The quickest way: use the Photos app or iMovie
The easiest way to add music to a video on iPhone is through the Photos app, which comes built in. Open Photos, find the video you want, tap Edit, then tap the music note icon at the bottom. Choose a song from your library or Apple Music, adjust the volume, and save. The whole process takes under a minute.
If you want more control — like trimming the music, layering multiple audio tracks, or adjusting when the music starts — use iMovie instead. iMovie is free from the App Store and lets you place music at specific points in your video, fade it in and out, and mix it with the original video sound. Most people find iMovie worth the extra step because it gives you real editing power without learning complicated software.
Both apps let you use songs from your iPhone's music library, songs you've purchased from iTunes, or tracks from Apple Music if you subscribe. Neither app charges you to add music, and neither requires you to buy the song again.
Key Takeaways
- Photos app is the fastest option if you just want one song over your whole video with no adjustments.
- iMovie gives you control over when music starts, how loud it is, and whether it fades in or out.
- You can use any song already in your iPhone's music library, including Apple Music tracks if you subscribe.
- Both apps are free and built into iPhone or downloadable at no cost from the App Store.
- If you want to add music from outside your library, you'll need to download it to your iPhone first or use a third-party app.
Adding music in the Photos app step by step
Open the Photos app and navigate to the video you want to edit. Tap the video to open it, then tap Edit in the top right corner. You'll see a row of editing tools at the bottom — tap the music note icon (it looks like a single eighth note).
A menu will appear showing music options. You can browse Apple Music tracks, songs from your library, or Apple's built-in sound effects. Tap the song you want. The app will preview how it sounds over your video. If you don't like it, tap a different song. Once you've chosen, adjust the volume slider if you want the original video sound (like dialogue or ambient noise) to be louder or quieter than the music.
Tap Done, then tap Save to finish. The edited video saves to your Photos library. The original video stays unchanged, so you can always go back and edit it differently if you want.
Using iMovie for more detailed control
Download iMovie from the App Store if you don't have it, then open it and tap the plus icon to create a new project. Select Movie, then choose the video you want to edit from your library. iMovie will open it in the timeline at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the plus icon again and select Audio. You'll see options for Music, Sound Effects, and Recorded Voiceover. Choose Music and browse your library or Apple Music. Tap the song you want — it will appear as a separate audio track below your video in the timeline. You can now drag the music track left or right to change when it starts, or drag the edges to trim it shorter.
To adjust volume, tap the audio track and use the volume slider. To make music fade in or out, tap the track, then tap the fade icon (it looks like a curve). When you're done, tap Done, then tap Share to save your video or send it somewhere.
Adding music from sources outside your library
If the song you want isn't in your music library or Apple Music, you'll need to get it onto your iPhone first. You can download songs from other music services like Spotify or YouTube Music, but they won't show up in the Photos or iMovie music menus — those apps only see music in your iPhone's native music library.
One workaround is to use a third-party video editing app like CapCut or Adobe Express, which let you upload audio files directly. Both are free and available on the App Store. They work similarly to iMovie but give you the option to add music files that aren't in Apple's ecosystem.
Another option is to add the song to your iPhone's music library first. If you own the song file, you can add it through the Files app or by using a computer and iTunes or Finder. Once it's in your library, it will appear in Photos and iMovie.
Controlling how music and original sound mix together
By default, when you add music to a video, both the original sound (voices, background noise) and the new music play at the same time. In Photos, you adjust this with a single volume slider — move it left to make the original sound louder, right to make the music louder.
iMovie gives you more precision. You can adjust the volume of the music track separately from the video's original audio, so you can make dialogue clear while keeping music in the background. Tap each track and use its individual volume slider. You can also mute the original audio entirely by tapping the video track and dragging its volume all the way down.
If you want to remove the original sound completely and replace it with only music, iMovie is your better choice because Photos doesn't have a mute option for the video itself.
Saving and sharing your edited video
In Photos, your edited video saves automatically to your library when you tap Save. It replaces the original in the Photos app, but if you want to keep both versions, use iMovie instead — iMovie always saves as a new file and leaves your original untouched.
In iMovie, tap Share to choose where your video goes. You can save it to Photos, send it via Messages or Mail, upload it to YouTube, or share it to other apps. iMovie will ask what quality you want — higher quality files are larger and take longer to process, but look better on bigger screens. For social media or messaging, standard quality is usually fine.
Both apps let you re-edit your video later. In Photos, just tap Edit again on the same video. In iMovie, your project stays in the app, so you can open it anytime and make changes.
Troubleshooting common problems
If the music doesn't appear in your Photos or iMovie music menu, the song may not be in your iPhone's music library. Check that you've downloaded it or that you're signed into Apple Music if you're trying to use a subscription track. Some songs purchased from iTunes may not appear if they're in a format your iPhone doesn't recognize.
If the music and video are out of sync (the music doesn't match what's happening on screen), you can fix this in iMovie by dragging the audio track left or right in the timeline. In Photos, you can't adjust timing, so if sync matters for your video, use iMovie instead.
If your edited video won't save, make sure you have enough storage space on your iPhone. Videos with added music take up more space than the original. Check Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see how much room you have left.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add multiple songs to one video?
In Photos, no — you can only add one song. In iMovie, yes. Tap the plus icon multiple times to add as many audio tracks as you want, then position them in the timeline so they play at different points or overlap. You can adjust each track's volume separately.
Will adding music make my video file much larger?
Slightly. The music adds data, but not as much as you might think because the audio compresses. A video that was 100 MB might become 110 MB after adding a three-minute song. If storage is tight, save the edited video at lower quality in iMovie, or delete the original after you've saved the edited version.
Can I use a song from Spotify or YouTube Music?
Not directly in Photos or iMovie. Those apps only see music in your iPhone's native library. You'd need to use a third-party app like CapCut or download the song file to your iPhone first, which isn't possible with most streaming services due to copyright protection.
What happens if I edit a video in Photos and then open it in iMovie?
iMovie will see the music you added in Photos and let you edit it further. You can adjust timing, volume, or add more audio tracks. The original video file isn't changed — iMovie just reads what's already there.
Can I remove music I added if I change my mind?
Yes. In Photos, tap Edit and tap the music note icon again, then tap Remove. In iMovie, tap the audio track in the timeline and press Delete. Both apps let you undo changes, so you can always go back to an earlier version of your edit.