You'd think Apple would've just put a "reverse" button right next to the crop tool in the Photos app by now. Honestly, it's weird. You can change the lighting, add filters, and even trim the start and end of a clip, but if you want to make a video play backward, the default editor leaves you hanging. It's one of those minor annoyances that sends everyone scrambling to the App Store.
Maybe you filmed a friend jumping into a pool and want to make it look like they’re flying out of the water. Or perhaps you’re trying to create a weirdly satisfying loop for a Reel. Whatever the reason, figuring out how to reverse a video on iPhone usually requires a bit of a workaround because the native iOS software just doesn't have a "backwards" toggle.
It's annoying. I know.
But there are actually several ways to get it done without spending a dime or getting tracked by some sketchy third-party app. From built-in shortcuts to the heavy-hitting editors like CapCut or VN, you've got options. Let’s break down what actually works in 2026.
The Shortcuts App: The "Secret" Native Method
Most people forget the Shortcuts app even exists. It’s that diamond-shaped icon you probably tucked away in a folder labeled "Extras." This is basically Apple’s way of letting you build your own features. If you're tech-savvy, you can build a script to reverse a video, though it's a bit of a headache to set up from scratch.
First, you open Shortcuts. You hit the plus sign. You search for "Select Photos." Then you search for "Encode Media." Inside that "Encode Media" action, there used to be a "Reverse" toggle in older iOS versions, but Apple, in their infinite wisdom, has made this inconsistent across updates.
If the "Reverse" toggle isn't showing up for you in Shortcuts, don't waste twenty minutes troubleshooting it. It’s finicky. Sometimes it works after a fresh update; sometimes it disappears. It’s honestly easier to use a dedicated video tool if the Shortcut isn't behaving. But if you can get a "Reverse Video" shortcut downloaded from a trusted gallery like MacStories, it's the cleanest way to do it because it happens entirely within the iOS ecosystem. No uploads. No cloud. Just local processing.
Using CapCut for a One-Tap Reverse
CapCut is basically the gold standard for this stuff now. Since it’s owned by ByteDance, the integration with social trends is seamless. If you want to know how to reverse a video on iPhone with the least amount of friction, this is probably your best bet.
Here is the flow:
Open a new project and grab your clip. Once it’s on the timeline, tap the clip itself. A menu pops up at the bottom. You’ll have to swipe quite a bit to the right—past "Filter," past "Adjust"—until you see "Reverse." Tap it.
The app then "compresses" or processes the frames in reverse order. It takes about five seconds for a ten-second clip. The best part? It handles the audio too. Sometimes reversed audio sounds like a demonic chant, which might be what you're going for, but CapCut lets you mute the original audio and throw a trending track over it immediately.
One thing to watch out for is the "Ending" slide. CapCut loves to tack on a little branded outro. Just tap that tiny clip at the end of your timeline and hit delete before you export. Otherwise, your cool reverse trick ends with a logo nobody asked for.
Why iMovie Won't Help You (Mostly)
It’s a common misconception that iMovie is the powerhouse of iPhone editing. It’s fine for stitching together a vacation montage, but for specific effects? It’s surprisingly limited.
🔗 Read more: Mediacom Outage Map Iowa: What Most People Get Wrong
You cannot reverse a video in the iMovie iOS app.
Seriously. If you transfer that clip to a Mac and use iMovie for Desktop, you can do it in two clicks. But on the iPhone? The feature is missing. It’s one of those weird gaps in Apple’s "Pro" mobile workflow. If you see a tutorial telling you to use iMovie on your phone to reverse a clip, they’re likely confusing it with the desktop version or just guessing. Save yourself the download time.
The Third-Party App Minefield
If you search the App Store for "Reverse Video," you're going to see a hundred apps with 4.8-star ratings. Be careful. A lot of these are "fleeceware." They’ll let you reverse one video, then hit you with a $9.99/week subscription pop-up that’s surprisingly hard to cancel.
If you don't want to use CapCut, look for "VN Video Editor." It’s a bit more professional and less "social media" focused. The process is almost identical:
- Import clip.
- Tap the timeline.
- Hit the "Reverse" button.
- Export in 4K if you need to.
VN is great because it doesn't degrade the bit rate as much as some of the cheaper, ad-supported apps. If you're a stickler for image quality—maybe you shot something in ProRes on an iPhone 15 or 16 Pro—you want an editor that won't crunch your file into a grainy mess.
Online Converters: The "No-Install" Route
Maybe you're low on storage. Your iPhone is screaming at you because you have 60,000 photos and 0KB of space left. You can't download a new app. In this case, use a browser-based tool like EzGif or Adobe Express’s online reverser.
You just go to the site in Safari, upload the file, let their servers do the heavy lifting, and download the result.
Privacy-wise, it’s a bit of a trade-off. You’re uploading your video to a third-party server. If it's a video of your cat, who cares? If it's something private or sensitive, maybe stick to the Shortcuts method or a local app. Also, Safari’s upload limit can be a pain if your video is long or shot in a high frame rate like 4K/60fps.
The Technical Side: Why Does Reversing Take So Long?
Have you ever wondered why your phone gets hot or the progress bar crawls when reversing? It’s about how video files are built. Most modern videos use something called "Interframe compression."
Instead of saving every single full picture, the phone saves one full frame (an I-frame) and then just records the changes for the next several frames. When you play a video forward, the processor reads the change data and adds it to the last frame. Easy.
But when you reverse it? The phone has to recalculate everything backward. It has to find the "future" frame to figure out what the "past" frame looked like. It’s computationally expensive. This is why high-res 4K videos take a bit of time to flip.
Creative Tips for Reversed Clips
Once you've figured out how to reverse a video on iPhone, the real challenge is making it look good. Not every clip works.
- Look for Physics: Water is the king of reverse video. Splashes, rain, or pouring a drink looks magical when flipped.
- Keep the Camera Still: Handheld shakiness looks twice as weird in reverse. If you can, use a tripod or lean your phone against a rock.
- The "Causality" Trick: Film yourself dropping something or making a mess. In reverse, you’re "cleaning" or "summoning" objects into your hand.
- Slow Motion: Reversing a Slo-Mo video (240fps) creates a dreamlike effect that’s hard to replicate with standard speed.
Common Problems and Quick Fixes
Sometimes you'll export a reversed video and find the "Jump" or "Glitch" at the beginning. This usually happens if the app didn't handle the metadata correctly. If your video looks choppy after reversing, try "flattening" the clip first—basically, save it as a new file in your Photos app before importing it into the editor.
Another issue is the file format. iPhones love HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding). Some older web-based reversers can't read HEVC. If you run into an "Unsupported Format" error, go to your iPhone Settings > Camera > Formats and check if you're on "High Efficiency." If you're having constant trouble with third-party tools, switching to "Most Compatible" (JPEG/H.264) can solve it, though your files will be larger.
Moving Forward With Your Edit
The easiest path right now is definitely using a dedicated mobile editor like CapCut or VN. They've optimized the "Reverse" function to be a one-tap process that handles the heavy re-rendering in the background. If you're looking for a completely "Apple-only" way, the Shortcuts app is your only real path, but it's prone to breaking with iOS updates.
Once you have your reversed clip, remember to check your export settings. Most apps default to 1080p. If you shot your original footage in 4K, make sure you manually bump that slider back up to 4K during the save process so you don't lose that crispness.
Start by opening the Shortcuts app and searching for a "Reverse Video" template in the gallery. If that feels too clunky, download VN Video Editor for a more visual, timeline-based approach that gives you better control over the final export quality.
Next Steps:
- Open the App Store and search for VN Video Editor if you want a clean, ad-free experience.
- Select your video from the library and look for the Reverse icon in the bottom toolbar.
- Export the file and ensure the Resolution matches your original recording (usually 1080p or 4K).