The fastest way: use Photos or the built-in editing tools

Open the Photos app, find the video you want to edit, and tap Edit in the top right. Tap the music icon (it looks like a note) at the bottom of the screen. iPhone will show you a library of royalty-free songs organized by mood and genre. Pick one, adjust where it starts in your video, and tap Done. The whole process takes about two minutes.

If you want to use a song from your Music library instead, you cannot do it directly in Photos — the app only offers its built-in soundtrack collection. You will need to use iMovie or a third-party app like CapCut or Adobe Express for that. Those apps let you import any song you own or have downloaded.

The Photos method works best if you are happy with iPhone's royalty-free options and do not need to trim the song or layer multiple audio tracks. If you need more control, move to iMovie.

Key Takeaways

  • Photos app is the fastest route: open your video, tap Edit, tap the music icon, choose a song, and save.
  • Photos only offers royalty-free songs built into iPhone — to use a song from your Music library, use iMovie or CapCut instead.
  • iMovie lets you trim songs, adjust volume, and layer multiple audio tracks, but takes longer to learn than Photos.
  • CapCut and Adobe Express are free alternatives that handle music imports and editing without a subscription.

Using iMovie for more control over the audio

Open iMovie and create a new project. Tap Movie, then select your video from your camera roll. Once the video is in the timeline, tap the plus icon at the bottom and select Audio. You can browse royalty-free songs, or tap My Music to import a song from your library.

After you add the song, you can trim it by dragging the edges of the audio clip in the timeline. Tap the audio clip itself to adjust volume, fade in and fade out, or change where the song starts relative to your video. If your video already has sound (like dialogue or ambient noise), iMovie will layer the music on top — you can lower the original audio volume so the song is the main focus.

iMovie is free and comes on every iPhone. The trade-off is that it is slower than Photos for straightforward edits, and the interface takes a few minutes to understand if you have never used it.

Importing songs from your Music library or downloads

If you own a song in Apple Music or have downloaded an MP3 file to your iPhone, you need an app that can access your Music library. Photos cannot do this. iMovie can, but only if the song is in your Music app — if it is a file sitting in Files or another app, iMovie will not see it.

CapCut and Adobe Express both let you import audio files directly. In CapCut, tap the plus icon to create a new project, add your video, then tap Audio and choose Upload to bring in a file from your device. In Adobe Express, tap Add audio and select from your Music library or upload a file. Both apps are free and do not require a subscription for basic editing.

If your song is in Apple Music but you do not own it outright, you can only use it in iMovie or apps that connect to Apple Music directly. Downloaded songs (ones you own) work in any app that accesses your Music library.

Syncing music to the beat of your video

If you want the music to match the rhythm of your video — like cutting to the beat or timing a transition to a drum drop — you need to see the audio waveform. iMovie shows the waveform of both your video audio and the song you add, which makes it easier to line them up by eye.

CapCut also displays waveforms and includes a beat-detection feature that can automatically cut your video to the rhythm of the song. Tap the song in the timeline, then look for a Beat or Auto Captions option depending on your version. This works best with songs that have a clear, steady beat.

Adobe Express does not show waveforms, so syncing by hand is harder. If beat-matching is important to your project, stick with iMovie or CapCut.

Handling copyright and royalty-free music

Songs you own or that you have permission to use are always safe. If you are uploading your video to YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok, using a copyrighted song you do not own can trigger a copyright claim — the platform may mute the audio, add ads, or block the video depending on the copyright holder's settings.

iPhone's built-in royalty-free songs (in Photos and iMovie) are safe to use anywhere because Apple has licensed them for personal use. If you use a song from your Music library or another source, check whether you own it or have a license to use it in video. Many artists on Spotify or Apple Music do not allow their songs in videos, even for personal use.

If you want to be certain, search for "royalty-free music" sites like Pixabay, Pexels, or Epidemic Sound. Many offer free downloads or free trials. These songs are licensed specifically for video use and will not trigger copyright claims.

Removing or replacing the original video audio

If your video has background noise, dialogue, or other audio you do not want, you can lower its volume or mute it entirely while keeping the song. In iMovie, tap the video clip in the timeline (not the audio clip), then tap the speaker icon to adjust the original audio volume. Drag it all the way down to mute it completely.

In CapCut, tap the video clip, then tap Volume to lower or mute the original sound. You can also split the audio and video so you can delete the audio track without affecting the video itself — tap the video, then look for a Detach audio or Split option.

Adobe Express handles this the same way: tap the video, adjust the volume slider, and the song will play over whatever remains of the original audio.

Exporting your video with the new audio

Once you have added and adjusted the music, save your project. In Photos, tap Done and the edit is saved to your original video. In iMovie, tap Done, then tap Share to export. Choose the resolution (1080p is standard for most uses), and iMovie will process the video and save it to your camera roll.

CapCut and Adobe Express work the same way: finish editing, tap Export or Save, choose your quality, and wait for the file to process. Processing time depends on your video length and your iPhone model — a one-minute video usually takes 30 seconds to two minutes.

After export, the original video with the new audio is saved to your Photos app. You can now share it to social media, send it to someone, or keep it on your device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a song to a video I already recorded?

Yes. Open Photos, find the video, tap Edit, tap the music icon, and choose a song. If you want to use a song from your Music library instead of iPhone's built-in options, use iMovie or CapCut. Both let you import any audio file or song you own.

What if the song is longer than my video?

The song will play for as long as your video runs, then stop. If you want the song to end at a specific moment, trim it in iMovie or CapCut by dragging the edge of the audio clip in the timeline. You can also fade it out so it gradually gets quieter instead of stopping abruptly.

Will adding a song to my video use up storage space?

Yes, but not much. A three-minute song adds roughly 5 to 10 MB to your video file, depending on the audio quality. Your video file itself is much larger, so the song does not make a significant difference to your iPhone storage.

Can I add multiple songs to one video?

Yes, but only in iMovie or CapCut. Photos does not support multiple audio tracks. In iMovie, add your first song, then tap the plus icon again and add a second audio track. You can overlap them, fade between them, or play them one after the other by adjusting where each one starts in the timeline.

What happens if I edit a video in Photos and then want to edit it again in iMovie?

Open the edited video in iMovie as you would any other video. iMovie will see the music you added in Photos and let you adjust it, remove it, or add more audio on top. Your original edits stay intact.