To delete a CapCut project, find it in your project list, open its menu, and choose Delete. On CapCut web the command is Move to Trash, and desktop wording can differ by version. If you still need the editable timeline, stop at the confirmation screen. An exported video isn't a project backup, and a draft you can see on another device isn't necessarily a separate copy.

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CapCut's current project-deletion instructions split the routes by mobile, desktop, and web. Start wherever the project shows up:

Where you see the project Route to the deletion command
CapCut mobile Projects → long-press the thumbnail or open its three-dot menu → Delete
CapCut desktop Projects → right-click the thumbnail or open its three-dot menu → Delete or Move to Trash, depending on the version
CapCut web Recent Projects → right-click or open the three-dot menu → Move to Trash

Each of these routes only gets you to the confirmation. Don't confirm right away. The warning on that screen tells you what your current account and version will remove.

Before you confirm: keep the editable copy you actually need

I'd check where the draft lives before removing it. CapCut's cross-device project guidance separates local projects from projects uploaded to Spaces. If a desktop draft has never been uploaded, a rendered export sitting on your phone doesn't mean the timeline is safely stored in the cloud. And even when a project shows up in Spaces, don't assume it's independent: CapCut's web deletion warning says removal can affect linked devices. Before you delete a project you may need again, keep a separate editable copy using a documented backup workflow. Our CapCut backup and transfer guide covers that separate job.

Three places a CapCut project can live before deletion: a local draft only on this device, a project synced in Spaces where deletion can follow it to other devices, and an exported video with no editable layers
Find the editable draft and verify any independent backup before deleting. A synced item may follow the same deletion, while a video export contains no separate timeline elements.

An MP4 is fine if all you need is the finished video. It can't bring back the original clips, text, effects, and keyframes as separately editable layers, and CapCut's project-import guidance draws that same line. Hold on to any source media the edit still depends on, too. For a fuller checklist, see how to protect a CapCut project.

Delete a project in CapCut mobile

  1. Open CapCut and go to Projects.
  2. Find the exact draft by its thumbnail or name. Long-press it, or open its three-dot menu if that is the control your app shows.
  3. Choose Delete.
  4. Read the warning, check the project name again, and confirm only if you no longer need that editable draft.

CapCut's mobile deletion help warns that a deleted mobile project can't be recovered, so don't count on a universal Trash window. If your confirmation screen mentions Trash, go by the wording shown there. Otherwise, treat the delete as permanent.

Delete a project in CapCut desktop

In the desktop Projects list, right-click the project's thumbnail or open its three-dot menu. Choose the delete command, which may say Delete or Move to Trash, then read the dialog and confirm. The same CapCut desktop deletion instructions cover the right-click and three-dot routes but don't name the menu item, so go by the label your version shows. The desktop help does not say whether deletion uses your computer's Recycle Bin or Trash, so do not rely on it for recovery.

Check first whether the draft is local or uploaded. CapCut's history-task guidance says local PC projects can stay on that device, while cross-platform access depends on uploading the project to Spaces. The CapCut save-location guide helps you tell a draft from an exported file.

Move a project to Trash in CapCut web

In Recent Projects, right-click the project or open its three-dot menu, choose Move to Trash, and confirm. CapCut's web deletion guidance warns that deleting a web project may also remove it from linked devices. So don't treat a second device that shows the same synced project as an independent backup.

Platform comparison showing the documented mobile, desktop, and web project-menu routes
The last command differs by surface: mobile shows Delete, CapCut web documents Move to Trash, and desktop wording can be either. Read the confirmation before taking either action.

If you already deleted the wrong project

Start by checking whether the same editable project is still in your account's Trash or Spaces, and whether you made an independent copy before deleting it. CapCut's history-task help suggests looking in Trash, but its mobile deletion help also warns that mobile deletion may be unrecoverable. Taken together, they don't point to a universal recovery window. Work with the options your account shows you, and don't delete any other copy while you're looking into it.

Decision path for checking Trash, Spaces, and an independent editable copy after a CapCut project disappears
Look for an editable copy in the locations that apply to your account. A finished video can preserve the output, but it does not put the old edit back on the timeline.

If the draft is missing, the CapCut project recovery guide walks through the next checks. A published Remake is a different object from a normal project draft, with its own workflow, so for that one use CapCut's separate Remake deletion instructions.