Alternate versions

The Special Edition did not feature the trailer and video. These were available in the Green Edition. UK 'Green Edition' video release is in widescreen format and includes the nine extra scenes featured in the box set special edition, the original theatrical trailer (which doesn't use any of the film's footage) and the complete promotional video of Underworld's Born Slippy, the hit song spawned from the soundtrack.

The UK cinema version was uncut but video versions were cut by 14 seconds by the BBFC and slightly edited the needle puncturing the skin during Renton's overdose scene. In 2002 these cuts were waived.

A version aired on Channel 4's HD trial in London replaced parts of the Renton and Diane sex scene with additional shots of Tommy, and crowd scenes from the football match he was inadvertently watching.

The first 20 minutes of the film had some re-dubbing for the USA release to make the dialogue more intelligible for American audiences.

Two seconds of the film were removed to attain an "R" rating in the USA: one second during the sex scene between Renton and Diane when one of the two reached between their legs; the other second was of needle piercing the skin during Renton's shooting up at Mother Superior. The American DVD release of the film restores both the above cuts.

Criterion laserdisc version and the canadian DVD release adds nine new scenes that were originally deleted from the film before release, showing:

• additional dialogue between Sick Boy and Renton about Sean Connery and James Bond movies;
• Spud talking about his friendship with Begbie;
• Renton's job interview (originally intercut with Spud's interview)
• Diane catching Renton, Spud, and Sick Boy while shoplifting
• Renton meeting Swanney in the hospital after he's lost his leg
• Sick Boy and Renton talking about Swanney in the park
• Tommy discussing the virtues of Australia with Spud
• Diane dumping Renton for a healthier guy
• Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, and Renton at the bus station before leaving for London.

The original UK special edition box set video was withdrawn from sale after only two days, after Polygram discovered that they had added more than the nine deleted scenes. In addition to the nine above scenes are:

• Renton and Sick-boy setting up a rifle in the bushes of the park, whilst listening to the original avengers theme.
• Renton laying on a stretcher in a hospital corridor, after a few moments someone tries to steal his blanket.
• Renton's parents wheel him out of hospital.
• Begbie arriving at Renton's London flat.
• Begbie in Renton's flat talking about horse racing.
• More of Spud's job interview.
• Begbie, Spud, Sick-boy, Tommy and Renton arrive at a friend's, with the things they stole from the American tourist (red jacket, passport etc.). You then see the friend dressed in the jacket, sunglasses and cap trying to draw £500 on the American's credit card.
• Sick-boy, Renton, Spud and Tommy on the train on their way to the countryside.
• Renton dancing with his mother to culture club, at the club his parents go to.
• Begbie, Sick-boy and Spud looting someone's house. Sick-boy is wearing the skull mask from the cover of the book.
• Renton and Spud steal a TV from an old people's home. This is not edited together, but presented in 4 different takes, from three different camera angles.
• Renton visits Swanney in hospital. Again this is not edited together, but presented in 11 different takes, from 5 different angles.
• The deleted scene at the bus station begins with Renton giving a beggar some change; after Renton has moved on the beggar looks up and we see it is Swanney.

Canadian DVD version features some of the original dialogue that had been re-dubbed for American release. In some scenes the Scottish dialect/slang are more pronounced, particularly in Spud's job interview (he is virtually incoherent at times).

In some versions, the toilet where Rentboy dives into, has a sign hanging on the door: "worst toilet of Scotland". In other versions it shows a re-shoot without this sign.

The Japanese versions omits any scenes with genitals.

Differences between the original cut of the film and its North American release include:

• Many scenes and voice-overs re-dubbed throughout the entire film, sometimes with altered words: bird/girl, ken/know, skag/smack, post/mail
• Added titles: "The worst toilet in Scotland", "The first day of the Edinburgh Festival", subtitles during Spud and Tommy's bar conversation
• Removed: a shot at the end of Renton and Diane's sex scene (blacked out) and a shot of the needle entering Mark's arm before he overdoses (replaced with a repeated facial close-up)