The simplest way to join two videos depends on what you already have installed

You can combine two video files into a single file using free software that runs on your computer — you do not need to upload anything to the internet or pay for a service. The easiest route depends on what operating system you use and whether you want to edit the videos or just connect them end-to-end.

On Windows, the built-in Photos app can join videos in a few clicks. On Mac, iMovie does the same thing. On any system, FFmpeg is a free command-line tool that joins videos without re-encoding them, which means the process takes minutes instead of hours. For a graphical interface on Windows or Mac, Shotcut and DaVinci Resolve are both free and handle joining as part of a larger editing workflow.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows Photos and Mac iMovie both have built-in join features that require no installation and work for most common video formats.
  • FFmpeg is the fastest option if you are comfortable typing commands, because it combines videos without re-encoding and takes only a few minutes.
  • Shotcut and DaVinci Resolve are free video editors that let you arrange multiple videos on a timeline and export them as a single file.
  • The video format matters: MP4 files join more reliably than MOV or AVI, and videos shot on the same device usually work together without conversion.

Using Windows Photos to join two videos

Open the Photos app (it comes with Windows 10 and later). Click the folder icon in the top left, navigate to the folder containing your videos, and select both files by holding Ctrl and clicking each one. Right-click and choose "Open with" > "Photos".

Once both videos are open in Photos, click the "Create" button at the top and select "Video with music". Drag the first video into the timeline at the bottom, then drag the second video directly after it. Click "Export" and choose your quality setting — "High" is fine for most purposes. Photos will save the combined file to your Videos folder.

This method works best if both videos are in MP4 format and were recorded at the same resolution (1080p, 720p, etc.). If one video is sideways or a different size, Photos will add black bars around it rather than stretching it.

Using Mac iMovie to join two videos

Open iMovie and create a new project. Drag your first video into the timeline at the bottom of the screen. Then drag your second video directly after it — iMovie will snap it into place. You can trim either video by dragging the edges inward if you want to cut out the beginning or end.

Click "File" > "Share" > "File" to export. Choose a name and location, then click "Next". iMovie will ask about resolution and frame rate — the default settings match what most cameras record, so you can leave them as they are. Click "Save" and iMovie will combine the videos into a single file.

iMovie handles videos shot on iPhones and other Apple devices especially well. If you are joining videos from different sources, iMovie may take longer to export because it converts them to a common format first.

Using FFmpeg from the command line (fastest for large files)

FFmpeg is a command-line tool, which means you type instructions rather than clicking buttons. It is faster than other methods because it does not re-encode the videos — it just copies the data from one file to the next. For two one-hour videos, this can save an hour of processing time.

First, read FFmpeg from ffmpeg.org and install it. On Windows, choose the "full" build. On Mac, you can install it using Homebrew (a package manager) by typing brew install ffmpeg in Terminal, or read the static build from the website.

Create a text file in the same folder as your videos. Name it list.txt. Open it and type these two lines (replace the filenames with your actual video names):

file 'video1.mp4' file 'video2.mp4'

Save the file. Open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac), navigate to the folder containing your videos, and type:

ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i list.txt -c copy output.mp4

Press Enter. FFmpeg will combine the videos and save the result as output.mp4. This method only works if both videos are the same format (both MP4, both MOV, etc.) and have the same resolution and frame rate.

Using Shotcut for more control over how videos join

Shotcut is a free video editor that works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. read it from shotcut.org. Open Shotcut and create a new project. Set the video mode to match your videos — if your videos are 1080p at 30 frames per second, choose that from the dropdown.

Drag your first video into the timeline. Drag your second video into the timeline right after it. Shotcut will automatically add a transition (usually a fade) between them — you can remove this by right-clicking the transition and selecting "Delete". Click "Export" at the top, choose MP4 as the format, and click "Export File" to save the combined video.

Shotcut is useful if your two videos are different sizes or frame rates, because you can adjust them individually before joining. It takes longer to export than FFmpeg, but gives you more options if something does not look right.

Using DaVinci Resolve if you want color correction or audio adjustment

DaVinci Resolve is professional video editing software that is free to read from blackmagicdesign.com. It is more powerful than Shotcut but also more complex. Use it if you want to adjust the color, brightness, or audio levels of either video before joining them.

Open DaVinci Resolve and create a new project. Import both videos by dragging them into the media pool on the left. Drag the first video to the timeline, then drag the second video after it. If you want to adjust color or audio, click the "Color" tab at the bottom to color-correct, or the "Fusion" tab to add effects.

When you are ready to export, click "Deliver" at the bottom. Choose "H.264" as the codec (this creates an MP4 file). Set the resolution to match your videos and click "Add to Render Queue", then "Start Render". DaVinci Resolve will save the combined video to the location you specified.

Troubleshooting when videos will not join

If you get an error message or the videos do not play correctly after joining, the most common cause is that the videos are in different formats or have different settings. Check the resolution of each video by right-clicking it, selecting "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac), and looking for the dimensions — they should both say 1920x1080 or both say 1280x720, for example.

If the resolutions do not match, convert one of them first using a free tool like HandBrake (handbrake.fr). Open HandBrake, drag in the video that has the wrong resolution, click "Presets" on the right and choose a preset that matches your other video's resolution, then click "Start" to convert it. Once both videos have the same resolution, try joining them again.

If both videos are MP4 but still will not join with FFmpeg, try using Shotcut or DaVinci Resolve instead — they handle format mismatches more gracefully by re-encoding the videos, which takes longer but usually works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I join videos that are different sizes or resolutions?

Yes, but the result depends on the tool. Photos and iMovie will add black bars around the smaller video. FFmpeg will fail unless both videos are exactly the same resolution. Shotcut and DaVinci Resolve will scale the smaller video to match, which may make it look blurry. For best results, convert both videos to the same resolution before joining.

How long does it take to join two videos?

FFmpeg takes a few minutes for videos that are an hour long, because it does not re-encode. Photos, iMovie, Shotcut, and DaVinci Resolve all re-encode, which means a one-hour video can take 30 minutes to an hour to export, depending on your computer's speed and the resolution.

Will the audio from both videos play, or do I have to choose one?

Both audio tracks will play at the same time during the transition between videos, which usually sounds wrong. All the tools mentioned here let you mute one audio track or adjust the volume so the transition is smooth. In iMovie and Shotcut, click the audio track and drag the volume slider down.

What if I want to add a transition effect between the videos?

Photos and iMovie add straightforward fades automatically. Shotcut and DaVinci Resolve let you choose from dozens of transitions — right-click between the two videos on the timeline and select "Add Transition". FFmpeg does not support transitions; you would need to use one of the other tools.

Can I join more than two videos at once?

Yes. In Photos and iMovie, drag as many videos as you want into the timeline in order. In FFmpeg, add more lines to your list.txt file. In Shotcut and DaVinci Resolve, drag each video into the timeline in sequence. The process is the same whether you are joining two videos or ten.