How to Cut a Song on TikTok

Choosing the perfect sound for your TikTok is only half the battle, knowing exactly which 15-second clip to use can make the difference between a video that stops the scroll and one that gets swiped away. This guide will walk you through exactly how to cut a song on TikTok, both within the app for quick edits and using outside tools for more advanced control. We'll cover the step-by-step process and share some strategies for picking the snippet that will make your content pop.

Why the Perfect Sound Clip Matters So Much

On TikTok, sound isn't just background music - it's the core of the experience. It drives trends, sets the mood, and often tells half the story. Cutting a song effectively allows you to pinpoint the most engaging part of the track, whether it's the catchiest part of the chorus, the heaviest bass drop, or the most relatable T-Pain lyric circa 2007. Just think about it: nearly every viral trend is tied to a specific 8-15 second audio snippet, not the entire three-minute song.

Getting this right can dramatically increase your video’s performance. A well-timed audio clip keeps viewers engaged longer, makes your video more shareable, and gives you a better shot at landing on the coveted “For You” page. Mastering this simple skill is a fundamental step toward creating more professional and effective content.

How to Cut a Song Directly in the TikTok App

For most videos, TikTok’s built-in editor has everything you need to trim your audio quickly and easily. It's designed to be simple, letting you find the perfect sound bite in seconds. Here's exactly how it's done.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using the In-App Trim Tool

1. Record or Upload Your Video: Start by opening TikTok and pressing the `+` button to enter the creation screen. You can either record your video clips directly in the app or upload clips from your camera roll.
2. Add Your Sound: Once your video clips are on the timeline, tap ‘Add sound’ at the top of the editing screen. This will open TikTok’s massive music library. You can browse trending songs, search for a specific track, or look at your saved sounds.
3. Select a Song: Tap on a song to preview it. Once you've found the one you want, tap the red checkmark to add it to your video.
4. Find the Trim Tool: You’ll now be back on your main video editing screen. At the top, you'll see the name of the song you just added. To the right of the song title, you’ll see a little music note with a pair of scissors. Tap this scissors icon. It’s usually labeled ‘Trim.’
5. Cut Your Music: This is where the magic happens. A new screen will appear showing the song's entire audio waveform. Simply press and drag this waveform left or right to scrub through the entire song. The app will play the section you’ve selected on a loop, so you can hear exactly what it will sound like in your video.
   • Tip for Success: Don't just pick a random section. Listen for the peak moment in the song - the chorus, the beat drop, or a distinctive lyric that matches your video's theme. Most viral sounds are built around these moments.
6. Confirm Your Selection: Once you’ve landed on the perfect clip, tap the red ‘Done’ button at the bottom of the screen.
7. Adjust the Volume: After trimming your sound, you can adjust its volume. Tap the down arrow on the right side of the editor to reveal more tools, then tap ‘Volume.’ Here, you can adjust the volume of the ‘Added sound’ and the ‘Original sound’ (the audio from your original video clips). If you want the music to be the star, drag the ‘Original sound’ slider all the way down. If you want your spoken audio to be clear over some background music, lower the ‘Added sound’ volume.
8. Finish and Post: With your audio perfectly cut and volumed, you can proceed with adding text, filters, or effects before moving to the final posting screen.

For More Control: How to Cut a Song with a Third-Party App

While TikTok’s built-in trimmer is great for most situations, sometimes you need more precision. Maybe you want to create a custom sound mix, add a fade-in or fade-out effect, or use an audio clip that isn't in TikTok's commercial library (just be extremely careful about copyright!). Using a third-party video editing app gives you total control over your audio before you ever upload it to TikTok.

CapCut is a fantastic choice because it's free, intuitive, and made by the same parent company as TikTok, so the integration is seamless. Here’s a general workflow using CapCut as the example.

Step-by-Step Guide to Pre-Editing Your Audio

1. Start a New Project in CapCut: Open the CapCut app and tap ‘New Project.’ Select and import the video clips you plan to use for your TikTok.
2. Add Your Audio: At the bottom of the editing timeline, tap ‘Add audio,’ then ‘Sounds.’ You can import a song from TikTok itself, use files stored on your phone, or extract audio from an existing video in your camera roll. This last option is a common way creators grab specific trending audio mashups or obscure sound bites.
3. Trim and Edit with Precision: Once the audio track appears on your timeline, tap it to select it. Now you have a full suite of editing tools:
   • Trimming: Drag the white handles at the beginning or end of the audio clip to shorten it from either side.
   • Splitting: Move the playhead to a specific point in the track and tap ‘Split.’ This will cut the clip in two, allowing you to delete unwanted sections from the middle - perfect for cutting out a slow intro or a whole verse.
   • Fading: With the audio clip selected, find the ‘Fade’ option in the bottom menu. You can add a fade-in or fade-out effect to make your song start and end more smoothly.
4. Sync Your Video to the Sound: One of the biggest advantages of this method is the ability to precisely line up your visual cuts with the beats in your audio. Zoom in on the timeline to see the audio waveform and use the ‘Split’ tool on your video clips to match every transition perfectly to the beat drop. This is how pros create those super satisfying, perfectly synced videos.
5. Export and Upload to TikTok: Once your video and audio are perfectly edited, export the video from CapCut to your phone’s camera roll. Then, open TikTok, tap the `+` button, and upload your finished video. Since the audio is already baked in, you technically don't need to add a sound in TikTok.
6. The "Double Sound" Strategy (Optional but Recommended): Even though your video has its own custom audio, it's a good practice to add a sound from TikTok’s library anyway. Find a relevant or trending sound, add it to your video, then go into the ‘Volume’ tool. Drag the ‘Added sound’ volume down to 1% and leave your ‘Original sound’ at 100%. This can help the TikTok algorithm better categorize your content and potentially show it to a wider audience, as you are still technically participating in a sound trend.

Tips for Picking the Best Part of the Song

Knowing how to cut a song is a technical skill. Knowing what to cut is an art. Here are a few tips to help you choose the most impactful sound clip for your videos.

• Find the Hook: Every great song has a "hook" - the most memorable part that gets stuck in your head. For pop songs, this is usually the chorus. For electronic music, it's the beat drop. Pinpoint that high-energy, unforgettable moment and build your video around it.
• Let the Lyrics Tell Your Story: Screen-record the song from Spotify or Apple Music so you can read the lyrics. Find a snippet where the lyrics perfectly match the mood or action in your video. This adds another layer of context and creativity that viewers appreciate.
• Match the Mood and Pacing: Don't just pick a song because it's popular. Does the energy of the audio match the energy of your video? A fast song works well for quick cuts and transitions, while a slower, more melodic clip is better for scenic shots or thoughtful storytelling.
• Study the “For You” Page: This is your cheat sheet. When you hear a sound trending, pay close attention to which part of the song creators are using. They’ve already done the work of finding the most viral clip. Analyze what they’re doing and put your own spin on it.

Final Thoughts

Cutting a song on TikTok is a fundamental skill that elevates your content from amateur to professional. Whether you use the simple in-app trimmer for quick edits or an app like CapCut for precise control, mastering this technique gives you the power to find the most engaging and effective audio clip for every video you create.

Ultimately, a strong social media strategy is about consistency and planning. Spending time to get the details of a TikTok right - like the perfect sound clip - is the first step. The next is having a plan to get that content out there. Here at Postbase, we built our visual calendar to help creators and marketers see their entire content schedule at a glance. We focused on making it powerful for short-form video so you can plan, schedule, and analyze your TikToks alongside all your other platforms without the chaos of switching between a dozen apps.