Shotcut, the open source cross-platform video editor, has reached version 26.1 with a long-awaited feature: hardware-accelerated video decoding. It works on Linux, Windows, and macOS, and is enabled by default on all platforms except for NVIDIA cards on Linux.

As the official blog explains, the software now leverages each operating system’s native APIs (VA-API, Media Foundation, Video Toolbox) to reduce CPU load during preview. If a codec isn’t supported by the hardware, Shotcut automatically falls back to software decoding without any user intervention.

The team admits the feature won’t work miracles, but those running low-powered CPUs or anyone who’d rather not turn their laptop into a waffle iron will notice the difference.

Other updates

Among the smaller additions, there’s a help system that lets you click on any interface element to open the relevant documentation. Maximum export resolution now goes up to 8640 pixels, opening the door to 8K VR180 video, and support for Simplified Chinese has been added.

Shotcut is free and available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.