Windows Movie Maker was formally discontinued in 2017, but people still search for it every day. The reason is that Microsoft’s replacement story has been a moving target — the Photos app got video editing, then lost it, Clipchamp was acquired and folded into Windows 11 as the official successor, and the “make a slideshow from vacation photos in ten minutes” workflow that Movie Maker owned is now spread across three different apps. Users looking for that specific frictionless workflow end up scrolling forum threads about which alternative feels closest.
We put the same 20-clip family-video project through eight editors on a Windows 11 machine and a couple of the cross-platform picks on macOS Sequoia and Ubuntu 24.04. What we cared about: does drag-and-drop actually feel like Movie Maker, can a non-technical user finish a short video without watching a tutorial, and does the exported file play cleanly on a phone. These seven pass the test in at least one direction.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clipchamp | Microsoft’s official Movie Maker successor | Yes | Free (Premium $11.99/month) | Ships pre-installed on Windows 11 |
| DaVinci Resolve | Free pro-grade colour and audio | Yes | Free (Studio $295 one-time) | Free tier includes the pro colour engine |
| Shotcut | Open-source cross-platform editing | Yes | Free | Native timeline editing without proxy work |
| OpenShot | Simplest open-source workflow | Yes | Free | 3-line timeline that mirrors Movie Maker |
| Kdenlive | Feature-rich open-source editor | Yes | Free | Effect keyframes and multitrack rendering |
| HitFilm Free | VFX and gaming montages | Yes | Free (Pro $9/month) | Compositor and VFX in the free tier |
| VideoPad | Home-video-style editor with narration | Free (non-commercial) | $69.95 Master edition | Voice-over recording built into the timeline |
Why people leave Windows Movie Maker
The main reason is that it no longer runs cleanly on a modern Windows 11 install. The last official version was Movie Maker 2012, and the download links Microsoft used to host have been dead for years. Third-party mirrors exist, but running an unsigned installer to get a piece of 2012 software on a 2026 laptop is not something most users want to do.
The second reason is format support. Movie Maker was designed for the codec ecosystem of the early 2010s. Modern phone footage (HEVC 4K, ProRes, 10-bit HDR) either fails to import or imports with colour or gamma issues. Even when it does import, export options top out at 720p H.264 in most workflows.
Third is that the workflow Movie Maker owned — the “drop clips on a timeline, add a transition, add a title, add a song, export to MP4” flow — has been replicated by newer apps, and some of them are actually better at it now. What users are usually looking for is not literal Movie Maker, but a tool that lets them finish a short video the same way in 20 minutes without a learning curve.
The alternatives
Clipchamp — best drop-in Windows 11 successor
Clipchamp is Microsoft’s official successor to Movie Maker, acquired in 2021 and now pre-installed on Windows 11. The template gallery covers birthday videos, TikTok formats, screen recordings, and family slideshows, and the timeline has the same top-to-bottom structure as Movie Maker.
Where it falls short: the free tier caps some export resolutions and puts a watermark on premium templates. Sign-in with a Microsoft account is required.
Pricing: Free with feature limits, $11.99/month Clipchamp Premium (also included in Microsoft 365 Personal and Family).
Migrating from Movie Maker: Import media directly. Movie Maker .wlmp project files are not readable, but re-importing clips into a template is faster than trying to rebuild the timeline.
Download: clipchamp.com or “Clipchamp” in the Windows 11 Start menu.
Bottom line: The right first pick for anyone whose muscle memory expects a Microsoft-signed editor pre-installed on their PC.
DaVinci Resolve — best free pro-grade editor
DaVinci Resolve free is not what you would guess. Blackmagic’s free tier includes the full editing timeline, the colour engine that Hollywood uses, Fairlight audio, and Fusion visual effects. The Studio paid version adds hardware acceleration, some noise reduction and lens-correction tools, and higher-frame-rate output.
Where it falls short: the interface has a professional learning curve. The “make a birthday video in ten minutes” workflow is possible but not the default path.
Pricing: Free. Studio version $295 one-time.
Migrating from Movie Maker: Import media into a project. Templates for titles and transitions are in the Effects Library. Learn the Cut page — it is designed for exactly the fast-turnaround Movie Maker workflow.
Download: blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve
Bottom line: Best pick when the free tier’s ceiling matters — Resolve is where users grow into pro editing without changing tools.
Shotcut — best open-source cross-platform editor
Shotcut is a free open-source editor that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with the same build. Native support for a long list of codecs (thanks to FFmpeg under the hood), keyframes, multitrack timelines, and audio filters all come standard.
Where it falls short: the interface is dense. Panels are dockable, but the default layout takes some rearranging to feel like Movie Maker.
Pricing: Free. GPL v3.
Migrating from Movie Maker: Import media, drag to timeline. Titles and transitions live in the Filters panel. Movie Maker projects do not open.
Download: shotcut.org
Bottom line: The right open-source pick for users who want capability over hand-holding and are willing to spend an hour learning the layout.
OpenShot — best simplest open-source workflow
OpenShot was built to be the open-source Movie Maker. The three-line timeline (video, audio, titles), drag-and-drop clip trimming, and template-based titles are all designed to mirror the Movie Maker mental model.
Where it falls short: stability on long projects has been the persistent complaint. Save often. Recent releases have improved this but not solved it.
Pricing: Free. GPL v3.
Migrating from Movie Maker: The timeline concept maps directly. Drop clips, drag to trim, add a title from the Titles panel.
Download: openshot.org
Bottom line: The best pick if the Movie Maker workflow is what you want, you are okay with occasional crashes, and open-source matters.
Kdenlive — best full-featured open-source editor
Kdenlive started as a KDE project and has matured into a serious cross-platform editor. Multitrack timeline, effect keyframes, colour grading, proxy editing for high-resolution footage, and a title editor with alignment tools.
Where it falls short: Windows and macOS builds trail the Linux build by a few releases. Learning curve sits between OpenShot and DaVinci Resolve.
Pricing: Free. GPL v3.
Migrating from Movie Maker: Import clips, drag to timeline. Effects and titles feel more like a pro tool than Movie Maker did.
Download: kdenlive.org
Bottom line: For users who want more than OpenShot without paying, and are on Linux or willing to accept a slightly older Windows build.
HitFilm Free — best for gaming and VFX-heavy edits
HitFilm Free is the video editor of choice for a slice of the YouTube gaming community. The compositor and 3D particle systems are in the free tier, which is what makes the difference from other free editors. Free templates and green-screen keying support come standard.
Where it falls short: the export tier is capped at 1080p 60fps in the free version. Extras (specific effect packs) live in the paid subscription.
Pricing: Free with feature caps, $9.99/month Pro subscription.
Migrating from Movie Maker: Import media. HitFilm’s timeline is closer to After Effects than Movie Maker — expect a bigger jump.
Download: fxhome.com/product/hitfilm
Bottom line: For gaming montages, VFX-heavy edits, and creators who eventually want After Effects-style compositing. Overkill for a family video.
VideoPad — best home-video-style editor with narration
VideoPad by NCH Software targets the exact home-video use case Movie Maker owned. Timeline editing with drag-and-drop, transitions, effects, title cards, and a voice-over recorder that lets you narrate directly onto a timeline layer. Free for non-commercial use.
Where it falls short: the free-to-paid nag is persistent and some effects are locked behind the paid tier. Commercial use requires a licence.
Pricing: Free for non-commercial use, $69.95 one-time Master edition, subscription and higher tiers for commercial.
Migrating from Movie Maker: Import media directly. Timeline concept and title/transition workflow feel familiar.
Download: nchsoftware.com/videopad
Bottom line: For users making home videos with narration, and comfortable with a non-commercial licence.
How to choose
Pick Clipchamp if it is already installed on your Windows 11 machine and the free tier’s caps do not affect what you are making. It is the least-friction start.
Pick DaVinci Resolve if you want the ceiling to be high — a beginner can start on the Cut page and never outgrow the tool.
Pick Shotcut or Kdenlive on Linux, or if open-source matters, and you want more than OpenShot’s simplicity.
Pick OpenShot if the Movie Maker workflow is exactly what you want and you save often.
Pick HitFilm Free for gaming and VFX creators.
Pick VideoPad for home videos with narration, if the non-commercial licence works for you.
Stay on Movie Maker if your old install is stable, your footage is 720p, and none of your projects need modern codec support.
FAQ
Is there a Windows 11 version of Movie Maker? No. Microsoft’s official successor is Clipchamp, which is pre-installed on Windows 11.
Can I open a Movie Maker .wlmp project in a new editor?
No. .wlmp was a proprietary format and no current editor imports it. Re-importing the source clips is usually faster than trying to recreate the timeline.
Which alternative is closest to Movie Maker’s interface? OpenShot’s three-line timeline and drag-and-drop workflow is the closest match. Clipchamp is close in workflow but visually different.
Are these editors really free? DaVinci Resolve, Shotcut, OpenShot, and Kdenlive are fully free with no export caps. Clipchamp, HitFilm, and VideoPad have free tiers with limits.
Does Windows Movie Maker still work on Windows 11? Third-party mirrors of the 2012 installer will run on Windows 11 but Microsoft does not host or support them. Running an unsigned 2012 installer on a modern OS is not recommended.
