Microsoft could supercharge sharing clips in Windows 11 with Clipchamp acquisition

Microsoft and Clipchamp logo
(Image credit: Clipchamp / Microsoft)

Microsoft announced in a blogpost that it has acquired video-sharing platform Clipchamp for an undisclosed amount.

Clipchamp has become a popular video-editing and sharing app since its debut in 2013, as it can be  used within a web browser and clips can be easily shared to other platforms.

With the release of Windows 11 due on October 5, there’s a big focus on gaming for this upgrade, thanks to the dedicated Xbox app, the redesigned Microsoft Store, and certain features that enable HDR gaming.

With this in mind, the acquisition could lead to a promising opportunity for users and gamers to easily share content across Windows and Xbox.

Who is Clipchamp?

Based in Australia, Clipchamp has a free and paid subscription service that allows you to clip and export videos to different platforms, such as text to speech videos, social media videos, or even a ten minute YouTube video.

It’s already integrated into many cloud apps, from Google Drive and Dropbox, to Microsoft OneDrive.

In the blogpost, Chris Pratley, Vice-President of Office, spoke of how the service could match with Microsoft’s products. “As a web app that uses the full power of your PC, Clipchamp is a natural fit to extend the cloud-powered productivity experiences in Microsoft 365 for individuals, families, schools, and businesses,” Pratley explains.

“It’s also a great fit for Microsoft Windows... If you are already a Clipchamp user, it’s all going to get better with more options, more power, and the easy creation experience you love.”

Clipchamp said it has 17 million registered users, so Microsoft has a big opportunity here to bring them into the Windows and Xbox ecosystem.  


Analysis: Windows 11 could benefit hugely from this 

Even though the dedicated Xbox Bar has enabled users on Windows to share clips when playing games, it’s ultimately been an awkward experience, as you can only capture images and videos when in-game. If you try to share this content, you need to do it after you’ve played the game and follow additional steps to decide where you want to post it.

With Clipchamp now a Microsoft product, it could easily be merged into Windows 11 via a redesigned Game Bar, and in-turn make sharing clips across social networks more intuitive.

With the recent price rise of Microsoft 365, having Clipchampt part of this subscription service could encourage more students to use the service, as it could help them edit and share clips on their student laptops.

With the release date of Windows 11 fast approaching, and its first major update already in development for next year, we could see this integration sooner rather than later in the Insider dev channel.

Daryl Baxter
Software & Downloads Writer

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time he's written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', alongside podcasting and usually found playing games old and new on his PC and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that's about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.