In this article
A clip that came out sideways, or with half the frame full of something you did not want, can be fixed in the send preview — before it is uploaded. Rotate it, crop it, level the horizon, or mute it so it loops as a silent GIF.
The clip below is the whole sequence. What it cannot show is which aspect ratio to pick, and where the crop button hides on your platform. That is what the rest of this page is for.
What you will be able to do
- check_circle Turn a sideways or upside-down clip the right way up without opening another app.
- check_circle Choose an aspect ratio on purpose, rather than accepting whatever the camera recorded.
- check_circle Straighten a tilted horizon with the fine dial instead of the 90-degree steps.
- check_circle Mute a clip so Telegram sends it as a looping GIF instead of a video.
The corner handles and the degree dial are two different controls — the dial is the thin strip under the frame.
crop Why fix it before sending
Phones decide orientation from the accelerometer at the moment recording starts. Film while lying down, or start with the phone flat on a table, and the clip is stored the wrong way up even though it looked fine on screen. The same goes for a horizon that tilts two degrees because you were walking.
Fixing that after the fact usually means exporting to another app and re-encoding, which costs a generation of quality and leaves a duplicate in your camera roll. Telegram applies the transform to the clip it is about to upload, so there is one encode and nothing left behind.
Which aspect ratio, and when
Telegram offers four presets plus a free crop. The preset is not a style choice — it decides how the clip is displayed in a chat, in a channel, and as a Story.
crop_square 1:1 square
crop_16_9 16:9 wide
crop_portrait 9:16 vertical
crop_free Free crop
If you are not sure: 1:1 for a chat, 9:16 for a Story, 16:9 when the edges matter.
rotate_right Where the crop tool is
The editor is the same everywhere; the button that opens it is not. Pick your platform:
- Attach, then open the preview Paperclip, pick the clip, tap the thumbnail. Sending from the grid skips the editor.
- Open crop The crop icon — two overlapping right angles — is in the bottom bar next to the brush.
- Rotate and level The circular arrow steps 90 degrees at a time. The thin dial under the frame is separate and handles the small angles.
- Choose the frame The ratio button cycles the presets; the corner handles crop freely. Tap Done, then the speaker icon if you want it silent.
- Attach, then open the preview Paperclip, pick the clip, tap the preview to go full screen.
- Open crop The crop icon is in the top bar on Android rather than the bottom.
- Rotate and level Same two controls: the rotate button for quarter turns, the dial for fine angles.
- Choose the frame Ratio presets sit along the bottom. Confirm with the check mark, then mute from the speaker icon.
- Drag the file into the chat Telegram Desktop opens a send dialog instead of sending straight away.
- Open crop Click the crop button on the preview toolbar.
- Rotate and level Rotation is a button; the fine dial is a slider rather than a wheel.
- Choose the frame Drag the corner handles, or pick a preset. Press Enter to send.
Web crop and rotate are available Note the GIF conversion happens on send, not in the preview
compare Video, or a looping GIF
Muting a clip is not only a volume change. Telegram treats a silent clip as an animation: it autoplays, loops, and shows no player controls. That is usually what you want for a short reaction clip and never what you want for something with speech.
| Behaviour | Sent with audio | Sent muted |
|---|---|---|
| Playback | Tap to play, with controls | Autoplays and loops |
| In a scrolling chat | Shows a still until tapped | Starts as soon as it is on screen |
| Label in chat | Duration badge | GIF badge |
| Best for | Anything with speech or music | Short reactions, a gesture, a screen recording |
This page is the gestures. The curriculum step covers what happens to the file afterwards: how the crop interacts with compression, and when a silent clip is worth sending instead of a video.
At a glance
- 1Crop and rotate
Fix a sideways clip and choose an aspect ratio in the editor.
- 2Straighten
Use the fine dial to level a tilted horizon.
- 3Silent loop
Muting sends the clip as a looping GIF.
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