Can I do this by hand instead?

Yes. In any editor, find the flat parts of the audio waveform and cut them out. Cut in the middle of a pause, not on a word, and add a tiny fade at each cut.

How long a pause should I keep?

A quarter to half a second between sentences sounds natural for most talking videos.

Does it work in other languages?

Yes. Transcription works in many languages. Word timing is most precise in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Hindi.

Guides

How to remove silence from a video

Long pauses and ums make a recording drag. Here's how to take them out and still sound like yourself.

1 min read. Updated 29 September 2026.

Made in videoFn. See how

1. Add your recording

Download videoFn, open it and click Connect next to your AI assistant.
Ask your assistant to open the recording in a new project, or drag it into videoFn.

videoFn transcribes the speech on your Mac, so it knows every word and every pause.

2. Ask for the cleanup

Remove the ums and shorten any pause longer than half a second. Keep my voice natural.

finding the ums and long pauses

cutting at quiet points with short fades

captions follow the new timing

done

Picture and sound are cut together, so lips stay in sync.

3. Listen and adjust

Play it back. Because videoFn knows the words, you can be specific:

“Keep the pause before the punchline.”
“Cut my second attempt at the intro.”
“Cover the jump cuts with a slight zoom.”

4. Export

Say “export it”. The tidied video renders on your Mac.

Tips

Leave some air. A short pause between sentences sounds natural.
Record somewhere quiet. videoFn can reduce background noise too, but less is easier.
Listen once without watching. Rough cuts are easier to hear with your eyes closed.

Questions

Can I do this by hand instead?: Yes. In any editor, find the flat parts of the audio waveform and cut them out. Cut in the middle of a pause, not on a word, and add a tiny fade at each cut.
How long a pause should I keep?: A quarter to half a second between sentences sounds natural for most talking videos.
Does it work in other languages?: Yes. Transcription works in many languages. Word timing is most precise in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Hindi.