Video Compressor

Compress MP4 files

Make an MP4 smaller and keep it an MP4. Choose how much smaller, or type the exact size you need.

How MP4 compression works

MP4 is a container: the file holds a video track, usually H.264 or H.265, and an audio track, usually AAC. How big it is depends almost entirely on the video’s bitrate, the number of bits spent on each second. Phones and cameras record at a high bitrate so nothing is lost while filming, which is why a minute of video can take 100 MB or more.

Compressing encodes the video again at a lower bitrate, and at a lower resolution when the size you ask for is too small for the original one. The result is still an MP4, with H.264 video and AAC audio by default, so it plays wherever the original did. You choose how far to go: a preset takes off a share of the size, and a size in MB is a hard limit the file comes in under.

When your browser can decode the video, the MP4 is compressed right on your device and isn’t uploaded. When it can’t, for example an H.265 MP4 on a computer without an H.265 decoder, it goes to our server instead, where it can be up to 1 GB, 60 minutes and 4K. Either way you get the same kind of MP4, and the page tells you which one it used and why.

Why compress MP4 here

  • Exactly the size you need

    Type a size in MB and the MP4 comes out just under it. A result made in your browser is measured and made again if it’s too big.

  • H.264 or H.265

    H.264 plays on every device. Pick H.265 for a smaller file with the same detail, for newer phones and computers.

  • Smaller resolution, not blocks

    When the size is too small for the original resolution, the video is scaled down, to 720p or lower, instead of breaking into blocks.

  • No metadata left behind

    The compressed MP4 carries no location and no details about the phone or camera that made it.

How to compress an MP4

  1. 01

    Add your MP4

    Drop it on the page, or pick it from your files, photo library or camera roll.

  2. 02

    Choose how much smaller

    Pick a preset, from Light (30% smaller) to Maximum (90% smaller), or type the size in MB you need.

  3. 03

    Download the smaller MP4

    Compare it with the original, then save it. Still too big? Compress it again.

Questions

Can’t find your answer? Write to feedback@videocompressor.xyz.

Will the compressed MP4 lose quality?

A little: compressing drops the detail you’re least likely to notice. A light preset looks nearly identical to the original; the smaller the size, the softer the picture. Compare the two before you download.

Should I choose H.264 or H.265?

H.264 when you’re not sure: every phone, browser, TV and editor plays it. H.265 makes a smaller file at the same quality, but older devices, and Windows PCs without Microsoft’s HEVC extension, can’t play it.

Why is my MP4 barely smaller?

It was probably compressed before, as downloads and videos saved from chat apps usually are, so there’s little left to remove without it showing. Type a smaller size in MB and the video is scaled down to fit. If a result would be bigger than the original, the page tells you.

Can I compress an MP4 without uploading it?

Yes, when your browser can decode it: the page picks This device, and nothing is uploaded. Otherwise it picks Our server, where the video is deleted 2 hours after compressing. You can switch between the two before you start.

Is there a size limit for MP4 files?

In your browser there’s no fixed limit; it depends on your device’s memory and free storage. On our server an MP4 can be up to 1 GB, 60 minutes and 4K (3840×2160), and you can compress 5 videos a day there.

Can I turn other formats into MP4?

Yes. Whatever you add, you get back an MP4. The formats we take are MP4, M4V, MOV, QT, 3GP, 3G2, WEBM, MKV, AVI, WMV, ASF, FLV, MPG, MPEG, VOB, TS, MTS, M2TS, MXF, OGV.

Does the MP4 keep its sound?

Yes. The audio is encoded again as AAC, which every player supports. Only very small sizes lower its bitrate, to leave more room for the picture.

Can I compress several MP4 files at once?

Yes. Add several and they’re compressed one after another. A size in MB applies to each video, and videos already under it are skipped.

More ways to compress video

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