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QuickPrepMedia

Compress a video to a size limit, in your browser

Choose where the video is going, such as Etsy or eBay, or type a size in MB, and get an MP4 that fits. Or only convert it to MP4. The video is processed on your own device and never uploaded.

  • No upload — runs in your browser
  • Free, no account
  • Reads MP4, MOV, and M4V; also WebM and MKV where the browser can decode them
  • HEVC (H.265) video: Chrome, Edge and Safari, where the device can decode it
  • Up to 4 GB per video; compresses up to 10 min of video

Drop a video here or click to browse

Reads MP4, MOV, and M4V. Also reads WebM and MKV when this browser can decode the video inside.

HEVC (H.265) video can be edited in Chrome, Edge and Safari, where the device can decode it.

Up to 4 GB per file.

Your video is processed in this browser and is never uploaded.

Where is the video going?

The tool takes its targets from what the destination states. You can change it at any time.

How to compress a video

  1. Choose where it is going

    Pick a destination in the tool or in the table below, and the tool takes the size limit that destination states as its target. Or type a size in MB, or choose to only convert the video to MP4.

  2. Add your video

    Drop in one video of up to 4 GB. The tool reads it, lists its facts, checks it against the destination and says what the export will do before anything runs.

  3. Export and download the MP4

    Press Export. When the MP4 is done it is read again, so the size, the length and the check you see are the new file's own. Download it, or change a setting and export again.

Video size and length limits by destination

The file size and the length each destination covered here states for an uploaded video, read from its own pages. Fit the destination compresses under a stated size limit and checks the length without cutting the video; recommendations are shown for reference. Use a row to set that destination in the tool.

Sizes are shown as each platform writes them. Where a platform does not say whether a megabyte is 1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes, the tool takes the smaller reading, and it aims at 95% of the limit to leave a margin.

What decides how small a video gets

A video can get much smaller before it looks worse, but not without limit. Three things decide how far it goes.

  • Long clipShort clip, same size

    Size is bitrate times length

    A video's file size is roughly its bitrate, the bits spent on each second, times its length. To reach a size, the tool works out the bitrate that fits, after leaving room for the sound. At the same size, a clip twice as long gets half the bits for each second.

    When a long clip has to fit a small size, trim it first: fewer seconds leave more bits for each one.

  • Too few bits for the sizeSmaller and clean

    Fewer pixels at small sizes

    Every picture needs a minimum bitrate to look clean. When the size you ask for leaves too little for the full picture, the tool steps the shorter side down through 1080p, 720p, 540p, and 480p until the bitrate is enough. A smaller video is never enlarged.

    To choose the resolution yourself, set a maximum resolution under More settings.

  • H.264: copiedOther video: re-encoded

    Copied or re-encoded

    Convert to MP4 only changes the file type. H.264 video is copied into the MP4 as it is, which is fast and loses nothing. Other video, such as HEVC (H.265) or VP9, has to be re-encoded to H.264, which takes longer and is done at high quality. AAC sound is copied; other sound is re-encoded to AAC.

    Choose Convert to MP4 only when the size is already fine and the destination only needs an MP4.

Why a phone video is so much bigger than a listing needs

Phones and cameras record at a high bitrate, so the footage holds up when it is edited. A listing video is watched small and often for only a few seconds, and at that size a much lower bitrate is hard to tell apart. That is why a clip far over a size limit can usually be brought under it in one pass.

The quickest way to a smaller file is a shorter one. If the clip runs longer than the destination asks for, trim it first and compress what is left: every second you remove leaves more of the size for the rest.

Compressing keeps the shape of the picture. If the destination wants a vertical or square video, reframe it first. The reframed MP4 can come back here if it is still over the limit.

Sound takes part of every file. Removing it makes the export smaller, and it is the first thing to try when the size is too small for the picture. With Fit the destination, the tool removes the sound on its own only where the destination says listing videos have no sound, and the plan says so before the export.

Limits worth knowing

  • Reads MP4, MOV, and M4V. Also reads WebM and MKV where the browser can decode the video inside. HEVC (H.265) video can be edited in Chrome, Edge and Safari, where the device can decode it. The export is always an MP4 with H.264 video and, when it has sound, AAC sound.
  • One video at a time, up to 4 GB. Compressing re-encodes up to 10 min of video, the export can be up to 1 GB, and a re-encoded picture is at most 1920 px on its longer side.
  • Compressing needs Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on a computer. In a browser that cannot re-encode video, converting H.264 video to MP4 still works, because the video is copied rather than re-encoded.
  • A size is a target, not a promise. If the first pass comes out over it, the tool runs one more pass at a lower bitrate, and if that is still over, the result says by how much. If the sound alone is larger than the target, the tool suggests removing it.

Compress video FAQ

Is my video uploaded to a server?

No. Your video is read, compressed and saved in your browser, and it is never uploaded, stored or sent anywhere. The page does fetch its own code as you go: the video engine loads when you add your first video. Your video is never part of that.

How do I make a video small enough for Etsy?

Choose Etsy in the tool or in the table above, then add the video. Etsy states a maximum video size of 100 MB and a length of 3 s to 15 s. Fit the destination compresses the video under the size limit and checks the length, but it never cuts the video: trim it first if it is too long. Etsy says listing videos have no sound once uploaded, so the sound is removed as well.

What size and resolution does eBay take for a listing video?

eBay states a maximum video size of 150 MB and an upload resolution of up to 1080p. With eBay chosen, Fit the destination compresses the video under the size limit and keeps its shorter side at 1080 px or less. The destination check shows which of eBay's stated limits the file meets, before and after the export.

How do I convert a MOV to MP4?

Choose Convert to MP4 only and add the MOV. When the video inside is H.264, it is copied into an MP4 without re-encoding, which is quick and loses nothing. Other video, such as HEVC (H.265), is re-encoded to H.264 at high quality. AAC sound is copied, and other sound is re-encoded to AAC.

Will compressing make my video look worse?

That depends on how far the size has to drop. The tool spends the whole size on the picture and the sound, and when too little is left for the full picture it lowers the resolution, which looks cleaner than a full-size picture with too few bits. For a sharper result, aim at a larger size, remove the sound or trim the clip.

Why is the result still over my target size?

The encoder cannot hit a size exactly. If the first pass comes out over, the tool runs one more pass at a lower bitrate; if that is still over, the result says so, with the size it reached. When the sound alone is larger than the target, no picture can fit, and the tool suggests removing the sound.

Why can't this browser edit my video?

Some browsers cannot decode HEVC (H.265) video. Chrome, Edge and Safari can on most devices. When a browser cannot, the tool says so and still shows the file's facts and the destination check. Compressing also needs Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on a computer; elsewhere, H.264 video can still be converted to MP4.

What happens if my video already fits?

When the video is already an MP4 with H.264 video, within the resolution and frame rate you chose, and under the size, the tool says so and offers the original file unchanged, rather than re-encoding it for nothing.

What to do next

Compress your video now

Choose where it is going, add the video, and download an MP4 that fits. The video never leaves this device.

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