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Discover how to insert music to video in iMovie in this post. It is very simple. Let’s jump in.

• How To Import Itunes Songs Into Imovie
• How To Import Youtube Song Into Imovie
• How To Import Music Into Imovie

If the media you want to import is on an external storage device, connect it to your Mac and turn it on. In the iMovie app on your Mac, open the Import window by clicking the Import button in the toolbar. If you don’t see the Import button, click the Media button in the toolbar, and then click the Import button. Background music helps to set the mood and adds a certain dynamic effect on our perception of a video – no matter whether it’s a movie, a hobby videos, or a video presentation. But when you find out you can’t import some of audio files from Spotify into iMovie, you can follow this simple tutorial to add Spotify audio to iMovie.

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1. How to Insert Music/Audio to Video More Effectively Using Movavi

Even though it is a free video editor, iMovie performs well while doing basic video editing. However, it does have some limitations and drawbacks.

Since it is a Mac-only video program, it won’t work on Windows machines. There are limited audio formats supported on iMovie, therefore if you want to import audio to iMovie that it doesn’t support, you will have to convert the audio to a format that is supported on iMovie first.

Movavi Video Editor is a better way to insert music into videos. Many consider it the best alternative to iMovie and it works on both Mac and Windows platforms. Another advantage is that it is compatible with most audio formats.

Movavi also comes with a royalty free music library from real bands. The music ranges from hipster-folk to electronic rock. You are not restricted in any way with the music in Movavi’s library. You are allowed to use them commercially and non-commercially without any attributions. Download the latest version of Movavi from the following link.

In the video tutorial in the link below, find out how to insert audio to video using Movavi:

2. How to use iMovie on Mac to insert Music/Audio to Video

There are a number of options to insert music or audio effects in your iMovie video on a Mac.

#1. Insert Background Music

The first method is to import audio files from outside of iMovie. To insert a file this way, just hit the small Import button on the top that looks like an arrow pointing down:

Choose the music or audio file you want to insert from the import media screen. Next, in the corner at the bottom right, press the Import Selected button.

Next, select the audio file and pull it to the timeline below. Position it where you want to music to begin playing.

#2. Inserting Sound Effects

Apart from background music, there are other audio effects you can include in your video.

This is very simple to do in iMovie. Go to the audio tab at the top and select Audio:

There are 3 choices on the left side: Import from Sound Effects, iTunes, or Garage Band.

How To Import Itunes Songs Into Imovie

We’ll begin with sound effects. There are many different effects inside sound effects.

Pick the one you like and pull it to the timeline.

#3. Insert Voiceover

Suppose you want to insert a voiceover? begin by clicking any point on the timeline. You should now see a microphone under the preview window (see below):

A Record button pops up under the video when you click on the microphone. A small adjustment button will also appear beside it. When you single click on the adjustment button:

You can adjust the volume level of your recording and where you want to sound to be projected from.

Select the Record button to begin recording the voice over audio for your video.

3. How to use iMovie on iPhone/iPad to insert Music/Audio to Video

#1. Download and Install Documents to Your iPhone

From the app store, download the app called Documents and install it. This is vital to the entire process.

#2. Download Your Video’s Royalty Free Music From YouTube

Once you have downloaded the app, head to YouTube and find the channel called No Copyright Sounds:

Select a track from the playlist and enter the video page by clicking on it.

Click the Share button under the video and copy the link.

#3. Download the Free Music to Your iPhone

In the Documents app, go to the lower right corner and click the button like below:

In the window that pops up, input https://en.savefrom.net/ then hit Go.

Now paste the URL that was just copied. The download option will come up instantly. Click “Download“.

In the top right corner, hit Save.

Once the downloading is complete, select the Folder button on the lower left corner and this will send you back to the Documents main screen. The music you downloaded will be in the Folder called Documents.

In the top right corner, select the Edit button and pick the song of your choice. Next, in the lower right corner, hit the … button. In the popup window, click the Share button and pick Copy to iMovie.

#4. Import the Audio to Any of your iMovie Videos.

Your most recent video list will instantly open in iMovie. Pick the video you want to add audio to:

When the audio is in iMovie, it will be displayed on the timeline next to the original video.

Select the music video on the timeline and you will have the choice to Detach the Audio:

Slide the audio to any position you want, simply use your finger to drag the audio to the desired location. Next, head back and remove the music video on the video track.

Now you are all done!

Hey, My name is Paul – nice to e-meet you 🙂 I’m a freelance video editor who has over 4 years experiences of making all types of videos. I founded this website to provide step-by-step and easy-to-follow instructions to first-time editors or beginners like you who want to start their journey in video editing.

Let’s face it: iMovie’s audio library kinda sucks. In this short tutorial, you’ll learn how to add music to iMovie — on both Mac and iPhone — and make better videos as a result.

With iMovie, Apple offers a world of opportunity to anyone interested in making videos.

The software allows you to cut clips, add transitions, overlay titles, and much more — all for free. But if you’ve ever used it, you likely know that iMovie’s seven-song music library is… shall we say, underwhelming?

The good news is you’re not stuck with that tiny, trite collection. Adding other music to your videos in iMovie is a breeze. Let’s walk through the short steps for both Mac and iOS devices now.

Recommended reading: How to Create a Quicktime Screen Recording with Audio »

1. Download music for iMovie

In a perfect world, you’d be able to add any song you want to your video. But in reality, it’s usually not that straightforward.

To adhere to copyright laws, all major video platforms — including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Vimeo — enforce certain music policies. Here’s YouTube’s, for example.

If you violate these policies, your video may be removed or monetized through ads (to pay the copyright holders). And here’s the kicker: This applies for both commercial and personal use.

How To Import Youtube Song Into Imovie

So, even if you’re just sharing a photo slideshow of your nephew’s bar mitzvah (mazel tov!) on Facebook, your video may be removed if it contains protected music.

The simplest solution? License copyright-cleared music.

Copyright-cleared music isn’t copyright-free (a common misconception). It just means it’s been approved for use on various platforms. As a result, videos with copyright-cleared music don’t get flagged, taken down, or penalized in any other way.

All of the music I offer on this website is copyright-cleared. So you can safely license any of my songs or — if you want to dramatically increase your musical options —become a Music for Makers Unlimited customer. When you do, you’ll get instant access to hundreds of exclusive tracks that you can then import into iMovie.

But I digress.

Regardless of where you decide to source your music, go ahead and download your song of choice on your computer and open it in iTunes. (If you’re going to be working on iOS and don’t want to use iTunes for some reason, you can alternatively upload the file to your iCloud Drive.)

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2. Import music to iMovie

Get your music handy. It’s time to bring it into iMovie and make some magic.

How to add music to iMovie on a Mac

How To Import Music Into Imovie

Open your iMovie project and click the “Audio” tab in the top left. (Make sure “iTunes” is selected in the left panel.) You should then see your entire iTunes library. Search for the song you’d like to use — the one you just added to iTunes in the previous step.

Pro tip: On a Mac, you can also simply drag and drop audio files into iMovie’s media folder (or import by clicking the down arrow button in the top left side of the window) and skip the whole iTunes bit entirely.

How to add music to iMovie on iPhone / iOS

Open your iMovie project, tap the “+” button, and select “Audio.” On the following menu, tap “Songs,” and then find the song you’d like to use. (Can’t locate it? Make sure you’ve synced your iTunes library since adding the song on your computer.)

If you uploaded the song to your iCloud Drive rather than iTunes, select “iCloud Drive” instead of “Audio,” and navigate to the song file.

3. Add music and edit as necessary

Once you’ve found your song, drag it to the very bottom of the editing timeline component. (On iOS, just tap the song to have it automatically added.) This will anchor the track, ensuring it doesn’t get affected by any cuts or edits you make to other audio and video files.

Now, the odds are good that your background music won’t be the perfect length for your video. If it’s too long, grab the right side of the track and drag left. Then, click the fade handle (i.e., the small circle on the right edge of the track — I believe this is available on the Mac version of iMovie only) and drag it left to create a fade out.

If the track is too short, you’ll probably need to loop it. For tips on that, check out my beginner’s guide to audio editing.

Get your groove on

Ready to add music to iMovie and make some awesome videos? License a track from our library of royalty-free, copyright-cleared music.

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