Export your finished video

Turn the complete timeline into a playable MP4, choose its output size, follow progress, cancel safely, and find the finished file in the browser or Windows.

Prepare the sequence

1. Save the project first so you can return to its editable version. Export makes a video, not a replacement project file.
2. Open Media and check that no original used by a timeline clip is marked missing. Relink missing files with Import before continuing.
3. Review the sequence using the actual timeline. If a transition demonstration is playing, click the picture or its Close transition preview X to return to your project.
4. Check track visibility and mute states, clip volume, titles, graphics, captions, and transitions.
5. Check the total duration beside the preview and in the timeline toolbar. Look for a stray late clip or caption if the project is longer than expected.
6. Choose the project frame in Project settings before choosing an export preset.

Export includes the whole sequence from the beginning to its clip/caption end. Selecting one clip or placing the playhead does not restrict the export to that clip or position. There is no export-range selector in this workflow. Markers and canvas aids do not extend or decorate the finished video.

Choose Source, 1080p, 720p, or 480p

1. Click Export preset, the compact menu immediately to the left of Export in the top bar.
2. Read the dimensions shown below each option. They are calculated for your current project frame.
3. Click the desired preset. For keyboard use, open the menu with Enter, move with Up/Down, and press Enter to choose. Escape closes it without changing the preset.

Source uses the project dimensions. The numbered presets limit the shorter frame edge, preserve its shape and orientation, and do not enlarge a smaller project. For example, a 640 × 360 project remains 640 × 360 even with 1080p selected. Output dimensions use even pixels; read the menu for the exact result with a custom frame.

These presets change the output dimensions; they do not crop your composition, rotate portrait video, or change the project frame. The output follows the project's frame rate. There is no separate frame-rate, bitrate, container, or custom encoding-options dialog in the Export button workflow.

Export and download in the browser

1. Choose the preset and click the blue Export button with the upward-arrow icon.
2. Playback pauses. Export changes to a stage/progress button with Cancel.
3. Keep this tab open and allow the work to finish. A stage may be shown while media or audio is being prepared before a rendering percentage appears.
4. When complete, a Rendered locally… message appears and the MP4 download starts. The filename is based on the project name.
5. Find the file in your browser's Downloads list or selected download folder. If the browser asks for a location, choose it and complete the download.
6. Open the MP4 in a video player and review it before sharing.

Export happens on your device. A browser download is not an upload or a shareable online link. Your browser needs usable local storage and support for the original media and video export. Keeping free space available helps with long projects. Use the Windows edition if your browser cannot decode or export a required format.

Export to a file in Windows

1. Choose the preset and click Export.
2. In the Export MP4 dialog, choose the destination folder and an .mp4 filename. Choose a new output filename rather than an original media file.
3. Confirm Save in the dialog. To abandon this export before rendering, cancel the dialog.
4. Watch the top-bar progress/stage button. Preparing visual content can show an overlay-preparation stage before rendering advances.
5. Wait for the Rendered → message with the destination. Open that file in a player to inspect it.

The browser and Windows use the same project editing workflow, but their saved-file behavior differs: Windows lets you choose the export path directly, while the browser downloads the finished MP4. An error choosing or writing a destination does not mean the video was successfully saved there.

Read progress and cancel an export

1. While work is running, read the button that replaced Export. It can show a preparation stage or Rendering …%.
2. To stop, click the same button's Cancel action. Cancelling stops the current attempt; it does not undo edits in your project.
3. Wait for Export cancelled and for the normal Export button to return before starting again.
4. Change the preset or fix the project as needed, then click Export to start a new attempt from the beginning.

Only one export runs at a time. There is no pause-and-resume export control. A slow preparation stage is different from a completed download; look for the completion message and the actual file. Do not close the tab or app while expecting the current export to continue elsewhere.

The video being rendered uses the project as it was when you started that export. If you make more edits while it runs, save those edits and start a new export afterward to include them. Changing a preset mid-export likewise does not redefine the attempt already underway.

Check the finished file

1. Confirm the file is an MP4, not the .cutwright.json project.
2. Play the beginning, a few cuts and transitions, sections with titles or captions, and the end.
3. Listen for the intended audio, fades, and mute choices. Check that a hidden layer or muted track was not left off unintentionally.
4. Check the frame orientation and any text near its edges. Guides and selection boxes should not be in the picture.
5. If changes are needed, edit the saved project and export again. Keep the desired file and remove unwanted older exports yourself.

Export problems and practical corrections

Timeline is empty.

Import media and click a library card to add a clip, or create a title/graphic/caption with a duration. A library file or marker alone does not make a video sequence.

Timeline clips need media, or the file cannot be read.

Use Import to relink the original filenames, then try again. A saved project does not include the original recordings.

The browser reports an unsupported format or encoder.

Use a current desktop Chrome or Edge, ensure the editor is opened at its normal secure address, and try a supported original or the Windows app. A video that works on one device may use a codec unavailable on another.

Export fails while saving or the browser reports storage problems.

Keep the original files and save the project. Check available device space and whether the browser allows local site storage and downloads, or choose a writable Windows destination. Retry after addressing the reported problem.

I cannot find the download.

Check the browser's Downloads list and any download prompt or blocked-download notification. Allow the editor's download if you intend to save it. If no usable file was retained, export again after correcting that restriction.

The video has extra blank or silent time at the end.

Look for a late clip or caption. Muting or hiding a long track does not trim its clips. Remove or shorten unwanted timeline content and check the total duration.

Changing 1080p did not make my small project larger.

Presets do not upscale. Change the actual project frame size if you intentionally need a larger composition, then review its contents.

The top-bar message disappeared before I could read it.

Check whether Export has returned, inspect the destination or Downloads list, and retry only when the previous export has stopped. For a repeatable failure, note the wording of the next error before changing the project.