Moving CapCut materials between libraries

CapCut stores your videos, audio files, images, and effects in separate libraries — one for each project you create. If you want to use materials from one project in another, or organize your files differently, you need to move them between libraries rather than copy them. The process differs slightly depending on whether you're working on desktop or mobile, but both routes let you transfer individual items or entire folders at once.

The fastest way is to export materials from one library and import them into another. CapCut doesn't have a direct "move" command, so you're essentially creating a copy in the destination library while keeping the original where it is. If you want to clean up afterward, you can delete the original from the source library once the transfer is complete.

Key Takeaways

  • CapCut stores materials in project-specific libraries, so moving files between projects requires exporting from one library and importing into another.
  • On desktop, right-click any material and select "Export" to save it as a file, then import it into a different project's library.
  • On mobile, long-press materials to select them, then use the share or export option to move them to another library.
  • Deleting materials from the source library after moving them is optional — CapCut doesn't automatically remove the original when you copy it elsewhere.
  • Organizing materials into folders within a library before moving them makes it easier to transfer related items together.

Moving materials on CapCut desktop

Open the project whose library contains the materials you want to move. In the left panel, locate the library section — this shows all your imported media, effects, and audio for that project. Right-click the material you want to move (a video clip, image, sound file, or effect) and select "Export" from the menu that appears.

CapCut will save the file to your computer's default read folder or a location you choose. The file format depends on what you're exporting: video and images save as their original format, while audio exports as an MP3 or WAV file. Once the export is complete, switch to the project whose library you want to add the material to, then right-click in the library panel and select "Import" or "Import Media". Navigate to the file you just exported and select it.

If you're moving multiple materials at once, select them all before exporting. Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click each item you want to move, then right-click and export. This creates a folder containing all the selected files, which you can then import into the destination library in one step.

Moving materials on CapCut mobile

Open the project containing the materials you want to move. Tap the library icon at the bottom of the screen to view your imported media. Long-press the material you want to move — a checkmark will appear next to it, and a toolbar will show at the bottom of the screen. Select all the materials you want to move by continuing to long-press each one.

Once you've selected everything, tap the share icon or export option in the toolbar. CapCut will give you options to save the files to your phone's storage or cloud service. Choose where you want to save them. Then open the project you want to move the materials into, tap the library icon, and look for an import or add media option. Select the files you just saved and confirm the import.

On iOS, you may need to use the Files app to locate exported materials before importing them into a different project. On Android, materials usually appear in your Downloads folder or in CapCut's own storage directory, which you can access directly from the import menu.

Organizing materials before moving them

Before moving large numbers of materials, create folders within your library to group related items together. In the desktop version, right-click in the library panel and select "New Folder", then drag materials into it. On mobile, look for a folder icon in the library view and create folders the same way. This makes it much easier to move everything related to one project or theme at once, rather than exporting items one by one.

Naming your folders clearly — like "B-roll footage", "Transitions", or "Background music" — helps you find what you need when you're importing into the destination library. Once a folder is created and filled, you can export the entire folder instead of individual files, and CapCut will preserve the folder structure when you import it elsewhere.

Deleting materials from the source library

After you move materials to a new library, the original files remain in the source library. CapCut doesn't automatically delete them, so you have the choice to keep or remove them. If you want to clean up and save storage space, right-click the material in the source library and select "Delete" or "Remove". On mobile, long-press the material and tap the delete option.

Be certain you've successfully imported the materials into the destination library before deleting them from the source. If you delete first and the import fails, you'll lose access to those files. A safe workflow is to export, import, verify the new library contains what you need, and only then delete from the original.

Troubleshooting materials that won't move

If a material won't export, check that the file format is supported by CapCut. Video files should be MP4, MOV, or WebM; audio should be MP3 or WAV; images should be JPG or PNG. If you're trying to move an effect or transition that came from CapCut's built-in library rather than an imported file, you can't export it — those are tied to CapCut's servers and available in every project automatically.

If the import fails after exporting, make sure the destination project is open and you're importing into the correct library panel. On mobile, check that you have enough storage space on your device. If materials appear in the destination library but look corrupted or won't play, try deleting them and importing again. If the problem persists, restart CapCut and attempt the import once more.

Using cloud storage to move materials between devices

If you're moving materials between CapCut on your phone and CapCut on your computer, exporting to cloud storage like Google Drive or iCloud makes the process simpler. Export the materials from the source library and save them to your cloud service. On the other device, open the destination project, import media, and navigate to your cloud storage folder to select the files.

This approach also works if you're collaborating with someone else on a project. Both of you can export materials to a shared cloud folder, then import them into your own libraries. The cloud copy stays available for either person to use, while each of you maintains your own local library.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move effects and transitions between libraries?

Built-in CapCut effects and transitions are available in every project automatically, so you don't need to move them. If you've created custom effects or downloaded third-party ones, you can export and import them the same way as video or audio files, depending on the file format CapCut uses to store them.

What happens to materials if I delete the source project?

If you delete a project, all materials in that project's library are deleted with it. If you've already moved those materials to another library, they remain in the destination library. Always verify the move is complete before deleting the source project.

Can I move materials between libraries without exporting them as files?

CapCut doesn't have a direct move command that keeps materials in the app. You must export them as files first, then import them into the destination library. This is the only way to transfer materials between projects.

Will moving materials affect the quality of my videos?

No. Moving materials doesn't re-encode or compress them. The quality remains the same as the original file, whether you're moving it once or multiple times.

How much storage space do I need to move materials?

You need enough free space to temporarily hold the exported files while you import them into the destination library. Once the import is complete, you can delete the exported files to free up space. The amount depends on the size of your video, audio, and image files.