The fastest way to slow down video on iPhone

Open the Photos app, find the video you want to slow down, tap Edit, then tap the speed icon (it looks like a speedometer) in the toolbar at the bottom. Slide left to make it slower — you can choose from 0.5x (half speed), 0.75x (three-quarters speed), or keep it at 1x (normal). When you're done, tap Done and choose Save as New Clip to keep your original video unchanged.

This method works on iPhone 13 and newer. If you have an older iPhone, you'll need to use the iMovie app instead, which is free to download from the App Store. The steps are similar but take a few more taps.

Key Takeaways

  • The Photos app's built-in speed control lets you slow video to 0.5x, 0.75x, or normal speed without installing anything extra.
  • You must save the slowed video as a new clip to avoid overwriting your original.
  • iMovie offers more speed options (including speeds between 0.5x and 1x) and works on older iPhones that don't have the Photos speed tool.
  • Slowing video in Photos or iMovie doesn't require internet — the editing happens on your phone.

Using the Photos app on iPhone 13 and newer

Open the Photos app and locate the video you want to edit. Tap the video to open it in full screen, then tap Edit in the top right corner. The editing toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen with several icons — find the one that looks like a speedometer or gauge (it's usually the third or fourth icon from the left).

Tap the speed icon and a slider appears. Drag it to the left to slow the video down. You'll see three preset options: 0.5x (half the original speed), 0.75x (three-quarters speed), and 1x (normal speed). Choose whichever matches what you need. As you adjust the slider, the video preview updates so you can see how it looks.

Once you're happy with the speed, tap Done at the bottom right. A menu appears asking whether you want to Save as New Clip or Save to Original. Always choose Save as New Clip unless you're certain you don't need the original video at normal speed. The slowed version saves to your Photos library with a new timestamp.

Slowing video with iMovie on older iPhones

If your iPhone is older than iPhone 13, or if you want more control over the exact speed, download iMovie from the App Store for free. Open iMovie and tap the + icon to start a new project, then select Movie. Choose the video you want to slow down from your library.

Once the video appears in the timeline at the bottom of the screen, tap it once to select it, then tap the speed icon (it looks like a speedometer or rabbit/turtle). A menu appears with speed options ranging from 0.25x to 2x. Tap the speed you want — iMovie gives you more granular control than Photos, so you can choose speeds like 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x, 1.25x, and so on.

When you're done editing, tap Done, then tap Share (the arrow icon) to save the video. Choose Save Video and select the quality you want. The slowed video saves to your Photos library.

Why the speed control might not appear

If you open a video in Photos and don't see the speed icon in the editing toolbar, your iPhone model doesn't support this feature. iPhones older than iPhone 13 don't have the built-in speed control in Photos — you'll need to use iMovie instead. Check your iPhone model in Settings > General > About if you're not sure which version you have.

Another reason the speed icon might not show: the video file itself might be corrupted or in a format Photos can't edit. If this happens, try importing the video into iMovie instead. iMovie handles a wider range of video formats and can usually edit files that Photos refuses to touch.

Saving and sharing your slowed video

When you save a slowed video as a new clip in Photos, it appears in your library as a separate file. Both the original and the slowed version take up storage space on your phone. If you're running low on storage, you can delete the original after confirming the slowed version looks right.

To share the slowed video, open it in Photos, tap the share icon (arrow pointing out of a box), and choose where you want to send it — Messages, Mail, AirDrop, or social media apps. The video exports at the speed you set, so whoever receives it will see it in slow motion.

Limitations and what you can't do

Both Photos and iMovie slow the entire video uniformly — you can't slow down just one part and keep another part at normal speed. If you need that level of control, you'd need to use a desktop video editor like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere, or a more advanced mobile app like Adobe Premiere Rush.

Slowing video doesn't improve the quality of the footage. If your original video is blurry or grainy, slowing it down won't fix that. The frame rate (how many individual images per second the video contains) also stays the same, so very slow speeds might look choppy if the original video was shot at 24 or 30 frames per second rather than 60 fps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I slow down just part of a video?

Not with Photos or iMovie on iPhone. Both apps apply the speed change to the entire video. To slow only a section, you'd need a desktop editor or an advanced mobile app. You could also trim the video first, slow the trimmed section, and then combine clips if you're comfortable with that workflow.

What happens to the audio when I slow the video?

The audio slows down along with the video and becomes lower-pitched. If you don't want the audio to change, you can mute the video in the editing toolbar and add music or narration afterward using iMovie or another app.

Does slowing video use up more storage?

The slowed video file is roughly the same size as the original, so yes, saving it as a new clip doubles your storage use for that video. If you're short on space, delete the original after you confirm the slowed version is what you want.

Can I slow video to a speed other than 0.5x or 0.75x?

Photos only offers those two preset slow speeds plus normal. iMovie gives you more options, including 0.25x, 0.5x, 0.75x, and speeds in between. If you need a very specific speed, iMovie is your better choice.

Will slowing video make it look smoother?

No. Slowing video doesn't add frames or improve smoothness — it just plays the existing frames more slowly. If your original video was shot at 30 fps, slowing it to 0.5x will still show 30 frames per second, just spread over twice as much time. Video shot at 60 fps will look smoother when slowed.