4 Ways to Crop a YouTube Video on Computer and Mobile

Way 1: The Built-in Solution: YouTube Studio Editor

We will begin this guide by introducing the built-in Editor mode of YouTube Studio, which is designed to apply editing adjustments to videos uploaded to your personal YouTube channel. Unfortunately, the editor option available on YouTube does not offer a video cropping tool. The closest editing tool that it can provide is a video trimmer and cutter option.

Despite that, YouTube's built-in editor is commendable enough. Although it cannot provide video cropping adjustments, the basic editing tools available in it are still useful enough.

Learn how to use YouTube Studio Editor using the three-step guide below.

1. Open YouTube and click on your Google Account in the upper-right section. Then, select YouTube Studio.

2. In your YouTube Studio dashboard, select the Content tab. Then, click on the video you want to edit.

3. After selecting the video, select the Editor option in the left section of the menu.

4. Inside YouTube Studio’s Editor window, you can now use the essential video editing tools, such as the Trim & Cut, Blur, and Audio editors.

Take note that a video crop tool is absent in YouTube Studio’s Editor. With that in mind, learning how to crop a video in YouTube Editor or YouTube Studio is impossible. It is advisable to use a third-party option instead, as video cropping is not available in the built-in editor tool.

For a better overview of YouTube Studio Editor, please read the pros and cons of the software below.

Way 2: The Professional Solution: AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate

With YouTube Studio's limited editing options, multimedia editing tools like AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate offer better alternatives. When it comes to cropping YouTube Videos, learning how to use the dedicated Video Cropper tool in the program is one of the easiest options for editing your downloaded YouTube clips.

Available for Windows and Mac computers, this multimedia editor software enables you to crop your videos with precision using the Video Cropper tool within its Toolbox selection.

The AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate’s Video Cropper option allows for precise cropping using its Crop Area selector and Aspect Ratio options. The Crop Area selector enables manual video cropping, allowing you to adjust the selected area using your cursor.

On the other hand, the Aspect Ratio cropper provides its users with a preset option designed for those who want to ensure their videos are in the desired aspect ratio without relying on manual editing of the crop area. This is a perfect answer for users who want to learn how to crop YouTube Shorts in the proper aspect ratio.

With the help of these two cropping options, your videos can now be cropped with greater accuracy. The two options in the software are designed for both practicality and accuracy, providing users with flexible options tailored to their specific needs.

Moreover, AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate's background as a multimedia tool makes it a more cost-effective option than other software designed only as basic editors or a cropping app.

With these cropping features and the practical advantage of using AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate, you only have to learn the three-step guide for using the program’s Video Cropper tool.

Before proceeding to our tutorial, download the software first so you can easily follow each step provided.

1. Open AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate and go to the Toolbox section. Then, select the Video Cropper tool. In the pop-up menu that appears, select the Add button to browse your files for the video you want to crop.

2. With your video now added, you can adjust the Crop Area box within the preview section of the menu. Otherwise, you can also select the Aspect Ratio menu to choose among 16:9, 4:3, 21:9, 16:10, 5:4, 1:1, and 9:16 cropping options. For more experienced users, you can also change the resolution value next to Crop Area to set a defined resolution you want to use.

3. After applying the video crop adjustments to your imported video, click Export to produce the cropped version of the video you just edited.

Among the video cropping tools in this article, AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate promotes the best balance between technical adjustments and ease of use. With that in mind, the software is the best option for users who want to learn how to crop a YouTube video.

Way 3: The Online Solutions (Web-based Tools)

For users seeking an installation-free YouTube video cropper, Web-based editors are also suitable for basic video cropping tasks. Some examples of reliable web-based tools are Canva, Adobe Express, CapCut Online, and similar options.

Among these web-based options, Canva Video Cropper is the most accessible, and its step-by-step guide will be featured in this section.

1. Search for the Canva Video Cropper tool in your browser and go to the online tool’s website. Inside, select the Upload Your Video option. Browse your file manager to choose the video you want to upload.

2. After uploading the video, select it in the Canva video editing window. Adjust the Cropping Buttons on the edges and sides of the selected video to crop it.

3. Once you have cropped the video, select the Download tab, then click the named button to import the cropped YouTube video back to your computer.

Now that we have provided a guide on using web-based tools to crop YouTube Videos, let us proceed to the quick tips on who should use online tools, as well as the common limitations they present.

Who Should Use Online Tools

You should only use online tools if you are confident that your connection is stable enough to prevent interruptions to your work. This is highly important for all forms of online tools, not only video cropping solutions.

Common Limitations of Online Tools

The limitations of using online tools often stem from their inherent nature. They are unreliable options for users without internet access or those with unstable connections. Most of these options are also unreliable for advanced video editing.

Although online tools are far from being the best, they are still sufficient if you only want to remove black bars from videos or adjust the aspect ratio in a YouTube video.

Way 4: The Mobile Solution: Cropping on iOS & Android

Unfortunately, the differences in cropping options on iOS and Android are significant for users who want to crop videos on their mobile devices. For example, the Photos app on iOS has a built-in video cropper tool, while Android devices do not.

Due to these differences, we will provide two separate tutorials for the two distinct mobile operating systems.

iPhone Photos App Cropper

1. Open the iPhone Photos app and select the Edit button in the video you want to edit.

2. In the Photos App editing menu, select the Crop option.

3. Inside the Crop tool, you can adjust the crop area surrounding the video preview. Once you are satisfied with your cropping edit, click Done.

iPhone’s reputation for high-quality cameras made the built-in editing options available in it possible, which greatly improves the practical use of these devices, especially when used to crop videos for social media dimensions. It is also nice that using an iPhone to crop video without losing quality is possible.

Power Director for Android

Since the default Gallery editor in Android does not have a video cropper tool, we will provide a quick tutorial on how to use PowerDirector Mobile to crop videos.

1. Install PowerDirector Mobile on your device and then open it. Then, select the New Project option.

2. Next, tap on the video you want to edit. Then click Next to proceed to the editor tab.

3. Once you are inside PowerDirector’s editing menu, select the Edit option on the lower left portion of the editor.

4. Among the available editing tools, select the Transform option. Inside the Transform tools, you can find the Crop & Rotate tool. Select it.

5. Inside the Crop & Rotate menu, you can adjust the crop tool, which will now appear in the video preview of the selected file. Once you have done this, tap on the Check mark to confirm your editing adjustment.

With these three simple steps, you can now crop downloaded YouTube videos or produce YouTube Shorts in the right dimension. Although the gallery editor on Android is subpar for editing, the presence of third-party apps provides a sufficient solution. It is one of the best free video croppers for YouTube.