Free Online Video Compressor

Shrink a video file by 60–90% without visible quality loss — ready for email attachments, WhatsApp, Discord, Google Drive, or social uploads that choke on oversized files. Choose from preset quality levels or dial in your own bitrate target.

Compression runs locally. The original stays on your disk; only the optimised copy is downloaded. That matters for business recordings, client footage, and anything you would rather not route through a third-party cloud service.

How to compress a video online — step by step

1

Upload your video

Drag an MP4, MOV, WebM, or AVI onto the tool. Larger files take longer to load into browser memory but there is no server-side size cap.

2

Choose a compression preset

High Quality preserves most detail for archiving. Balanced is the go-to for social sharing and email. Small Size targets the lowest file weight for messaging apps and strict upload limits.

3

Check the estimated output size

The tool shows a projected file size before you commit. Adjust the preset if the estimate is too large for your target platform.

4

Process locally

FFmpeg re-encodes the video to H.264 at the chosen bitrate. The browser's progress bar tracks completion.

5

Download the compressed file

Compare the before and after sizes in your file system. Re-run at a lower quality preset if you need to squeeze further.

Common use cases

  • Email attachments

    Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo cap attachments at 25 MB. Compress a 200 MB screen recording to under 20 MB so it sends without asking the recipient to open a Drive link.

  • WhatsApp and Telegram delivery

    Messaging apps re-compress video on their servers, which can degrade quality twice. Delivering an already-optimised clip gives you control over the final look.

  • LMS and course platform uploads

    Learning management systems often cap video uploads at 500 MB or 1 GB. Compress long recordings to meet limits without cutting content.

  • Storing footage on limited storage

    A 1 TB hard drive fills up quickly with 4K raw footage. Compress delivery-quality exports to reclaim space while keeping the original masters elsewhere.

  • Social media and ad platforms

    Facebook Ads Manager and LinkedIn have file-size maximums. Compressed MP4 under 200 MB uploads reliably with faster review processing.

Best practices

  • Trim before compressing so you are not encoding dead air and wasted footage.
  • The Balanced preset is the best starting point — only go to Small Size if you still exceed the platform limit.
  • Check the compressed clip on the intended device before sending; a phone screen may show artefacts a laptop display hides.
  • Avoid compressing an already-compressed file repeatedly — quality degrades with each re-encode pass.
  • For social media, resize resolution to 1080p before compressing if the source is 4K and you do not need full resolution.
  • Keep the original file at its native quality as your master; only compress delivery copies.

Formats & compatibility

Accepts MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI. Exports H.264 MP4 — the broadest compatibility across phones, browsers, email clients, and social platforms. Processing time scales with file size and device CPU speed. 4K files may take several minutes in-browser.

Related tools

  • Trim Video — remove unused footage before compressing for a smaller result
  • Convert Format — change container or codec alongside compression
  • Crop Video — downsize resolution by cropping to a smaller aspect before compression

Upload above and choose a preset — your compressed MP4 is ready to download in minutes.

Frequently asked questions

60–80% reduction is typical on unoptimised phone or screen recordings. Highly compressed sources (WhatsApp forwards) yield less because they are already lossy.
The Balanced preset is tuned so quality loss is not perceptible on normal viewing screens. Small Size may show subtle softness on fast-motion content — check before sending.
No server limit exists. Browser memory is the practical ceiling — most desktop browsers handle files up to 2 GB comfortably.
No. FFmpeg runs locally in the browser tab. Your file is never transmitted to our servers.
Yes. The default presets keep the original resolution and only reduce bitrate. The output dimensions match the source.
MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio — the universally accepted format for email, social platforms, and video players.
Start with Small Size. If the estimate is still above 25 MB, shorten the video with the Trim tool first, then re-run at Small Size.
A 5-minute 1080p clip typically takes 1–3 minutes on a modern laptop. 4K files and older devices take longer; keep the tab active while processing.