a video tend to get boring. Never fall into that trap when you’re editing CapCut videos. Subtly playing some music over silent periods makes your videos more enjoyable.
It upgrades your quality. Professional productions tend to feature music throughout. Want to look like a video expert? Adding music is a surefire way to boost your quality.

These are but a few of the benefits of adding music to CapCut videos.

How to add music to CapCut videos (step by step)

Now, it’s time to learn how to add music to CapCut videos. Keep in mind: CapCut is a versatile editor. It’s mobile-centric, meaning that most people use CapCut on mobile devices.

For this tutorial, we’ll use CapCut on an iPhone running iOS 17. But if you use Android, don’t fret—you can download CapCut from the Google Play store. It works on Mac and Windows PCs as well. The editing workflow steps will vary slightly from device to device.

You’ll also see a video clip in the background of some of our tutorial steps. It’s beautiful stock footage from Envato. Download it if you’d like to follow along.

1. Create a new project

To kick things off, open CapCut on your device. When you do, you’ll be on the main screen.

Look at the toolbar menu at the bottom. There, you’ll see five options: Edit, Templates, Library, Inbox, and Me. Make sure that you’re working on the Edit tab. Access it by tapping on it.

Choose New project, select video clips, and you’re ready to start adding music!

With the Edit tab open, find the blue New project box at the top. Tap it to create a New project. Here, you’ll be asked to choose and add a video from your device. Choose one or more video clips, and click Add.

When you’ve chosen your videos, you’ll be on the main Edit tab in CapCut. You’ll see your video clips previewed. Below the preview is the Timeline, where you’ll arrange and sequence clips. You’re now ready to start adding music!

2. Open the Audio menu

With a video open in CapCut, take a look at your screen. You’ll see the video previewed front and center. Below that, you’ll see a filmstrip-style timeline. This is where you can sequence and arrange CapCut video and music clips. At the bottom is a menu bar.

Explore the menu bar at the bottom of your CapCut screen. To add music, tap Audio.

Options on the menu include Edit, Audio, Text, Effects, Overlay, and more. Ready to add music to your CapCut productions? You guessed it: Audio is the button you want. Go ahead and tap on Audio to open the Audio panel in CapCut.

3. Choose music for your CapCut video

With the Audio menu open, you’ll see an array of new menu options at the bottom. The original menu bar is replaced with buttons focused on audio and sounds. From left to right, they span Sounds, Extract, Voiceover, and so on.

As we move through our tutorial, we’ll look at a few ways to add music. There are multiple good options. You can add music from CapCut’s own included library, extract music from an existing video clip, or upload music from your own audio collection.

On the Sounds menu, you can explore and choose songs to feature in your next CapCut video.

Let’s first look at the CapCut library. This is useful because it’s built in. When you share music in videos, you need to be mindful of copyright concerns, and this is a real advantage of CapCut’s library. It’s easy to find music that’s licensed to use in projects of your own.

On the menu bar, press Sounds. You’ll see the audio browser launch in CapCut. Here, you can peruse the sizable CapCut music library. There’s even a search box to help you find the perfect tunes. Go to the Commercial tab.

Browse until you find a song. Then, tap to select it. Finally, click the blue + icon. CapCut will import the music and add it to your project. You’ll see the audio appear on your Timeline. Just like that, you’ve learned to add music in CapCut!

4. Add your own music to CapCut

Above, you saw how to add music to CapCut with the built-in library. It’s a great way to source music that you’re able to use for social media sharing. But what if you have your own music that you’d like to use in your videos?

Imagine, for example, that you’re a musician with your own recordings. Your music probably isn’t in the CapCut library. But odds are, you have it stored on your device, ready to share!

The Sounds menu offers the ability to import your own music audio files straight into CapCut projects of your own.

Easy. In CapCut, make sure you’re working on the main Edit menu. Return to the Sounds menu that we used above. On the All tab, you’ll see a handful of options. To import your own music, choose the Folder icon. Then, tap Device.

From there, choose Select from device. A file browser will launch where you can select an audio file of your own. Navigate to it, choose it, and add it. CapCut will import it and place it right on your Timeline. This is a quick and powerful way to add your own audio right into CapCut.

5. Extract music from another video with CapCut

Last but not least, you can extract music from another source. You may not find yourself using this option every day, but it’s very useful. Imagine, for example, that you want to use live music that you’ve recorded yourself.

With this feature, you can extract audio from a video, without having to use the video itself. It’s also a top option for brand music. Extract audio from one video, and use it again and again.

Use the Extract tool in CapCut to extract music from existing videos.

To extract music in CapCut, navigate once again to the Sounds panel. Go back to the All > Folder panel that we used in the step above. This feature is called Your audio. On the Your audio view, tap Extracted.

When you choose Extracted, you’ll be given the chance to choose a video from your library. Select one, and the audio from it will be extracted. You’ll see it appear at the bottom of your CapCut screen. It now behaves just like any other music in CapCut, and you can instantly start using it in other video projects.

Edit CapCut music: Make your audio sound great

You’ve seen a few ways to add music to your CapCut videos. No matter which one you choose, audio will be placed on your Timeline. But when you edit videos in CapCut, don’t think of audio as static. It’s an evolving piece of content that you can edit and customize.

On the Timeline, tap to select a music track that you’ve imported. When you do, you’ll see the menu bar transform. Now, it features an assortment of audio and music-specific edits.

Tap on a music track that you’ve placed on your Timeline. Then, browse the menu options that offer you an array of cool edits.

For example, you can adjust the fades and volume of your music. You can even make enhancements like speed changes.

The lesson is this: don’t forget to edit music in CapCut! Once you’ve imported your favorite songs, spend a few moments editing them. When you do, you’ll be sure to wow your audience with your production prowess.

Add music to CapCut videos today

In this tutorial, you learned how to add music to CapCut videos. There are several ways to do it, and we explored all of them. You can explore the vast included library of CapCut music, extract audio from an existing video, or upload music that you’ve saved on your own device. It’s the perfect way to easily feature your favorite music in your videos.

Adding music in CapCut is an essential edit. No video is complete without an engaging soundtrack, and thanks to CapCut, it’s easy to add. You can complete your videos with music in just moments.

So why hesitate? Add music to your CapCut videos today! Your audiences will love the results.

Post date June 26, 2024

This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Andrew Childress