Best Video Editing Software Available for Novices Free Download
Top 10+ Best Free Video Editing Software for Windows
Nov 05, 2021• Proven solutions
Video is changing our way of communication and expression. More and more people are tending to record vlogs, share it with friends and family members, share their knowledge and experience on YouTube, or use the video to boost business online.
With more and more high-quality video editing software available, if you are new to the video editing world, you may wonder which one is the best choice for beginners? Is there any free video editing software for Windows PC users?
I've updated the best free video editing software list for Windows recently. In the following part, you'll see our overview of each video editor so that you can pick up the best free video editing software for Windows PC based on your needs.
- Part 1: Best Video Editing Software for Windows [Simple for Beginners]
- Part 2: Best Free Video Editing Software for Windows
- Part 3: 2 Best Free Online Video Editing Software for Windows [No Watermark]
- Part 4: How I Choose and Pick up the Right Free Video Editor for Windows
- Part 5: Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing Best Free Video Editor for Windows
Part 1: Best Video Editing Software for Windows/Mac [Very Easy for Beginners]
Free video editing software programs are either too simple to meet the demands or too challenging to understand the workflow. For example, some of them may lack audio editing and color correction features. I highly recommend you to try Wondershare Filmora video editor, which has significant improvement in overall performance, making the product faster, more powerful, and taking the user editing experience to a new level.
It is perfect for helping beginners, and intermediate users create stylish videos by providing an intuitive user interface and built-in effects.
Try It Free
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
You can find more video tutorials about how to use Filmora on the official YouTube channel.
Why Should You Use Wondershare Filmora on Window10/8/7 Computer?
- Supports different formats, including MP4, AVI, MOV, AVCHD, and MKV.
- Enables you to crop, trim, cut, split, and combine in a few clicks.
- Various top-tier video effects, including motion elements, animated titles, royalty-free music, and transitions.
- Makes footage look like a Hollywood film with color tuning tools.
- Perfects sound with audio keyframing, background noise removal, and an audio equalizer.
- Excellent for GoPro/action cam videos with precise speed controls, video stabilization, and fish-eye lens correction.
- Real-time rendering keeps your editing experience smooth, even if you're working with 4K footage.
- Burns video to DVD or upload to YouTube, or transfer to any popular portable devices.
How to Edit Videos with Wondershare Filmora [3 Steps]
Import Media Files
Import media files from your computer or cameras and smartphones, and directly drag-n-drop to the program.
Edit Your Video
Easily crop, rotate, split, or cut videos on the timeline. Then add effects and filters to enrich your video.
Save & Enjoy
Save your video to different formats, or upload to YouTube, Vimeo, burn to DVD, and more.
Below is a quick start tutorial about how to use Filmora on Windows to edit a video. You can download the free trial version of Filmora to start now.
Try It Free
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
Part 2: Top Best Free Desktop Video Editing Software for Windows 7/8/10
In this part, I've listed some best free video editing software for Windows on desktop, which means you will need to download the program first.
Typically, these free desktop programs have more editing tools and functionalities compared with the online video editor or mobile editing apps, which can satisfy the needs for creating a Hollywood style masterpiece or just family videos.
Note: The video editing software listed below is ranked in no particular order.
1. Free Windows Movie Maker from Microsoft
#1. Windows Movie Maker for Windows 7/8
Windows Movie Maker was once the most popular free video editing tool for Windows, and users can make home movies by simple drag-and-drop. It contains features such as video effects, video transitions, adding titles/credits, audio track, timeline narration, and Auto Movie.
After you finish video editing, you can share videos directly to social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. If you don't know your computer system requirement, you can try this one since it is already installed on your Windows7 computer.
Windows Movie Maker is built for Windows 7 but can also be used on Windows 8, but since Microsoft has stopped the support for Windows 7 in January 2020, you may have the same question as many other Windows Users: Does Windows10 have a free video editor as well?
#2. Free Video Editor in Windows 10 Photos App
If you are looking for the built-in free video editing software for Windows 10, the good news is that you can try Microsoft Windows 10 Photos app, which is pre-built in your Windows 10 computer, so you don't need to download it again. If you can't find the Photos app, you can also install it again from Microsoft Store directly.
This lightweight free video editing software can turn your images to videos automatically under the Automatic Video mode, which will save you time if you don't want to do any editing. You can also use the Custom Video mode to trim, resize the video, change audio volume, add filters, text, motion, and 3D effects.
However, it doesn't have a timeline, and some advanced features such as split tools, green screen, video stabilization effects are missing.
In case you don't want to upgrade to Windows 10, you can still find installation packages of Windows Movie Maker on some third-party authoritative download sites. (Windows Movie Maker has been discontinued by Microsoft, remember to download it on your trust download sites. ) However, you must know it won't upgrade anymore, so you are not able to enjoy some innovative and high video editing technology.
The built-in Movie Maker and Photos App in Windows include some features listed below:
- Input formats: ASF, AVI, DVR-MS, M1V, MP2, MP2V, MPE, MPEG, MPG, MPV2, WM, WMV.
- Output formats: Windows Media Video (WMV) or DV AVI.
- Advantages: Free, meets your basic editing demands.
- Limitations: Windows Movie Maker Service discontinued; No support for modern file formats; Windows Photos App Lacks color correction tools, visual effects, or any other advanced video editing options.
Learn more about Windows Movie Maker >>
2. Avidemux - Free Video Editor for Windows 10/7/8
Avidemux is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering, and encoding tasks on Windows 10/7/8. It supports various file types, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files, MP4 and ASF, using a variety of codecs.
As its interface is so clear, it lacks a timeline, so you can't add filters and transitions. The whole design of Avidemux is that many functions are for practical use, not for stylish purposes. If your needs are fundamental, this free video editing software is a choice. For advanced video editing, it can't let you have more control. The good thing is you can use it smoothly and learn it quickly if you are a new user in the video editing industry.
Avidemux includes some features below:
- Input formats: AVI, MPEG, MOV, MP4, etc.
- Output formats: AVI, MPEG, DIVX, XVID, MP4, etc.
- Advantages: Avidemux also has solid an encoding option, and its interface is user-friendly.
- Limitations: There are no video effects or transitions.
3. OpenShot - Open Source Video Maker
Another open-source video editor which offers basic video editing features like trimming and slicing. It also provides lots of transitions and audio effects to help you make simple videos.
This free video editor can offer you unlimited video tracks in the timeline. You can add many videos and audio clips. It also includes tile templates and video effects, so if you want to have more touches on your video, this free video program can also help you.
For audio editing, you can use waveforms to visualize your audio. It includes more than 70 languages. This free video editor is updated regularly, so you can always use the lasted video editing technology. However, you need to fix bugs or problems on your own as it is an open-source editor, and the video effects are also limited.
- Input formats: QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG, etc.
- Output formats: MPEG, AVI, MP4, MOV, etc.
- Advantages: Free yet powerful
- Limitations: Need to install add-ons if the OS you are using doesn't meet the software system requirements.
4. VSDC Video Editor - Free Movie Editing Software
It has tones of features, and you can start for free. There is a wide range of filters, overlays, transition effects, and color correction abilities. This platform is designed to serve users with smooth editing experience so that even beginners can enjoy creative media projects. Thanks to its broad format support that helps to handle all popular media files with ease.
You can also use the built-in video converter tools to freely convert video/audio format to another format. It is a non-linear tool, which means you can place video clips in the timeline freely. You can also export your video to IG, FB, and YouTube, which is powerful as a free video editor. You can also edit 4K and HD videos. For this point, not every free video editor can do.
- Input formats: AVI, QuickTime (MP4/M4V, 3GP/2G2, MOV, QT), HDVideo/AVCHD (MTS, M2TS, TS, MOD, TOD), WindowsMedia (WMV, ASF, DVR-MS), DVD/VOB, VCD/SVCD, etc.
- Output formats: AVI, DVD, VCD/SVCD, MPEG, MP4, M4V, MOV, 3GP/3G2, WMV, MKV, RM/RMVB, FLV, SWF, AMV, MTV
- Advantages: Intuitive interface, friendly to beginners.
- Limitations: Technical support is not free.
5. VideoPad Video Editor
VideoPad is a cross-platform software for beginners. The free version of VideoPad limits the video exporting options to just two file formats. The VideoPad's interface doesn't take much time to get used to, and it perfectly adjusted to the needs of inexperienced video editors.
This is an intuitive, feature-rich, and easy to use video editing platform. Beginners can enjoy easy editing with its drag and drop type timeline, and loads of transitions, effects, and speed adjustment features make customization easier.
If you like to use transitions and have various video clips, VideoPad includes more than 50 transition effects. After applying transitions, you can also adjust video speed to make a slow-motion or fast speed video effect. For audio, you can also record narrations to make your video more detailed, which is a bonus for game lovers.
However, this free video editor can't be used to make a slideshow, so just pass it if you really care about this function.
Features of this free video editor you should know:
- Input formats: AVI, WMV, MPV, DivX, and many more
- Output formats: WMV, AVI
- Advantages: Intuitive interface
- Limitations: Certain features become unavailable when using the free version of the software over a longer period of time.
6. Kdenlive - Free and Open Source Video Editing Software
Kdenlive is an open-source video editing software that is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. This video editing software combines the simplicity of entry-level video editors with advanced video editing tools frequently used by experienced professionals.
As a free video editor, it is popular at first on Linux, but now you can also use it on Windows. It includes a multi-track timeline to use, so you can import various video and audio clips onto the timeline. For some special situation, say crash, Kdenlive can back up your file automatically, so no worries about a file missing.
From the online forum and community, you can ask them questions if you have any questions, but sometimes you won't get answered as there is no support team.
- Input formats: QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG, etc.
- Output formats: MPEG, AVI, MP4, MOV, etc.
- Advantages: Allows you to extend your capability with free add-ons.
- Limitations: No technical support.
7. Blender - Free & Open Source & Professional Animated Film Toolset
Blender is the free open source 3D content creation which supports all major operating systems under the GNU General Public License. Blender has many advanced features, such as modifier-based modeling tools, powerful character animation tools, a node-based material, etc. and is one of the best video editors for both Windows and Mac.
As a beginner user, it is difficult to use as it is designed for pros. It is totally free to use and distribute. The interface is customizable and flexible in color settings. On the other hand, if you a semi-pros or want to improve your video editing to a higher level, this free video editor is best for you. The thing is you need to spend many time and energy to learn it.
- Input formats: The latest audio and video formats
- Output formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, .MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, WebM.
- Advantages: A lot of advanced features, perfect for advanced users
- Limitations: The learning curve is steeper for beginners; Very limited learning resources.
8. HitFilm Express - Popular Free Video and Movie Editor & Compositor
HitFilm Express is a good alternative to Adobe After Effects, it offers users with many visual effect compositing options, and it lets you use semi-professional video editing tools for free. But beginners may find the interface is difficult to navigate.
- Input formats: AVCHD, AVI, DV, MP4, MPEG, MOV, MMV
- Output formats: AVI, MP4
- Advantages: A wide spectrum of transitions and video effects.
- Limitations: Feature limited while exporting video files, not friendly to beginners.
9. Lightworks - Powerful Free Video Editor for Professionals
Lightworks is a great free video editor featured with many video effects. It can edit up to 256 videos, audio, and still image clips. But the user interface is very technical, so many people find it hard to use. The pro version costs $25 a month.
Lately, it comes a new version 14.5. For more than 25 years, many movie makers use it as a professional tool to edit videos. You can use it to edit YouTube videos and 4K films. Speaking of 4K, you can use a proxy for a smooth 4K video editing experience. If you want to edit 4K videos, this one is best for you.
- Input formats: The latest audio and video formats
- Output formats: MP4, MXF, QuickTime, AVI, MTS, MPG, M2T
- Advantages: Well designed interface with many advanced features.
- Limitations: Not user-friendly for beginners.
Quick Selection: Comparison Roundup of Best Free Movie and Video Editing Software for Windows
To help you find out the best free video editing software based on your needs and video editing experience, we've summarized the key features of each free video editor mentioned above.
| Level | Products | Input formats | Output formats | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For beginners | Inbuilt Windows Movie Maker / Windows 10 Photos App | ASF, AVI, DVR-MS, M1V, MP2, MP2V, MPE, MPEG, MPG, MPV2, WM, WMV | Windows Media Video (WMV) or DV AVI | Free, meet your basic editing demands. | WMM Service discontinued; No support for modern file formats; some basic editing tools are missing in Photos app |
| VideoPad Video Editor | AVI, WMV, MPV, DivX and many more | WMV, AVI | Intuitive interface | Certain features become unavailable when using the free version of the software over a longer period of time. | |
| Avidemux | AVI, MPEG, MOV, MP4, etc. | AVI, MPEG, DIVX, XVID, MP4, etc. | Has solid encoding options, and its interface is user-friendly. | There are no video effects or transitions. | |
| OpenShot | QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG, etc. | MPEG, AVI, MP4, MOV, etc. | Free as well as powerful | Need to install add-ons if the OS you are using doesn't meet the software system requirements. | |
| VSDC Video Editor | AVI, QuickTime (MP4/M4V, 3GP/2G2, MOV, QT), HDVideo/AVCHD (MTS, M2TS, TS, MOD, TOD), WindowsMedia (WMV, ASF, DVR-MS), DVD/VOB, VCD/SVCD, etc. | AVI, DVD, VCD/SVCD, MPEG, MP4, M4V, MOV, 3GP/3G2, WMV, MKV, RM/RMVB, FLV, SWF, AMV, MTV | Intuitive interface, friendly to beginners. | Technical support is not free. | |
| For amateurs and pros | Kdenlive | QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG, etc. | MPEG, AVI, MP4, MOV, etc. | Allows you to extend your capability with free add-ons. | No technical support. |
| Blender | Supports the latest audio and video formats | .MOV, .MPEG4, .MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, WebM. | A lot of advanced features, perfect for advanced users | The learning curve is steeper for beginners; Limited learning resources. | |
| HitFilm Express | AVCHD, AVI, DV, MP4, MPEG, MOV, MMV | AVI, MP4 | Offers a wide spectrum of transitions and video effects | Feature limited while exporting video files, not friendly to beginners. | |
| Lightworks | Supports the latest audio and video formats | MP4, MXF, QuickTime, AVI, MTS, MPG, M2T | Has a free version | Not for beginners. |
Part 3: 2 Best Free Online Video Editing Software for Windows [No Watermark]
If you're looking for free video editing software for Windows and don't want to download and install any program, you can check my picks about the free online video editor, which listed ten free web-based video editing tools, some of them are free to use, but you need to pay or invite friends to remove the watermark.
Here, I'll just share some free online video makers with no watermarks.
1. ClipChamp
This easy-to-use free online video editor features some basic video editing tools such as trimming & cutting, rotating and flipping, cropping, splitting and combining. Besides that, ClipChamp also provides customizable video templates and offers the entrance to stock video and audio libraries such as Videoblocks and Audioblocks.
You can create a ClipChamp video editor in 3 Steps, create a new project and drag-n-drop your own audio, image, and videos to the editor to it, and then add text, titles, filters, and transitions or background overlays to the time to make a professional-looking video; at last export and save the video.
Note: you need to create an account first to launch this online service. And in the free trial version, your export video is limited to 480P.
Visit and create an account to experience the video editing journey on ClipChamp free online video editor on Windows PC >>
2. Kapwing
Currently, if you've signed in before creating videos on Kapwing, there will be no watermark at the exported video. Kapwing provides lots of video editing tools such as video trimmer, video resizer, video maker as well as a complete Studio will is more complicated and powerful than its other tools.
Besides the most commonly used editing tools, Kapwing allows you to set up the output video aspect ratio to 1:1, 9:16, 16:9, 4:5, or 5:4, which covers most of the popular video size.
There aren't many templates or transitions and filters compared to ClipChamp, but basically, you can edit and create a video online with this free tool without many efforts.
Visit and Edit Videos Online with Kapwing Studio on Windows >>
Brief Summary: Most of the free video editors listed are feature limited. They are indeed easy to use and can meet almost all of your basic video demands like cutting, trimming, cropping, or rotating. I have also found some professional video editing programs which provide a light free version like Lightworks, and Blender. With these editing programs, you can achieve some cool effects with those FREE yet Powerful video editor on Windows. However, these powerful video editing software may have a higher system and computer performance requirement. Some of these editing software tools also need a steep learning curve. For those who want to pay a small fee to create high-quality videos in a quicker way, I highly recommend you to use some paid video editors such as Filmora.
Part 4: Choosing the Right Video Editor for Windows
As we mentioned before, there is a lot of video editing software [free & paid] available on the market, but how to choose the right video editing software, especially when you are a newbie and want a free video editing software before you dig deeper?
- Interface: For a newbie, a user-friendly interface can help you save a lot of time from learning and getting familiar with the program. Some users like to use modern and intuitive free video editor, while others just like to use old-style editors.
- Formats: Make sure the software you choose enables you to export commonly used formats like MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, etc. so that you can easily share your work on YouTube or other social media platforms. Friendly reminder: generally speaking, MP4 is the most used format, so it is wiser to find a free video editor that supports MP4 at least.
Above are my favorite free video editing software programs for Windows, if you're using a Mac computer, you can check my favorite free video editing apps for Mac.
FAQs About Best Free Video Editing Software for Windows
1. Does Windows 10 Have A Free Video Editor?
Yes, although there isn't a dedicated video editor in Windows, the built-in Photos app is a capable video editor. It was designed to replace Windows Movie Maker.
The editing features include trim, merge, slo-mo, 3D effects, frame capture, draw on video, and more. There is also a variety of filters and text animations. An advanced feature of the Photos app is its ability to create videos automatically.
But most advanced editing features are missing. This app is not an alternative to a full-fledged video editor. It should only be used for short and amateur level editing.
2. What Is The Best Video Editor for Beginners for Windows Users?
There are a lot of free video editors available for windows users. Beginners might consider using the built-in Photos app for editing videos. But the best free option for Windows users is Filmora.
It has a very intuitive interface. Filmora encompasses a plethora of editing features. It has all the basic editing tools and most of the advanced editing tools of a video editor. It also has a large library of effects, filters, animations, stock content(royalty-free soundtracks, texts, video clips, and images) and templates. Social media integration of Filmora enables users to upload their videos directly to social media platforms.
3. Does Google Have A Video Editor for Windows?
Yes, you can use the web-based video editor in YouTube Studio. It's free but you can only do very basic level editing in it.
Using the trim tool, you can trim and split your videos. A unique feature is the blur tool. It lets you blur faces or other video elements. This tool tracks and blurs the video element automatically which is quite handy. Additionally, there are options for adding cards, an end screen, music (royalty-free music library available), text animations, filters, and transitions. But that's about it when it comes to its editing features.
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
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Best Video Editing Software Available for Novices Free Download
Source: https://filmora.wondershare.com/video-editor/free-video-editing-software-windows.html
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