How to compress a video
Drop your video into the box above, or click Choose files. MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM all work.
Pick a level: Light keeps 1080p, Recommended makes it 720p, Strong makes it 480p for the smallest file. Or pick a size limit, such as 25 MB, and the resolution is chosen to fit it.
Click Compress video. It's re-encoded on your device, usually with hardware acceleration, so keep this tab open until it's done.
Download the smaller MP4. The result shows how much smaller it got.
Why compress a video?
Phones record in 4K or 1080p at high bitrates: a single minute can take 100 to 400 MB. That's far more than most messaging apps, email providers and upload forms accept, and more detail than a phone screen can show.
Lowering the resolution and bitrate to what the video will actually be watched at cuts the file size several times over, while it still looks sharp on phones and laptops.
Which level to choose
Every level re-encodes the video as H.264 with AAC audio in an MP4, which plays on every phone, computer and browser. Videos smaller than the level's resolution keep their size and are only re-encoded more efficiently.
If a video is already small and compressing wouldn't make it smaller, you get the original back unchanged.
| Level | Resolution | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Up to 1080p | Keeping the video sharp on large screens |
| Recommended | Up to 720p, at most 30 fps | WhatsApp, email and most uploads |
| Strong | Up to 480p, at most 30 fps | Strict size limits and slow connections |
Is it safe?
Yes. Compress Video runs entirely in your browser. Your files are read and converted by your own device using built-in browser technology, so they are never uploaded to a server and nobody else can see them.
You can check this yourself: open your browser's developer tools, switch to the Network tab and convert a file. No upload requests are made.
Videos are compressed by your browser's own media engine (WebCodecs), usually with hardware acceleration. Nothing is uploaded.
Files stay in this tab's memory only until you remove them or close the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much smaller will my video get?
A 1080p or 4K phone video usually shrinks by 70 to 90% at the Recommended level. Videos that are already small or low resolution shrink less.
How long does compressing a video take?
Usually a fraction of the video's length on a recent computer or phone, as the browser uses the device's video hardware. Older devices can take longer than the video itself. Keep the tab open until it's done.
Will the sound be kept?
Yes. The audio is re-encoded as AAC at a bitrate that matches the level, so speech and music stay clear.
Which browsers work?
Recent Chrome, Edge and Safari on computers and phones. Browsers that can't encode H.264 video show a message instead.
How big a video can I compress?
Each video can be up to 1 GB. Files are read from disk in pieces, so they don't need to fit in memory.