How to remove filler words from a video

The short answer

Transcribe the video, find the filler words and long silences in the transcript, delete them, and let the editor make the matching cuts. Several editors now do this, including Adobe Premiere's text-based editing and MediaFind's free Create editor, which runs on your computer. Then watch the result and put back anything that sounds clipped.

Doing it by hand

The traditional method still works for short videos: zoom into the audio waveform, find the small bumps before a sentence, blade them out and close the gap. It gives you full control, but a 20-minute interview can hide a couple of hundred fillers, which is why text-based tools caught on.

Text-based options

• Adobe Premiere. Adobe's help pages describe detecting filler words such as "uh" and "umm" in the Transcript panel and deleting them in bulk, along with pauses.
• Other transcript editors. Several editing apps work this way. Check whether they transcribe in the cloud or on your machine if the footage is private.
• A transcript plus manual cuts. Any transcript with word-level timestamps tells you exactly where each "um" sits, even if your editor can't cut from text.

How to do it in MediaFind

Create, the timeline editor built into MediaFind, is free and cuts by transcript. Transcription and rendering happen on your computer.

1. Add the video to your library so it's transcribed locally.
2. Open it in Create and put it on the timeline.
3. In the transcript, remove filler words and silences. You can also cut by deleting any words, or keep only one speaker's parts.
4. Play back the edited sections and restore any cut that sounds abrupt. Undo is there if you overdo it.
5. Optionally burn in captions, add titles or reframe for vertical.
6. Render to MP4 or ProRes. With Pro, you can instead export the cut to Premiere, Resolve or Final Cut as FCPXML or EDL.

Make it sound natural

• Don't remove every pause. A beat before an important line helps it land; cut the long, hesitant gaps, not all breathing room.
• Watch for jump cuts on camera. Cover them with b-roll, a slight punch-in, or a cutaway. See finding b-roll by description.
• Keep some fillers in casual content. A perfectly scrubbed vlog can sound robotic.
• Words like "like" and "so" are often doing real work in a sentence. Review those cuts yourself rather than deleting them all.

Who this saves the most time

Anyone who records themselves talking: podcasters, YouTubers, training video producers and course creators. Once the talking is tight, a vertical version for social is a small next step.

Frequently asked questions

How do I automatically remove ums from a video?

Use an editor that transcribes the video and detects filler words, then delete them in the transcript. Premiere and MediaFind Create both work this way.

Can I remove filler words for free?

Yes. MediaFind's Create editor is free and can drop filler words and silences by editing the transcript, on your computer.

Will cutting filler words cause jump cuts?

On a talking head, yes. Cover them with b-roll or a slight zoom, or keep a few fillers where a cut would be distracting.

Is my video uploaded to remove filler words?

Not with MediaFind. Transcription, editing and rendering all run on your own computer.