Movie Maker
Create a movie
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Choose your path

How to use movie maker on windows 10 with or without the original app

First check which editor is actually on your PC. The discontinued Windows Movie Maker and a current editor have different controls, so this guide gives each one its own path.

Opens the video creation tool
Movie Maker video creation scene

decide which case you are (decision table)

Use the app name you can find on your PC as the deciding column. Do not install an unfamiliar download just to follow an older tutorial.

6 min read

path A

Follow these controls only if an existing, working copy of Windows Movie Maker is already installed. Keep your source clips together before you begin.

  1. 1

    Import your media

    Open Windows Movie Maker and choose Add videos and photos on the Home tab. Select the clips and pictures for one project. Use Add music only if you have permission to use the track, then save the project so you can return to the edit.

  2. 2

    Arrange and trim

    Drag items into the order you want in the storyboard. Select a clip and use the Edit tab's Trim tool to set its start and end; preview the result before adding titles or transitions. A short sequence with deliberate cuts is easier to review than a long first draft.

  3. 3

    Save a playable video

    Choose Save movie from the Home tab and pick an output option suitable for where you will watch it. Save the resulting file separately from the editable project. Open the video in a player to check the beginning, ending, picture, and sound.

path B

If the original program is absent, make the same basic edit in an editor that is available to you now. Clipchamp is one possible route on Windows 10.

Creator planning a video project

Find a current editor

Search the Start menu for Clipchamp. If it is not installed, check its official Microsoft listing or browser-based version rather than downloading something labeled as a revived Windows Movie Maker. Availability and sign-in requirements can vary; confirm what the editor asks for before committing your media. Create a project and choose an appropriate canvas for the place you expect to share the finished video.

NAME CHECK

Clipchamp is a different editor, not a new version of the original Windows Movie Maker.

Video editing scene with clips being arranged

Build the timeline

Import your own video clips and photos, then place them on the timeline in story order. Cut away unwanted starts and endings, and preview each join. Add a title only when it helps viewers understand the scene; keep music below speech so words remain audible. If your editor presents a storyboard rather than a timeline, use the same sequence: import, order, trim, preview.

KEEP IT EDITABLE

Save the project as well as the final video so you can revise a missed cut later.

Creator reviewing a finished video

Export and inspect

Use the editor's export control to create a video file, then find that file in the folder you selected or the location shown by the editor. Play it outside the project window. Watch for missing images, abrupt cuts, clipped narration, or a final frame that disappears too quickly; correct the project and export again if needed.

FINAL FILE

A saved editing project is not the same thing as a video you can send to someone.

What to have ready

These checks apply to either path and prevent most avoidable interruptions during a first edit.

Required Optional

  • Your original clips and photos in a folder you can find again.

    Required

    Keep copies of the source files until the finished video has been checked.

  • Enough available storage for imported media, the project, and an exported video.

    Required

    Exporting creates another file; it does not replace your source clips.

  • A working editor identified by its actual app name.

    Required

    The Windows 10 operating system alone does not establish that Windows Movie Maker is installed.

  • Permission to use any music, images, or footage you did not record.

    Required

    Check usage rights before publishing or sharing beyond a private audience.

  • A short outline of your opening, main sequence, and ending.

    Optional

    A three-part outline makes it easier to choose clips before you import them.

Choose a more specific guide

If your setup or experience level changes the next step, use the closest related walkthrough.

Why tutorials show different apps

The name Movie Maker spans more than one era of Windows video editing. Dates help explain why screenshots in two guides may not match your screen.

  1. Windows Essentials era

    Windows Movie Maker was distributed as part of Windows Essentials 2012. Many older tutorials demonstrate its Home and Edit tabs, storyboard, and Save movie command; those directions apply only when that specific app is present.

  2. Essentials support ended

    Microsoft ended support for Windows Essentials 2012 on January 10. That is why an old Movie Maker installation should not be treated as a supported feature that every Windows 10 PC can fetch or repair.

  3. Microsoft acquired Clipchamp

    Clipchamp entered Microsoft's video-editing lineup. Its interface and project workflow differ from the older Windows Movie Maker, even though both can serve the basic goal of combining clips into a video.

  4. Windows 10 support changed

    Standard support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025. A working PC can still edit video, but its support status and the editor's own requirements are separate questions; check both when choosing software.

final check

Pick the review that matches the destination for your video, then watch the exported file from beginning to end.

Make sure the story plays clearly

Open the exported video outside the editor and watch it at normal speed. Check that faces are visible, titles can be read, and the final scene stays on screen long enough to register. The project preview alone cannot prove that the exported file is complete.

  • Check the first and last few seconds.
  • Listen for sudden changes in volume.
  • Keep the editable project and original media.

Test the file before sending it

Locate the actual exported file and play it once from its saved folder. Confirm that the recipient will receive the video, not a project file that depends on your editor and source media. If a sharing service changes the picture or crops an edge, return to your project and reconsider the canvas or framing.

  • Confirm the file opens outside your editor.
  • Check that names and private details are safe to share.
  • Watch a copy after uploading, if you upload it.

Review rights and presentation

Before posting publicly, inspect every image, music track, and spoken name. Check any platform-specific framing in the published preview rather than assuming the desktop export will look identical there. A final review is also the moment to catch spelling errors in opening and closing titles.

  • Verify rights for third-party material.
  • Review titles for spelling and readability.
  • Play the published version after processing.

Make your next video

Turn your outline into a video

Once you know the story you want to tell, take a short description to Movie Maker's video creation destination. Check the available tools and output there before choosing a workflow for your project.

Create a video
  • Begin with a clear opening, middle, and ending.
  • Review the result before you share it.

tutorial FAQ

No. Windows Movie Maker was part of the discontinued Windows Essentials suite, not a standard Windows 10 installation. If an older copy already works on your PC, follow path A; otherwise, choose a current editor and follow path B.

The original app may never have been installed on that PC. Search for its actual name, then check which other video editor you have rather than assuming every app called a movie maker uses the same controls. Avoid unofficial downloads claiming to restore the discontinued program.

Open the project in Windows Movie Maker and select Add videos and photos on the Home tab. Choose your files, arrange the imported items in the storyboard, and save the project. When the edit is ready to share, use Save movie to create a separate playable file.

You can follow the general order of import, arrange, trim, preview, and export. The buttons and layout are different: Clipchamp uses its own media and timeline controls, so an instruction to click Movie Maker's Home tab will not match. Use path B for the current-editor workflow.

An editing project preserves your arrangement so you can make changes; it is not necessarily a standalone video file. Use Save movie in the original Windows Movie Maker or the export command in your current editor. Then open the exported file in a separate player to verify it.

Create a movie
Create a movie