Compress video online free
Shrink a video you already have on your device. You say how small it should be, and the tool shows you up front how long it will take and what quality it costs. Everything runs in your browser — the video is never uploaded.
Need to change the format rather than the size? Use the converter →
Why compress it here
Compress it for a specific destination
How to compress a video
Pick the video from your device — it is read in the browser, not uploaded.
Read the table: each option states the final size, the time and the quality cost.
Press 'Compress' and leave the tab open while it works.
Download the result; it is saved straight to your device.
This tool shrinks a video you already have on your device. If you do not have it yet and need to grab it from a social network first, use our video downloaders; compressing is the next step.
The right question is how small you want it
Most compression tools ask for settings that need not concern you: bitrate, CRF, codec profile. Anyone who knows what those mean is already using a desktop program. Here the question is the one actually in your head — *my video is 68 MB and it needs to be smaller* — and each answer arrives with its three consequences computed on YOUR file: the final size, the time, and the quality cost.
The first option in the list always keeps the resolution, so it can promise you will not see the difference. It is not a fixed percentage: it is calculated from your video's actual bitrate, because halving a clip fresh off a phone (17 Mbps) is invisible, while halving one that was already compressed is not.
Compressing for a specific destination
If you are here because some service refuses your video, go straight to its page: each one has the real limit already loaded into the tool.
- Compress video for WhatsApp: 16 MB per chat, and why WhatsApp re-compresses whatever you send.
- Compress video to send by email: why the usable ceiling is 18 MB and not the 25 MB Gmail advertises.
- Compress video for Discord: 10 MB on free accounts since they lowered it in 2024.
- Compress an MP4 file: what makes an MP4 heavy and what can be trimmed.
- Compress without losing quality: what is actually lost, and how to choose so it does not show.
Why the video is never uploaded
The usual online compressors upload your file to their server, process it there and hand you back a link. That means your video — which may be personal — ends up on another company's disk, and you wait twice: once to upload, once to download. Here there is no upload: the engine downloads once into your browser and works on the file locally. It is more private and, on ordinary connections, usually faster end to end.
What this tool does not do
It works no miracles: compressing is re-encoding, and that always costs some quality. Nor does picking a smaller target speed things up, because the time depends on the length. And if what you need is to change format without touching the size — turn an MKV into an MP4, or pull the audio out as MP3 — that is a different tool: the video and audio converter.
Frequently asked questions
Is the video really never uploaded?
Correct. Compression uses ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, running inside your own browser. The video is read, processed and downloaded without ever leaving your device: we never see it or store it. That is also why it is free — it costs us no server time.
How long does it take?
Roughly as long as the video lasts: a 3-minute video takes about 3 minutes. That is the real constraint of compressing in a browser and we would rather say it before you start. We measured it on both a desktop and an iPhone, and the pace is similar on both.
Does compressing more take longer?
No. Every option takes practically the same time, because what matters is the length of the video, not how much it shrinks. The only thing that genuinely shortens the wait is trimming the video first: half the duration is half the time.
Does it lose quality?
Yes, some: compressing means re-encoding, and that always costs quality. What differs is how noticeable it is. The first option keeps the resolution and in practice you cannot tell; the others drop the resolution and we tell you exactly which one, for example "drops to 720p". It is all explained in compress without losing quality.
Is there a size or length limit?
We do not impose one, but your device does: browser memory is the ceiling. Videos of several GB, or longer than about 10 minutes, can exhaust it — especially on phones with little RAM. If that happens, try from a computer or trim the video first.
Which formats does it accept?
Any video your browser can read: MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI and similar. The result is always an MP4 with H.264 and AAC, which plays on any phone, TV or program without installing anything.