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Tantanai's avatar
Tantanai
Copper Contributor
Jul 21, 2026

How can I crop a mp4 video and cut a part of it in Windows?

Currently, I work with an MP4 video that needs two things done to it — first, cropping the frame to remove unwanted edges and black bars around the footage, and second, cutting out a specific section...
VioletEdwards's avatar
VioletEdwards
Iron Contributor
Jul 21, 2026

Shotcut is an open-source video editor, a versatile offline desktop application you can use to crop an mp4 video and complete timeline editing tasks. It provides built-in rectangular cropping filters and split editing functions, and supports lossless export configurations, serving as an all-in-one tool to precisely trim footage and remove unwanted video segments with no export watermarks.

How to Crop an MP4 video

Step 1: Download and install the software from the official website

Step 2: Launch the software, select File → Open File, and then choose the target MP4 video

Step 3: Start cropping the video

  • Click the Filters tab in the top-left panel
  • Click the + button to open the video category, then select Crop: Rectangle
  • Adjust the left, right, top, and bottom sliders to remove black borders or excess edges
  • View the live preview window to confirm the cropping area

Step 4: Start splitting the video clip

  • Play the clip or drag the timeline slider to the position where you want to split it
  • Click the Split button or press the S shortcut key to create the first split point
  • Move the timeline to the end of the segment you want to remove
  • Press the S key again to add a second split marker
  • Select the segment between the two split points, then press the Delete key or right-click and select Delete

Step 5: Export the processed video

  • Click the Export button in the lower-right corner
  • Select MP4 as the output format
  • Open the video settings panel and set the quality to High or Lossless
  • Click Export and wait for rendering to complete

This open-source editor integrates cropping and timeline editing features, allowing you to trim videos and remove unnecessary segments in about 5 minutes. It’s ideal for users who need to crop and edit videos within a single application, and it offers adjustable export quality options to control video clarity.

Pros

  • Open-source software with no embedded watermarks or export restrictions
  • Supports lossless and high-quality encoding options to minimize video quality loss
  • Cross-platform compatibility; runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems

Cons

  • Lossless rendering produces extremely large output files
  • Cannot perform pure stream copy-and-cut; all editing operations trigger video re-encoding
  • Rendering speed is slower than other lightweight lossless editing tools
  • Complex multi-track projects consume a significant amount of memory and system resources