THE CRUNCH
Instagram's standalone Edits video app is now available on macOS, bringing a full multi-track timeline, keyboard shortcuts and, most notably, support for connecting AI agents. The app exposes an MCP (a standard way for AI tools to control software) covering all of Edits' desktop tools, so users can plug in any agent they like, including Meta's own Muse.
Matthew Simari, Instagram's head of product management for Edits, told The Verge that creators can move between agentic and manual editing. In one example, a creator could ask Muse to use the MCP to assemble a rough cut from a video in their downloads folder, then open the resulting project file in Edits to keep refining it. AI plans were one factor in the desktop expansion, alongside heavy user demand; Instagram added an AI creative assistant to the mobile app in September that offers suggestions based on account metrics like views and retention.
The desktop version also arrives as Instagram pushes into longform, widescreen video, which is easier to edit on a bigger screen; in October, the platform was reported to be testing videos up to 90 minutes long. Meta says it is expanding Edits to support multiple aspect ratios and adding watermark-free 4K exports, alongside precise audio waveforms, colour grading tools and shortcuts that can be carried over from another editor. Like the mobile app, the desktop version taps Instagram's audio library and can publish directly to Instagram, and saved audio and text styles carry across. For now it is macOS only, with no Windows or Linux version, and you cannot yet edit the same project across mobile and desktop, though Meta says cross-platform editing is in the works and the desktop app will get weekly updates.