Adding music to a video in CapCut takes about 30 seconds. Getting the sync right — so cuts land on beats, the music fades cleanly, and the audio levels don’t fight each other — takes a bit more thought. Here’s how to do it properly.

Adding the Music Track

Tap Audio in the bottom toolbar, then Sounds. You can browse CapCut’s built-in library, which is organized by mood and genre, or tap the music note icon to import from your phone’s storage. You can also paste a TikTok or YouTube link in some versions, though that feature comes and goes.

Once you’ve found a track, tap the + button to add it to your timeline. It appears as a separate audio track below your video.

Trimming and Positioning the Music

Tap the audio track on the timeline to select it. Drag the handles on either end to trim it to length. To start the music at a specific part of the song (not the beginning), tap the track and look for the Edit or trim option — you can drag the clip to set which part of the song plays first.

To position when the music starts in your video, drag the whole audio clip left or right on the timeline.

Syncing Cuts to Beats

CapCut has a Beat feature that automatically detects the tempo of your music and places markers on the timeline. To use it, select the audio track and tap Beat. It’ll generate dots on the timeline showing where the beats fall. You can then snap your cuts to those markers manually.

The auto-beat detection is decent for clear 4/4 tracks. For tracks with variable tempo or complex rhythms, you’re better off placing markers yourself using the manual beat option.

Setting Audio Levels

If your video has original audio (talking, ambient sound), you need to balance it against the music. Select the music track, tap Volume, and reduce it to somewhere between 15–30% if you’re keeping speech audible. If the music is the only audio, you can leave it at 100%.

For a cleaner result, use the Audio Ducking option if you have CapCut Pro. It automatically lowers the music volume when speech is detected. Without that feature, you’ll do it manually by splitting the audio track and applying keyframe volume adjustments — tap the audio, look for the Volume option, and add keyframes at points where you want it to lower.

Fading the Music In and Out

Select the audio track and tap Fade. Set a fade-in duration at the start (0.5–1 second usually feels natural) and a fade-out at the end. Without fades, music cuts abruptly and it sounds jarring.

For a fade-out, it’s often better to let the music die down while still a second or two before the video ends rather than right at the end frame. It gives the viewer a moment to settle before the video stops.

Copyright and Social Platforms

CapCut’s built-in music library includes tracks licensed for use on social platforms. If you use your own music files, you’re responsible for checking licensing — especially for YouTube, which will flag copyrighted audio automatically. CapCut’s licensed tracks are generally safe for TikTok and Instagram Reels. YouTube is more restrictive.