Add Music to Video on iPhone: Step-by-Step

This guide shows you how to add music to a video on your iPhone using the built-in Photos app, no extra downloads needed. You’ll learn to add a song from your library, adjust its start time and volume, and trim the video to fit the music. You’ll need the video saved in your Photos app and a song in your Apple Music or iTunes library.

What You’ll Need

An iPhone with iOS 17 or later (the steps are similar on older versions, but menu names may differ slightly).
The video you want to edit, saved in the Photos app.
A song or audio file in your Music library (Apple Music, iTunes Match, or a purchased/downloaded track).

Step-by-Step

Open the Photos app on your iPhone and find the video you want to edit. Tap it to open it in full screen.
Tap “Edit” in the top-right corner of the screen. This opens the video editing interface.
Tap the music note icon (it looks like a musical note) at the top of the screen, between the crop and filter buttons. If you don’t see it, tap the “More” (three dots) button and select “Music” from the menu.
Choose your audio source. You’ll see two options: “My Music” (songs you own or have downloaded) and “Soundtracks” (Apple-provided royalty-free music). Tap “My Music” to use a song from your library.
Browse or search for the song you want to add. You can scroll through your library or use the search bar at the top. Tap the song to select it. A preview will play automatically.
Adjust the song’s start time (optional). After selecting the song, you’ll see a timeline at the bottom. Drag the yellow handle on the left edge of the audio track to choose where in the song the video should start playing. This is useful if you want the video to begin at a specific part of the track.
Adjust the audio mix. Tap the “Audio Mix” button (it looks like a speaker with waves) at the bottom. You can choose between:
- Original: keeps the video’s original sound at full volume.
- Ducking: lowers the music volume when there’s speaking in the video.
- Loud: makes the music louder than the video’s original audio.
Select the option that fits your needs.
Trim the video (optional). If you want the video to end when the music ends (or vice versa), you can trim the video length. Drag the yellow handles on either end of the video timeline (the top track) to shorten it. The music track will adjust accordingly.
Tap “Done” in the bottom-right corner to save your edit. The video will process for a few seconds, and the music will be added.
Review and export. Play the video to make sure everything sounds good. If you’re happy, tap “Done” again in the top-right corner to finalize. The edited video is saved as a new clip in your Photos library, keeping the original intact.

Common Mistakes

Adding music to a Live Photo instead of a video: The music feature only works on actual video files. If you have a Live Photo, you’ll need to convert it to a video first (e.g., by exporting it as a video in a third-party app).
Using a song that’s not downloaded: If the song is in your Apple Music library but not downloaded to your device, it may not appear in the “My Music” list. Make sure the track is downloaded by tapping the download icon (a cloud with a down arrow) in the Music app.
Expecting the music to loop: The Photos app adds the song once, from your chosen start point to the end of the video. It does not loop the music to fill a longer video. If your video is longer than the song, the music will stop and the rest of the video will be silent.
Forgetting to adjust the audio mix: If you add music but still hear the original video audio at full volume, you haven’t changed the audio mix. The default is “Original,” which keeps the video’s sound dominant. Change it to “Ducking” or “Loud” to hear the music clearly.

Tips

Use the “Soundtracks” option if you don’t want to use your own music. Apple provides a library of royalty-free tracks that you can use without worrying about copyright, which is great for social media posts.
Trim the video to match the song’s best part. Instead of playing the whole song, pick a 15-30 second section that fits your video’s mood. This keeps the edit tight and engaging.
Export at the highest quality. When you save the edited video, Photos automatically preserves the original resolution. If you’re sharing via AirDrop or Messages, it may compress the file. For the best quality, use the “Export Unmodified Original” option when sharing from the Photos app.
Undo is easy. If you don’t like the result, open the edited video, tap “Edit,” then tap “Revert” to remove all edits and go back to the original video. This works any time before you’ve made other edits to the new clip.
Check the volume before sharing. Play the video with headphones to hear the mix clearly, especially if you used “Ducking.” What sounds good on the phone speaker may be different on headphones.

Troubleshooting

The music note icon is missing: This usually means the video is too short (under a second) or the file format isn’t supported. Try converting the video to MP4 or MOV using a free converter app, then try again.
The song won’t play or is grayed out: The song may be protected by DRM (digital rights management) or not downloaded. Go to the Music app, find the song, and download it. If it’s still grayed out, it may be a song that’s only available for streaming and not eligible for video editing. Try a different track.
The music starts but the video is silent: This happens when the audio mix is set to “Original” and the video has no original audio. Change the audio mix to “Loud” to force the music to play at full volume.
The music is out of sync: The Photos app aligns the music to the start of the video by default. If you adjusted the music start time, make sure the yellow handle is positioned correctly. If it’s still off, delete the music (tap the music note, then “Remove”) and re-add it, being careful with the start time.
Can’t find the edited video: The edited video is saved as a new clip right next to the original in your Photos library, usually with the same date and time. Look for a video with a slightly different duration or a “Modified” badge. If you still can’t find it, check the “Recently Edited” album in the Albums tab.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add music to a video without using the Photos app?

Yes, there are many third-party apps like iMovie, CapCut, and InShot that offer more advanced audio editing features, including multiple tracks, fade in/out, and precise volume control. The Photos app is the quickest and simplest option for basic needs.

Will the music be embedded in the video file when I share it?

Yes, when you export or share the edited video, the music is mixed into the audio track of the video file itself. The recipient will hear the music even if they don’t have the song in their library.

Can I use a song from Spotify or YouTube?

No, the Photos app only works with songs from your Apple Music/iTunes library. You cannot directly import audio from Spotify or YouTube. You would need to use a third-party app that allows importing audio files from other sources.

Does adding music reduce the video quality?

No, adding music does not reduce the video’s resolution or frame rate. It only re-encodes the audio track. The video quality remains the same as the original.

Can I adjust the music volume separately from the video volume?

In the Photos app, you can only choose between the three preset mix options (Original, Ducking, Loud). For fine-grained volume control (e.g., music at 30% volume), you’ll need to use a third-party editor like iMovie, which allows you to set precise volume levels for each track.

What happens to the original video after I add music?

The original video remains untouched. The Photos app creates a new, separate video file with the music added. You can delete the original later if you want, but it’s a good idea to keep it as a backup.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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