How to Shorten a Sound on TikTok

Finding the perfect TikTok sound is a great feeling, but often, the part you want is buried 30 seconds into a minute-long track. Learning how to shorten that sound to pinpoint the exact lyric, beat drop, or punchline is what separates good TikToks from great ones. This guide will walk you through, step-by-step, how to trim any sound directly within the TikTok app so your video and audio line up perfectly every single time.

Why Is Trimming Your TikTok Sound So Important?

You might think slapping a trending audio on your video is enough, but precise editing does more than just make your content look professional - it directly impacts how viewers engage with it. In a world of infinite scrolling, a few seconds can make all the difference.

• Hook Viewers Instantly: The first two seconds are your most valuable real estate. If the best part of a sound doesn’t start until the 10-second mark, viewers may have already swiped away. Trimming lets you cut straight to the action and grab their attention before they move on.
• Perfectly Synced Visuals: The magic of TikTok often lies in the sync between your video’s action and the audio. Think of a perfect transition hitting right on a beat drop, or a facial expression changing exactly when a lyric does. This level of precision is only possible when you trim the sound to match your visual cues.
• Isolate the Viral Moment: Trending sounds are almost never trending for their entire duration. Usually, it's a specific 7 to 15-second clip that everyone is using. By trimming, you can use the exact segment that’s currently popular on the For You Page, increasing your potential for discoverability.
• Create Seamless Loops: To make a video loop perfectly, the audio has to loop seamlessly, too. Trimming allows you to find a perfect start and end point in the sound so the audio feels continuous, encouraging viewers to watch over and over again without realizing it.

The Core Difference: Library Sounds vs. Original Audio

Before jumping into the tutorial, it’s helpful to understand the two primary ways sound works on TikTok, as the editing process has slight nuances for each.

1. Sounds from the TikTok Library: This is the most common method. You search for and add a commercially available song, trending clip, or another creator's original sound to your video. You have dedicated tools to edit this audio separately from your video clip.
2. Original Audio from Your Video: This is the sound that is recorded along with your video, whether it's your voice, ambient noise, or music playing in the background. In this case, the audio is embedded within the video clip, so editing the audio means editing the video clip itself.

We’ll cover how to handle both scenarios, starting with the most popular one.

How to Shorten a Sound from the TikTok Library

This is your go-to method for when you've chosen a sound from TikTok's massive audio library. Follow these steps after you've recorded or uploaded your video content.

Step 1: Find and Add Your Sound

Start your TikTok creation process as you normally would. Tap the (+) icon at the bottom of the screen. At the very top, tap "Add sound." Browse the commercially licensed music library or saved sounds to find the one you want to use. Don't worry about the length yet - just tap the sound and then the red checkmark to select it.

Step 2: Record or Upload Your Video Footage

With your selected sound playing, either record your video clips directly in the app or upload pre-recorded footage from your camera roll. Once you’re satisfied with the visual part of your video, tap the red checkmark in the bottom right corner to proceed to the main editing screen.

Step 3: Open the Sound Trimming Tool

Now you're on the preview and editing page where you can add text, stickers, and effects. Look at the top of the screen. You'll see the name of the sound you chose with a small music note icon next to it. Tap on it. Alternatively, you can look at the toolbar on the right side and find the icon with a music note and scissors, labeled "Edit" or sometimes "Trim." Tapping either one will open the audio editing interface.

Step 4: Trim the Sound Wave

You’ll now see a long waveform representing the entire audio track. This is where the magic happens. You can use your finger to drag this waveform left and right to scrub through the sound. The section highlighted in the box is the part that will play in your video. To shorten the sound, simply:

• Drag the left edge of the waveform box to change the start point.
• Drag the right edge to change the endpoint.

As you adjust it, the sound will play on a loop, so you can hear exactly what your selected portion sounds like. Keep adjusting until you’ve isolated the perfect clip.

Step 5 (Optional): Adjust the Volume

At the bottom of this screen, you’ll also notice a "Volume" button. If your original video has sound you want to keep (like your voice), this is where you can balance the two tracks. You can lower the volume of the added sound or lower the volume of your original video’s audio to get the mix just right.

Step 6: Confirm Your Changes

Once you are happy with the trimmed audio, tap "Done" in the top right corner. You'll be taken back to the main editing screen, and your video will now play with the shortened sound clip. From here, you can add text, filters, and proceed to write your caption and post.

How to Shorten Your Original Audio within a Video Clip

What if the sound you want to shorten isn't from the TikTok library, but is actually part of the video you recorded? For instance, maybe you filmed a 30-second clip but only want to use a specific 10-second sentence from it. In this case, you trim the video clip itself.

Step 1: Get Your Video into the Editor

Record or upload your video clip that contains the original audio you want to use. Tap the checkmark to move to the main editing screen.

Step 2: Access the Clip Editor

Instead of tapping the sound icon at the top, look at the right-hand toolbar and tap the top icon that looks like a pair of scissors on a filmstrip, labeled "Edit." This will open TikTok’s multitrack video editing timeline at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3: Trim the Video

You’ll see your video clip (or clips) displayed in the timeline. Tap on the clip you wish to shorten. White handles will appear at the start and end of the clip. Drag these white handles inward to trim the video to your desired start and end points. Because the audio is embedded in the video, trimming the video automatically trims the original audio with it. You can play the preview back to make sure you’ve captured the right sound bite.

Advanced Tip: Splitting the Clip

If the sound you want to remove is in the middle of your clip, you can use the "Split" tool. Move the white playhead line to the beginning of the section you want to cut, and tap "Split." Move the playhead to the end of that section and tap "Split" again. Now you have isolated the unwanted part as its own clip. You can tap on that middle clip and hit "Delete" to remove it, seamlessly stitching the other two parts together.

Pro Tips for Perfect TikTok Audio Editing

Getting the basics down is a great start. But if you want to elevate your content, here are a few extra tips that professional creators use.

• Time Your Transitions on the Beat Drop: The most satisfying transitions happen when the visual change is perfectly synced to a dramatic moment in the music. Listen to your trimmed audio on a loop and watch the video. Use the waveform as a visual guide to find the loudest parts (the beat drops) and make sure your on-screen action lines up with them.
• Use Headphones for Precision: Your phone’s speakers are fine, but trying to catch a subtle beat or breath in the audio is much easier with headphones. This allows you to make cleaner cuts.
• Edit Complex Audio Externally: TikTok’s editor is fantastic for quick, simple trims. However, if you need to do more complex work like fading audio in and out, layering multiple sound effects, or performing meticulous cuts, an external app like CapCut is your best bet. Edit your video and sound there, export the final file, and then upload it to TikTok.
• Save Your Work in Drafts: Sometimes you find the perfect trim but aren't ready to post. Save the video to your drafts. When you open it again later, all your edits, including the trimmed audio, will still be there. This is a great way to batch your content creation without losing your work.

Final Thoughts

Nailing your audio is one of the easiest ways to improve the quality of your TikTok videos. By carefully trimming your chosen sound - whether from the library or your original recording - you can create more engaging, dynamic content that holds a viewer's attention and perfectly communicates your idea. Don't overlook this small step, it makes a huge impact.

Once you’ve mastered creating perfectly timed videos, keeping track of everything you’ve created and what you plan to post next can become a challenge. At Postbase, we designed our platform with a visual-first calendar because we know creators prefer to see their content plan, not just read it in a spreadsheet. It helps us map out our schedules for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts in one place, spot any gaps in our content, and drag and drop posts to keep our feed looking cohesive and staying consistent.