How to compress a video
- Choose the compression: light keeps the best quality, strong gives the smallest file.
- Optionally choose a smaller size, such as 720p, for much smaller files.
- Choose your videos or drop them on the box above, then download the MP4s. The result shows how much smaller each one became.
Why videos are so big
Phones record video at a high bitrate so it can be edited later: 1080p at 30 frames per second is typically 15–20 megabits per second, about 120 MB a minute, and 4K is three to four times that. That’s far more than needed to watch a video on a screen, which is why compressing works so well.
Getting the smallest file with good quality
| Goal | Settings |
|---|---|
| Keep it looking like the original | Light compression, original size |
| Email or messaging | Medium compression, 720p |
| Smallest possible | Strong compression, 480p |
Trimming is the other easy saving: every second you cut is a second you don’t have to store.
What you get
An MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio at 128 kbps, which plays on every device and uploads anywhere. The frame rate and aspect ratio are kept. Compression is set by quality rather than a fixed bitrate, so simple scenes get small and detailed scenes keep their detail.
Compressing for email
Most email services limit attachments to about 20–25 MB. Medium compression at 720p usually brings a few minutes of phone video under that. For longer videos, sharing a link from a cloud drive works better than any attachment.
Privacy
Most video compressors upload your file to a server. This one compresses in your browser using its built-in video encoder and Mediabunny, an open-source media library, so the video never leaves your device.
Questions
How much smaller will my video get?
It depends on the video. Phone and camera recordings, which are saved at a high bitrate, often shrink by 50–80% with medium compression, and more when you also lower the resolution. Videos that were already compressed for the web shrink less, and the tool tells you if it can't make one smaller.
Will the quality drop?
A little, by design. Compression removes detail that's hard to notice. Light compression is hard to tell from the original; strong compression looks softer, especially in fast motion. Lowering the resolution as well usually looks better than strong compression alone.
How can I compress to an exact size, like 20 MB?
Use the target-size compressor made for Discord, which also suits email and other size limits. It calculates the quality needed to fit under the size you choose.
How long does it take?
Compression re-encodes the whole video, which runs at about the speed of playback on a typical computer, faster on computers with a recent graphics chip. A 5-minute video takes a few minutes.
Last reviewed 6 November 2026