How to Reverse a Video in CapCut on PC

What reversing does in CapCut desktop

When you reverse a clip, CapCut does not simply play the file backwards on the fly. It processes the frames and creates a reversed version that replaces the clip on your timeline. That has three practical effects:

• It takes time. You see a progress indicator while CapCut works, and long, high-resolution or high-frame-rate clips take noticeably longer.
• It uses disk space and memory. Very long clips can make an older PC sluggish while processing.
• It applies to the clip you selected only. Other clips, text, stickers and music stay as they are.

You can undo a reverse with Ctrl + Z, and in most versions selecting the clip and using Reverse again turns it back to normal playback.

Before you start

Reversing is one of the heavier processing jobs in the editor, so the hardware matters more than for simple cuts. The official Microsoft Store listing for CapCut (checked 21 October 2026) lists a minimum of Windows 10 or later on an x64 or Arm64 PC, 8 GB of RAM, an Intel Core 6th generation or AMD Ryzen 1000 series processor or newer, DirectX 9 and 2 GB of video memory with a graphics driver dated 2018 or newer. The recommended setup is 16 GB of RAM, an Intel Core 8th generation or AMD Ryzen 3000 series processor or newer, DirectX 12 (feature level 12) and 6 GB of video memory. Our CapCut system requirements for PC page explains how to check each item on your own machine.

Save your project before you begin. If your PC is close to the minimum, read running CapCut on a low-end PC first, and keep the section you reverse short. Install and update CapCut only from capcut.com or the official store listing.

How to reverse a clip, step by step

1. Add the clip to the timeline. Import your video in the media panel and drag it onto the timeline.
2. Isolate the section (recommended). Move the playhead to the start of the part you want backwards and press Ctrl + B to split, then do the same at the end. Our guide to splitting and trimming clips in CapCut desktop covers this in detail.
3. Select the clip or section you want to reverse. It must be a video clip; the tool does not apply to text, stickers or audio-only clips.
4. Click Reverse. Look in the toolbar just above the timeline. The icons there include tools such as split, delete, freeze, reverse, mirror, rotate and crop; hover over each icon to see its name. In some versions the same option also appears when you right-click the clip.
5. Wait for processing to finish, then play the clip from the start to check the result.

Reverse only part of a clip or make a rewind effect

Most creative uses only need a second or two of backwards footage. Two common patterns:

Rewind before a reveal

1. Split out the moment you want to rewind.
2. Copy it with Ctrl + C and paste with Ctrl + V so you have two copies side by side.
3. Reverse the second copy. The action now plays forwards and then rewinds.
4. Speed up the reversed copy so the rewind feels quick. Our guide to speeding up or slowing down video in CapCut explains normal speed and speed curves.

Boomerang loop

Repeat the pattern a few times: forward, reversed, forward, reversed. Short clips of one or two seconds loop best. A quick freeze at the turning point adds a nice pause; see how to freeze frame in CapCut on PC.

What happens to the audio

When a video clip still has its own sound attached, reversing it usually reverses that sound too, which is great for a tape-rewind effect and terrible for speech. You have three options:

• Keep the backwards sound if you want the classic rewind noise.
• Mute the clip in its audio settings and play music or narration on a separate track instead.
• Separate the audio first. Before reversing, right-click the clip and use the option to separate or extract its audio onto its own track (the wording varies by version). Then reverse the video. The separated audio keeps playing forwards.

For background music that should run straight through the reversed section, keep the music on its own audio track under the video. Our guide to adding music to CapCut on PC shows how to place and fade it.

Make the reversed clip look smooth

• Choose clips with clear motion. Water, jumps, throws and walking look obviously backwards; static shots barely change.
• Cut on the action. Start the reversed part exactly where the forward motion peaks so the change of direction feels intentional.
• Use speed carefully. A slightly faster rewind hides small jumps between frames. Very slow reversed footage can look jerky if the original was filmed at a low frame rate.
• Add a transition or sound effect at the turning point to sell the moment. See adding transitions in CapCut desktop.

Troubleshooting: slow, stuck or choppy reverse

• Processing seems stuck. Long 4K or 60 fps clips take time. Cancel, split out a shorter section and try again. Make sure your system drive has free space; our storage guide explains what CapCut stores.
• The reversed clip stutters in the preview. The preview is often less smooth than the final file. Lower the preview quality or let CapCut finish loading, as described in fixing a lagging CapCut preview, and judge the exported file instead.
• The app freezes while reversing. Close other heavy programs, update your graphics driver and try a shorter section. If it keeps happening, see CapCut keeps freezing on PC.
• The export fails after reversing. Work through our export failed fixes, starting with free disk space and a lower export resolution.

Sources we checked

We checked these official pages on 21 October 2026. CapCut changes its menus and plans often, so if a label on your screen differs from this guide, the tooltips and the in-app shortcut list in your version are the final word.

• Microsoft Store: CapCut listing and system requirements
• CapCut Terms of Service

CapCut's own help pages could not be opened from our test location on that date, so where CapCut publishes no specifics we describe the feature in general terms rather than guess.