Cut only on the marked points
Strips are designed to be shortened at specific spots, usually shown by a printed line, a scissors icon, or a pair of exposed copper pads. Cut across that line with sharp scissors or a fine blade so the cut is square and the pads on both sides stay intact. Cutting between marks severs the circuit mid-segment and usually kills the piece after the cut, so the marks are not a suggestion.
Where those cut points fall, and how far apart they sit, varies by product and by strip type. Rather than repeat the spec here, see our dedicated guide on where to cut LED strip lights for the cut-point details and how the interval differs across strips (verify your strip's cut interval on its product page before you rely on it). This article covers the how-to of making the cut and the join; that one covers the where.
A quick installer habit: measure to the nearest cut mark before you commit, then cut on the mark closest to your target length. Trimming a strip a mark too short means splicing in a piece or starting over, so plan the run to land on a cut point.
Reconnect with a solderless connector or by soldering
Once the pieces are cut square on their pads, you have two ways to rejoin them, and which you use depends on the strip and the job.
A solderless connector clamps or slots onto the exposed pads and makes contact without heat or tools. It is the fast, beginner-friendly route and is enough for most indoor DIY runs. Line up the strip's polarity marks, seat the pads fully into the connector, and close it firmly so the contacts bite. For joining a strip to your supply wires, the LEDClub Solderless Strip-to-Wire Connector with a 72 inch lead carries power to a run that starts away from the driver, and the LEDClub Solderless Strip Wire Connector Adapter bridges strip to wire where you need a clean transition. Match the connector to the strip's width and pad layout, and confirm compatibility on the product page before ordering, since connector fit varies by strip (verify before you rely on it). Size more options from the LED connectors and wires collection.
Soldering is the other route. A soldered joint puts a direct metal bond on the pads and is the most durable, lowest-resistance option, which suits permanent installs and higher-current runs. It needs a steady hand, a suitable iron, and care not to overheat the pads or the strip. If you are not confident with an iron, a solderless connector is the safer choice.
Whichever join you use, tug-test it gently before you mount and power up, and keep the polarity consistent end to end. A reversed connection or a loose pad shows up as a dead section or a color that will not match.
Test, then mount
With the join made, reconnect the power and confirm the whole run lights evenly and in the right color before you stick anything down. Reopening a connector or reflowing a joint now is far easier than after the strip is fastened in a channel. If a section stays dark, check polarity first, then that the pads are fully seated and the cut was square on the mark.
