How to cut videos in a VLC media player and create new videos by deleting sections you don't want

• To cut videos in VLC, you can use VLC's recording feature to create an entirely new video file.
• If you want to cut out multiple clips, you'll have to either make multiple new video files, or skip around the video while it's recording.
• Both the Mac and PC versions of VLC let you cut videos by recording them.

You might know VLC as a free, open-source media player - it's a streamlined program that's easy to use and plays nearly every type of video under the sun. This makes it a popular tool for anyone who watches videos on their computer.

And although the app is mostly made for watching videos, you can edit videos in several ways too. One of these ways includes cutting smaller clips out of a larger video.

What might otherwise require a paid video editing program can be done in seconds for free with VLC.

The only caveat is that you can't stop the recording and then start it again in another spot without making multiple video files. You can, however, skip around the video however you like while it's recording - the new file will record your skips exactly.

How to cut video in VLC on a PC

1. Start VLC and open the file you want to cut into one or more clips.

2. In the menu bar, click "View," and then in the drop-down menu choose "Advanced Controls." You should see a new toolbar appear at the bottom of the window, which includes a red record button.

3. Position the video at the point you want to start the cut.

4. Click the red Record button in the new toolbar.

5. Click the Play button until you reach the end of the clip you want to cut. You can also use the Frame-by-Frame button to the right of the Record button in the new toolbar.

6. When you reach the end of the sequence you want to cut out, click the record button again to stop the recording. You can also skip to another part of the video if you'd like to save another clip in the same file.

7. After a moment, the clip should appear in your computer's Videos folder. It'll have the same name as the original video, with "vlc-record-" and the current date added to the start of the filename.

To find your Videos folder, open a Windows Explorer folder and go to "This PC" in the navigation pane on the left. There you'll see your user folders, including Videos. You can also go into VLC's "Preferences" menu to change this location.

How to cut video in VLC on a Mac

1. Start VLC and open the video that you want to cut.

2. Head to the point in the video where you want to start your clip.

3. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click "Playback," and then click "Record."

4. Start playing the video again. Play it until the point you want to end your cut, and then click "Record" again in the menu bar. Or, if you'd like to include another clip in the same file, you can skip to the start of that clip and keep recording.

5. Once you click "Record" the second time, your new video will be saved to your Mac's "Movies" folder. It'll be named "vlc-record," followed by the date, time, and the video's original title.

You can find the "Movies" folder by clicking the name of your computer in the Finder's sidebar, followed by "Macintosh HD," then "Users," then your account name, and then "Movies." You can also change where your recordings are saved through VLC's "Preferences" menu.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• How to trim a video on a Mac computer using the built-in QuickTime Player

• How to upload an iMovie video to YouTube on your Mac, without leaving the iMovie app

• How to crop a video on your Mac computer using iMovie

• How to split the screen on a Windows 10 computer, for all of your multitasking needs

• Why is my PC so slow? 7 ways to speed up a lagging computer