Free tool
Video compressor
Choose how small the video must be, 10, 25 or 100 MB or any size you type, and this video compressor works out the bitrate and resolution that fit, then re-encodes it in your browser. It works as an MP4 compressor for any format, and shows the size before and after.
- Free
- Fits the size you pick
- Nothing is uploaded
Drop your video here, or Choose your video
MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV, up to 2 GB and 3 hours. Everything happens in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How it works
How do you compress a video?
Add the video and pick a size to fit, or a quality. The compressor shows the bitrate, resolution and estimated size it will use, then re-encodes the picture as H.264 and the sound as AAC. If the result comes out over your size, it encodes again, a little smaller.
- 1
Add the video
A Zoom or Teams recording, a screen recording, a phone video: MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV.
- 2
Pick a size or a quality
Size to fit for email or chat apps; quality when you just want to reduce video size without a hard limit.
- 3
Compress and compare
The size before and after appears with the result, which you can play before you download it.
How does the compressor fit a video into a size?
Size is bitrate times length. For a 25 MB target and a 3-minute video, the budget is about 1.1 Mbps for picture and sound together, so the compressor keeps 5% spare, gives the sound a fixed share and the picture the rest, and checks the file it made.
In Chrome’s engine the result lands close to the budget, as the table shows. Safari’s engine spends less than it’s given, so its files come out further under the size you chose.
- 1-minute 1080p camera clip
- Before116 MB
- Size chosen25 MB
- After23.4 MB / 12.0 MB, still 1080p
- Time15 s / 11 s
- 3-minute 1080p screen recording
- Before49.1 MB
- Size chosen10 MB
- After8.9 MB / 7.4 MB, at 360p
- Time48 s / 121 s
- 5½-minute 720p video
- Before123 MB
- Size chosen25 MB
- After22.6 MB / 14.4 MB, at 540p
- Time37 s / 55 s
| Video | Before | Size chosen | After | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-minute 1080p camera clip | 116 MB | 25 MB | 23.4 MB / 12.0 MB, still 1080p | 15 s / 11 s |
| 3-minute 1080p screen recording | 49.1 MB | 10 MB | 8.9 MB / 7.4 MB, at 360p | 48 s / 121 s |
| 5½-minute 720p video | 123 MB | 25 MB | 22.6 MB / 14.4 MB, at 540p | 37 s / 55 s |
Why does a smaller size also lower the resolution?
Because a few hundred kilobits a second spread over every pixel of a 1080p picture leaves too little for each, and it turns blocky. At a low bitrate, a 720p or 480p picture with enough data looks sharper than a starved 1080p one, so Auto steps the size down.
- 1.9 Mbps and more
- Auto resolution1080p
- 0.83 to 1.9 Mbps
- Auto resolution720p
- 0.47 to 0.83 Mbps
- Auto resolution540p
- 0.37 to 0.47 Mbps
- Auto resolution480p
- Less
- Auto resolution360p
| Bitrate for the picture | Auto resolution |
|---|---|
| 1.9 Mbps and more | 1080p |
| 0.83 to 1.9 Mbps | 720p |
| 0.47 to 0.83 Mbps | 540p |
| 0.37 to 0.47 Mbps | 480p |
| Less | 360p |
Which videos compress the most?
Screen recordings and video calls, where most of the picture stands still: slides, a document, a grid of faces. Their originals are often recorded at far more data than they need. Camera footage with movement and grain compresses less before it starts to look soft.
Screen recordings
Slides and documents change little from frame to frame, which leaves more of the data for detail.
Meeting recordings
Zoom, Teams and Meet files are already compressed, but long; the compressor shows the resolution that fits your size before it starts.
Phone videos
Recorded in 4K or 1080p at high bitrates, so a lower resolution saves the most.
Do you need to send the whole recording?
Often not: people want what was decided. NoteOwl records your meetings on your Mac, then writes the summary and action items from the transcript; send those, and keep the recording, searchable, on your Mac.
FAQ
Questions about compressing video
Is my video uploaded to be compressed?
No. The compressor reads the video from your device and encodes the smaller copy in the page. In our tests the browser made no network requests between choosing the file and downloading the result.
Will the compressed video always be under the size I chose?
Yes, or it tells you it can’t be. The compressor checks the file it made, and if the encoder overshot, encodes again at a bitrate scaled to fit. A very long video can’t fit a tiny size at any useful quality, so pick a larger size or trim it first.
What format is the compressed video?
An MP4 with H.264 video and AAC sound, whatever went in. It’s the pair that email, chat apps, phones and upload forms all accept, so the smaller file plays wherever you send it.
How long does compressing take?
It re-encodes the whole video, so it takes a while: on a Mac with Apple silicon, a 1-minute 1080p clip took 15 seconds in Chrome’s engine and 11 in Safari’s, and a 5½-minute 720p video 37 and 55 seconds. Keep the tab open until it finishes.
Can I compress a video without losing quality?
Not much: compressing means encoding with less data. High quality keeps the picture close to the original at a smaller size; Smallest trades more detail for size. If you only need part of the video, trimming it first loses nothing.
Why did my video get only a little smaller?
Because it was already efficiently compressed, as many phone and meeting videos are. Choose a smaller size to fit or a lower resolution. If the compressor works out that a setting wouldn’t make it smaller, it says so instead of encoding.
Keep exploring
More video tools
- Video trimmerTrim the start and end off a video in your browser with handles over its frames; copied without re-encoding, or cut on the exact frame
- Remove audio from videoTake the sound out of an MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV in your browser; the picture is copied as it is, so it keeps its quality
- Video converterConvert a video to MP4, WebM or MOV in your browser; streams that already fit are copied in seconds, the rest re-encoded with the browser’s own encoders
- MOV to MP4 converterTurn a MOV (iPhone video, QuickTime or Mac screen recording) into an MP4 in your browser, copying H.264 and HEVC video as it is
Related
- Audio compressorMake any audio file smaller in your browser: pick a quality or a size to fit (such as 25 MB for email) and see the size before and after
- Meeting recording to textMeeting transcription free in your browser: drop in a Zoom, Teams, Google Meet or Webex recording and get a transcript with times; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- AI meeting notes without a botHow NoteOwl records calls from your Mac with no bot joining, and what you get when the call ends
Meeting notes that are smaller than any video
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
Last updated