Instagram announced on Thursday that it is bringing Edits, its short-form video editing application, to Mac desktops.
The app is free to download but is compatible only with Macs powered by Apple Silicon chips, starting with the M1. Users are also required to sign in with an Instagram account to access it.
Instagram initially launched Edits on mobile devices in April 2025 to compete with CapCut, the video editing app owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance. More than 50 million creators now use the mobile version, the company told Gulf News.
The Mac version retains a similar interface to the mobile app but offers a larger workspace and additional tools for handling more complex editing projects.
Its features include a multi-track timeline, keyframes for creating smooth transitions, audio waveforms, and colour wheels and curves that allow users to adjust the appearance of video clips.
Users can also import custom fonts and colour presets, known as LUTs, and configure their own keyboard shortcuts.
The app also offers access to Instagram’s library of licensed, royalty-free music, hundreds of visual effects and unlimited automatic captioning.
After completing an edit, creators can publish videos directly to Instagram from their Mac, adding tags and location details without having to transfer the files to their phones. They can also export videos in vertical or horizontal formats at resolutions of up to 4K, without watermarks.
The desktop version also supports integration with AI agents. By enabling the Model Context Protocol, a standard that allows AI assistants to interact with other software, creators can delegate parts of the video editing process to an AI agent.
