Compress Videos to Reduce File Size

Why would I need to compress video files?

Video compression solves real problems you face every day. Your video is too large for email attachments (most limit 10-25MB). Cloud storage is filling up fast. Uploads take forever on slow connections. Social media rejects your file for being too big. You want to save bandwidth costs or mobile data. Maybe you need to fit more videos on your device or share files faster with colleagues.

Large video files cause practical issues: can't send via email, slow to upload/download, eat up storage space, take longer to load on websites, and cost more in cloud storage fees. Compression reduces file size by 50-80% while maintaining acceptable quality. A 500MB video can become 100MB, a 2GB file can shrink to 400MB – same content, much smaller size. Perfect for everyday sharing, archiving, and storage optimization.

How does your video compressor work?

Our compressor uses a simple, secure process:

Upload Your Video

Drag and drop your video file or click to browse. Your file is encrypted during upload using SSL (the same security banks use). We support files up to 10MB.

Choose Compression Settings

Select quality preset (Fast, Normal, Maximum, Ultra) or customize bitrate and FPS. Our interface shows you estimated file size reduction based on your settings.

Server Processing

Your video is compressed on our servers using FFmpeg, the industry-standard tool trusted by YouTube and Netflix. This means fast, high-quality compression without draining your computer's battery or CPU.

Download & Cleanup

Download your compressed video. We automatically delete all files from our servers within 1 hour for your privacy. No files are stored permanently – we only keep them long enough for you to download.

The entire process typically takes just a few minutes, depending on video length and compression settings. Your original video is never modified.

What compression settings should I choose?

The right settings depend on your priorities:

Use Fast preset for maximum size reduction

Fast (50% quality, 1M bitrate) creates smallest files – perfect for email attachments, quick sharing, or when file size matters most. Quality is good enough for casual viewing but not for professional use. Typical reduction: 70-80% smaller.

Use Normal preset for balanced results

Normal (75% quality, 2M bitrate) is the sweet spot for most people. Good quality that's hard to distinguish from original while achieving 50-60% size reduction. Great for everyday use, social media, and general sharing.

Use Maximum preset for high quality

Maximum (90% quality, 4M bitrate) preserves near-original quality with moderate compression. Perfect for important videos, client deliverables, or when quality matters more than file size. Typical reduction: 30-40% smaller.

Use Ultra preset for minimal compression

Ultra (100% quality, 8M bitrate) applies minimal compression – just optimizes encoding without visible quality loss. Use for professional work, archival, or when you need maximum quality. Typical reduction: 10-20% smaller.

Customize with Advanced Options

For precise control, use advanced options to set exact quality percentage, choose specific bitrate (0.5M-8M), or adjust FPS. Great for experienced users with specific requirements.

Still not sure?

When in doubt, choose Normal preset. It provides excellent balance between file size and quality for 95% of use cases. You can always re-compress with different settings if needed.

Quick comparison

Fast = smallest files, Normal = balanced, Maximum = high quality, Ultra = minimal compression. Lower bitrate = smaller file but lower quality. Higher FPS = smoother motion but larger files.

Remember: You can experiment with different settings to find what works best for your specific needs. The compressor makes it easy to test options.

What's the difference between bitrate and quality settings?

Think of it like this: Quality setting (1-100%) controls how much detail is preserved during compression. Higher percentage = more detail kept = larger file. Bitrate (Mbps) controls data rate per second of video. Higher bitrate = more data = better quality = larger file. They work together: quality affects how efficiently video is compressed, bitrate sets the data budget.

Common bitrate explained simply: 0.5M-1M is low bitrate for small files (good for email, basic viewing). 2M is normal for everyday videos (good balance of size and quality). 4M is high for important videos (near-original quality). 8M is ultra for professional work (minimal compression). Quality slider fine-tunes compression within the bitrate limit.

For most people, use preset buttons and don't worry about technical details. Normal preset (75% quality, 2M bitrate) works great. Only adjust manually if you have specific requirements like "must be under 50MB" or "need professional quality." The presets are designed to give optimal results for common use cases.

Can I compress multiple videos at the same time?

Yes! Select multiple video files at once (hold Ctrl or Cmd while clicking, or drag multiple files into the upload area). All videos will be compressed with the same settings you choose. This is perfect for compressing an entire folder of videos, like vacation footage, tutorial series, or wedding videos for storage optimization.

After compression, you can download each video individually, or use the 'Download All as ZIP' button to get all compressed videos in one file. The ZIP option is super convenient when you've compressed 10+ videos – instead of downloading them one by one, you get one file that extracts into all your compressed videos with their original names.

Keep in mind that video compression takes time. A 10-minute 1080p video might take 5-10 minutes to compress. If you're compressing many large videos (1GB+ each), it could take a while. The compressor will show progress for each file. For huge batches (50+ videos or 4K content), consider doing them in smaller groups for better management.

How much file size reduction can I expect?

File size reduction depends on compression settings and source video: Fast preset typically achieves 70-80% reduction (500MB → 100-150MB). Normal preset achieves 50-60% reduction (500MB → 200-250MB). Maximum preset achieves 30-40% reduction (500MB → 300-350MB). Ultra preset achieves 10-20% reduction (500MB → 400-450MB). Already-compressed videos reduce less than uncompressed sources.

Higher quality = larger file sizes. A 10-minute video might be 50MB with Fast settings, 110MB with Normal, 200MB with Maximum, or 400MB with Ultra. If your original video is already compressed (downloaded from YouTube, social media), you'll see smaller reductions. Always compress from highest quality source for best results.

For most uses, Normal preset is the sweet spot. It significantly reduces file size (50-60% smaller) while maintaining quality that's hard to distinguish from original. Only use Fast if file size is critical, or Maximum/Ultra if quality is paramount. Test different presets to find optimal balance for your needs.

Can I compress 4K videos?

Yes, we support 4K (3840×2160) videos, but be aware that 4K files are huge and take much longer to compress. A 10-minute 4K video can be 3-5GB and might take 30-60 minutes to compress, compared to 5-10 minutes for 1080p. Our compressor handles 4K fine, but the larger the file and higher the quality, the longer it takes.

Honest advice: Most people don't need 4K. Unless you're watching on a large 4K TV (55"+ screen) or doing professional video work, you won't notice much difference between 1080p and 4K on normal screens. 1080p looks great on phones, laptops, and most TVs while being 1/4 the file size. Save yourself time and storage – compress 4K down to 1080p unless you specifically need 4K quality.

If you do need 4K: Make sure you have a good internet connection for uploading large files. Be patient with compression time. Use Normal or Fast preset to achieve significant size reduction. Consider compressing 4K to 1080p for everyday viewing and keeping the original 4K version archived for special purposes.

How do I maintain video quality during compression?

Follow these tips to preserve quality:

Don't compress repeatedly

Each time you compress a video, you lose quality. Avoid compressing the same video multiple times. Compress once from the original to your target size.

Start with the best source

Always compress from your highest quality version. If you have the original 1080p uncompressed video, use that – not a version you already uploaded to Facebook or YouTube.

Choose appropriate settings

Use Maximum or Ultra preset for important videos. Normal preset for everyday use. Fast preset only when file size is critical and quality is secondary.

Understand the tradeoffs

Smaller file size always means some quality loss with lossy compression. The art is finding the sweet spot where files are manageable but quality remains acceptable for your use case.

Keep original files

Never delete your original video after compressing. Keep it as your master copy in case you need different compression settings later or the first compression doesn't meet your needs.

Quality preservation is all about starting with the best source and choosing appropriate settings. One good compression with right settings beats multiple attempts with wrong settings.

Is this really free? What's the catch?

Yes, completely free – no catch, no hidden fees, no premium tiers, no subscriptions. You can compress unlimited videos with no watermarks added. We support ourselves through optional donations and non-intrusive ads (which you can block if you prefer). We built this because we needed a good video compressor ourselves and couldn't find one that wasn't trying to upsell premium features.

The only real limitations: File size limit of 10MB per video (that's about 10-20 minutes at medium quality), and compression happens on our servers so you need internet connection. If you need to compress massive files or want offline compression, you'd need desktop software like HandBrake. But for 99% of people compressing everyday videos, our free service works perfectly.

Use your compressed videos however you want – personal projects, YouTube, TikTok, client work, commercial use, whatever. No attribution required, no restrictions. The videos are 100% yours.

What video formats can you compress?

We support 20+ video formats for compression:

Everyday formats:

MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, WMV, FLV – These cover 95% of what most people need for compression.

Web formats:

WebM, OGV, M4V – Optimized formats for websites and HTML5 video players.

Professional formats:

MPG, MPEG, VOB, MTS, M2TS – For DVD/Blu-ray, camcorders, and broadcast content.

Mobile formats:

3GP, 3G2 – For old mobile phones (rarely needed anymore but supported).

Legacy formats:

RM, RMVB, ASF, SWF – For old files and backwards compatibility with vintage content.

All formats benefit:

Compression works on all supported formats. Large uncompressed files see biggest reductions, already-compressed files see moderate improvements.

Format preserved:

Compression maintains the same format – MP4 stays MP4, just smaller. Use our Video Converter if you need to change formats.

Universal support:

Whether modern or legacy format, our compressor handles it with quality control and bitrate adjustment.

Professional quality:

Industry-standard FFmpeg processing ensures reliable compression across all supported video formats.

Best results:

Modern formats (MP4, MKV, WebM) compress most efficiently. Legacy formats still compress but may have less optimization potential.

How long does video compression take?

It depends on video length, size, and compression settings. As a rough guide: A 5-minute 1080p video typically takes 3-7 minutes to compress. A 10-minute video takes 5-15 minutes. 4K videos take 3-4x longer than 1080p. Larger files or aggressive compression (Fast preset) may take more time than lighter compression (Ultra preset with minimal changes).

Ultra preset with minimal compression processes faster because less re-encoding needed. Fast preset with aggressive compression takes longer because every frame must be heavily processed. You'll see a progress bar showing estimated time remaining for each video being compressed.

If compression is taking forever: Check your internet connection (slow uploads make it seem like nothing's happening). Try a lighter preset (Maximum or Ultra instead of Fast). Make sure your video file isn't corrupted. For huge files (2GB+) or 4K videos, just be patient – they genuinely take a long time to compress even on powerful servers.

Can I use this on my phone or tablet?

Yes! Our compressor works on iPhones, iPads, Android phones, and tablets. The interface adapts to touch screens and smaller displays. However, there are practical limitations: Mobile browsers have file size restrictions. Uploading large videos over cellular data uses a lot of data and takes time. Your phone might time out or go to sleep during long compressions.

Best practices for mobile: Use WiFi, not cellular data (video files are huge). Keep your screen on during compression. Compress shorter videos (under 5 minutes works best). For serious video work with large files or batch compression, use a computer. Mobile is fine for quick single-video compression, but a laptop or desktop is better for anything substantial.

If you're having trouble on mobile: Try using your computer instead. Make sure you have a stable WiFi connection. Close other apps to free up memory. Update your browser to the latest version. Some older phones struggle with modern web features we use for compression.

What happens to video metadata and quality during compression?

Metadata (title, date created, camera info, GPS location, etc.) is generally preserved during compression depending on format capabilities. Some formats like MKV and MOV preserve extensive metadata, while simpler formats like AVI keep less. If you're concerned about privacy, note that we don't strip metadata intentionally – what gets preserved depends on format and compression settings.

Video quality is controlled by your compression settings. If you choose "Maximum" or "Ultra" preset, we'll maintain near-original quality with minimal loss. "Normal" preset provides excellent balance. "Fast" preset prioritizes file size over quality. Compressing already-compressed videos (from YouTube, social media) won't improve quality – you can only reduce size further with additional quality loss.

For privacy-sensitive videos (with GPS data, personal info in metadata): Some video editing apps let you strip metadata before uploading. Or, the nature of compression may reduce metadata. If you need guaranteed metadata removal for security reasons, use specialized metadata removal tools before or after compression. Always compress from your highest quality source for best results.

Should I compress before or after editing my video?

Compress AFTER editing, not before. Here's why: Video editing requires high quality source files. If you compress first, you're editing with degraded quality and the final output will look worse. Always edit with your highest quality footage (original camera files, uncompressed exports), then compress the final edited video for distribution or storage.

Workflow recommendation: Record/capture video → Import into editing software → Edit with original high quality → Export edited video in high quality → Then compress for specific use (email, social media, archival). This ensures your editing work is done on best quality footage and compression is the final step for optimization.

Exception: If you're just trimming/cutting videos without quality-sensitive editing, you can compress first to make files more manageable. But for color grading, effects, transitions, or any quality-critical work, always compress as the final step after all editing is complete. Keep your high-quality edited master for future use.

What's the best way to compress for email, YouTube, and social media?

Email attachments: Most email providers limit 10-25MB. Use Fast or Normal preset to achieve maximum compression. Target under 20MB for reliable delivery. For longer videos, consider cloud sharing (Google Drive, Dropbox) instead of email attachments. Fast preset (50% quality, 1M bitrate) typically gets 10-minute videos under 50MB.

YouTube: Use Normal or Maximum preset (don't use Fast – YouTube will compress again). 1080p resolution recommended (1920×1080). H.264 codec in MP4 format. Bitrate around 8 Mbps for 1080p. YouTube re-encodes everything anyway, so give them a good quality source. Frame rate: Match your recording (24fps, 30fps, or 60fps). Our Normal preset works well for YouTube uploads.

Instagram & TikTok: Use Normal preset (balanced quality and size). Maximum 1080p resolution. Feed posts: 1080×1080 square or 1080×1350 vertical. Stories/Reels: 1080×1920 vertical (9:16). Keep under 60 seconds for feed, 15 seconds for stories. File size under 10MB preferred. Both platforms compress heavily, so ultra-high quality unnecessary. MP4 format with H.264 codec standard for all platforms.