Free Video Editor Google Vids Is Built Into Google Drive

Google Vids is an online video editing app within Google Workspace, the company's suite of office and collaboration tools that also includes Drive, Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Slides. It launched in 2024 for business and enterprise users and became available to individuals in 2026. Google continues to update it regularly. Because it is free and runs in a browser, it is not built for professional, high-resolution, multitrack editing, but according to Wired it works well for personal and hobby projects.

Getting started

Users can open Google Vids from the web version of Google Drive by choosing New and then Google Vids, or go directly to the app's page and press the plus button under Start a new video. A project can begin from a blank file, a template, a slideshow or an uploaded video. AI options are also available: generating video with the Veo 3.1 model, creating a music track, using an avatar, or building a storyboard outline. The video orientation can be selected as well.

Beginners are advised to start with a template, where the layout matters more than the topic. Either the whole template or only selected scenes can be used.

Interface and basic tools

The video and audio tracks sit in a timeline at the bottom, the selected scene appears in the main window, and a panel on the right edits the current selection and adds new content: webcam recordings, footage from Google Drive and Google Photos, voiceovers, text, images, music and shapes. Menus along the top handle transitions, element arrangement and scene management.

A new scene is created with the plus button on the timeline, and a photo or video can be dragged into it. A right-click lets users mute a video's imported audio, add a voiceover or different music, split scenes and duplicate them. Audio tracks can have fades, while video clips can be given transitions. Text is added with the Text button and Add a title, after which its style, size, position and rotation can be changed and animation applied. A Stock library supplies extra material.

All edits are saved automatically. A Play button in the top right corner previews the work in progress, and a Share button publishes the finished project.