How to Find Free B-Roll for YouTube (2026 Guide)

June 10, 2026

Good B-roll is the difference between a flat talking-head video and a polished, watchable one. The good news: you don't need a stock subscription. Here's how to find free, no-copyright B-roll for YouTube in 2026.

What counts as "safe" B-roll for YouTube?

You want footage that is royalty-free and cleared for commercial use, since monetised YouTube videos count as commercial. Clips from Pexels and Pixabay are released under free licenses that allow exactly this, usually with no attribution required — but always double-check the source page.

Where to download free B-roll

• City and street B-roll — for vlogs and intros.
• Nature B-roll — calming cutaways and transitions.
• Tech and workspace clips — for tutorials and reviews.
• People and lifestyle — relatable cutaways.

Match the format to your video

For standard YouTube videos you want horizontal (16:9) clips. For Shorts, switch to vertical. On any search results page you can use the Format filter to show only horizontal or vertical footage, so you never drop a portrait clip into a landscape timeline by accident.

Build a batch and download in one go

When you're cutting a video you usually need several clips at once. With Stock Footage Finder you can save clips to a collection as you browse and download them all together — handy when you're gathering ten cutaways for a single edit.

Pro tips

• Grab clips slightly longer than you need — easier to trim than to stretch.
• Mix sources so your B-roll doesn't look like everyone else's.
• Keep a downloads folder per project to stay organised.

Start by searching for something specific, like slow motion coffee or city at night, and filter by source to find your style.