Your video is ready, but it still needs music. You can add a library track to an existing upload, choose a song while creating a Short, or mix your own audio into the video before uploading. Start with the option that matches where your video is now.
Add music to an existing YouTube upload
For an uploaded video shorter than six hours, use YouTube Studio on a computer.
- 1.Sign in to YouTube Studio, open Content, and select your video. YouTube restricts saving some edits on videos exceeding 100,000 views when the channel is outside the YouTube Partner Program.
- 2.Choose Editor, then Audio.
- 3.Find a track, preview it with Play, and click Add.
- 4.Drag the track to set its starting point, then drag its edges to trim it. You can add multiple songs.
- 5.Wait for the preview to refresh, then play it and listen carefully. To abandon the unsaved edit, choose Discard changes.
- 6.Click Save, select I acknowledge that these changes are permanent., then click Confirm changes.
Choose music for Shorts in the YouTube app
Creating a Short? The YouTube app lets you choose music before recording or add it after recording or importing footage, before you publish.
Before recording, select a song through Add sound in the Shorts creation camera.
For footage you've already shot, import your clip using the camera's lower-left gallery button. Recording a new clip first is another option.
On the editing screen, choose your music through Sound.
Adjust Volume to balance the music, original recording, and voiceover.
To reuse an eligible Short's music, select its lower-right Sound button.
Tap Use this sound. Availability depends on music rights, territory, and the source video's remix permissions.
Shorts can last three minutes, but most library songs permit up to 90 seconds of music. Some tracks limit you to 60 or 30 seconds. Shorts longer than one minute face global blocking if they have an active copyright claim.
Mix in your own music before uploading
A local audio file needs to be mixed into the video before uploading. In a Clipchamp project containing your footage, import your song through My media > Import media.
Arrange the imported audio on the timeline beneath your video, dragging it into place and trimming it to fit your footage.
Use Export to save the completed video.
Upload that exported file through YouTube Studio's CREATE > Upload videos, completing the details, checks, and visibility selection.
Use iMovie on an iPhone or iPad
In an ordinary iMovie movie project, add a built-in soundtrack or your own audio; protected music files are unavailable.
Open your movie project and tap Add Media.
For built-in music, choose Audio > Soundtracks. For a music-library song, choose Audio > My Music, then select a category and song.
Preview your selection and tap Add Audio.
For a device or iCloud audio file instead, select it through Add Media > Files.
Trim or reposition the audio to fit your video.
Export the finished movie.
Then upload it to YouTube.
For music you supply yourself, check that its license permits your intended use. Purchasing a song does not itself grant permission to use it in a published video.
Let Google Photos access your music on Android
Blocked access to downloaded audio prevents Google Photos from using those music files.
Allow Google Photos to access downloaded audio in your device's Settings.
Open your video in Google Photos.
Choose Audio > Add Music, or scroll to Music if that is the entry shown.
Select your song under On device.
Move the selected music segment to choose the part you want.
Tap Done.
Adjust the mix between your music and the video's original audio.
Tap Save to create an edited copy for upload to YouTube.
Replace music that has a copyright claim
An eligible audio copyright claim has its own replacement workflow in desktop YouTube Studio. By default, YouTube removes your original music across the whole claim, so the replacement only has to sit on the segment you choose. Switching on Mute all sounds in the claimed segment changes that: the replacement then has to cover the entire claimed segment.
Open the claim details through Content, the video's notice, and View details. The alternative entry is Restrictions > Copyright > See Details.
Find the claim and select Take Action > Replace song.
Browse Suggestions or All tracks for a replacement.
Preview your chosen track.
Choose Add.
Position and trim the replacement where you want it to play. If you switched on Mute all sounds in the claimed segment, stretch it across the entire claimed segment: a track that leaves part of that segment uncovered turns red and the claim is not released.
Preview the result after the preview refreshes.
Click Save.
Select I acknowledge that these changes are permanent..
Click Confirm changes.
If the claim remains active, check for gaps and extend the replacement over the full claimed segment. Alternatively, replace the music in your video editor and upload the finished version. That upload receives a new URL and does not inherit the original video's engagement; deleting the original is unnecessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change an uploaded video's soundtrack in the YouTube mobile app?
No. YouTube no longer supports soundtrack changes to existing uploads in its main mobile app. Use YouTube Studio on a computer. The mobile app's separate Shorts creation music tools remain available.
Can Revert to original restore the soundtrack after I save?
No. Since June 2025, saved YouTube Studio Editor changes cannot be reversed using Revert to original.
Where can I download YouTube music to use in my video editor?
Open YouTube Studio > Audio Library > Music and preview a track. Hover over its date and click DOWNLOAD, then import the MP3 into your editor. For Creative Commons tracks, open the license icon, choose Copy, and paste the supplied attribution into your video description. Follow each track's attribution requirements.
Why can't I add music when using Edit into a Short?
YouTube's Edit into a Short workflow does not allow adding Audio Library music. Use ordinary Shorts creation and import your footage instead.
Why did music disappear when I exported from YouTube Create?
YouTube Create removes Shorts-library music from exported videos longer than 15 seconds. Its direct-upload route permits licensed clips up to 60 seconds. These limits are separate from the music limits in the main YouTube Shorts app.
