Premiere Pro how-to
How to cut or split a clip in Premiere Pro (Razor tool, Ctrl-K)
Short answer
Put the playhead where you want the cut and press Ctrl-K (Cmd-K on Mac) to add an edit on the targeted tracks, or press C for the Razor tool and click the clip. Each piece becomes its own clip, so you can delete the part you don't need and close the gap with Ripple Delete. Alt-click (Option-click) with the Razor cuts only the audio or only the video of a linked clip.
Checked against: Adobe Premiere (formerly Premiere Pro), 2026 releases, Windows and Mac.
Method 1: Razor tool
Select the Razor tool
Click the Razor tool in the Tools panel or press C.
Click where you want the cut
Click the clip in the Timeline at the frame where it should split. Turn on snapping (S) to cut exactly at the playhead.
Cut only audio or only video
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while you click with the Razor to split just the audio or just the video part of a linked clip.
Go back to the Selection tool
Press V before you click anything else, or every click will keep cutting.
Method 2: Add Edit at the playhead (fastest)
Park the playhead
Move the playhead to the frame where you want the cut; use the arrow keys to step one frame at a time.
Add the edit
Choose Sequence > Add Edit (Ctrl-K / Cmd-K) to cut the targeted tracks, or Sequence > Add Edit to All Tracks (Ctrl-Shift-K / Cmd-Shift-K) to cut every track.
SequenceAdd Edit
Remove the piece and close the gap
Select the unwanted piece, right-click it and choose Ripple Delete (Shift-Delete by default) so the clips after it slide left. If you already deleted it, right-click the gap and choose Ripple Delete.
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Cut, trim and ripple: which to use
| Goal | Tool | Key |
|---|---|---|
| Split one clip in two | Razor or Add Edit | C / Ctrl-K |
| Shorten the start or end | Drag the clip edge | Q / W ripple trim to playhead |
| Remove a middle section | Two cuts, then Ripple Delete | Shift-Delete |
| Cut every track at once | Add Edit to All Tracks | Ctrl-Shift-K |
If it doesn't work
| What you see | Fix |
|---|---|
| Ctrl-K cuts nothing | Add Edit only cuts tracks that are targeted (highlighted track headers) and clips under the playhead. Turn targeting on for those tracks. |
| The cut split audio and video at different frames | Snapping was off. Undo, press S to turn snapping on, and cut at the playhead. |
| A gap stays after deleting | Use Ripple Delete instead of Delete, or right-click the gap and choose Ripple Delete. |
| Every click cuts the clip | You are still on the Razor tool. Press V for the Selection tool. |
Questions people ask
What is the shortcut to cut a clip in Premiere Pro?
C selects the Razor tool. Ctrl-K (Cmd-K) adds an edit at the playhead on targeted tracks; Ctrl-Shift-K cuts all tracks.
Does cutting a clip delete the footage?
No. Cutting makes a new clip instance with new In and Out points; the source file and the rest of the clip stay intact.
How do I cut out the middle of a clip?
Make two cuts around the part you don't want, select it, and press Shift-Delete to ripple delete it so the gap closes.
More Premiere Pro guides
Sources and how we checked
- Adobe Help: Cut clips (checked 2026-10-05; Adobe blocks automated readers; text read from the Internet Archive copy of 23 Aug 2026)
- Adobe Help: Trim a clip (checked 2026-10-05; Adobe blocks automated readers; text read from the Internet Archive copy of 23 Sep 2026)
Shortcuts are the default Premiere keyboard layout; Mac uses Cmd and Option where Windows uses Ctrl and Alt. The Add Edit and Ripple Delete shortcuts are not in the Adobe article cited for the Razor tool; they match Premiere's current keyboard map as listed by several current guides.
Reviewed October 5, 2026 by the Koldflux team. Each step is compared with Premiere Pro's own documentation (linked above) and with the top search results for this task; where they disagree, the maker's documentation wins. Steps without a source link follow the menu names that several current guides agree on.