Video Compressor

Compress video to 16 MB

The size is already set to 16 MB. Add your video and get an MP4 that comes in just under it.

Getting a video under 16 MB

16 MB is WhatsApp’s limit for a video sent as a video, the kind that plays in the chat. Bigger files have to be trimmed in the app, or sent as a document that the other person downloads first. It’s small: at their original quality, phone videos usually pass 16 MB in well under a minute.

Sending it on WhatsApp? Our WhatsApp page compresses to 15 MB, a little under the limit, to leave a margin. Use this page when a site or app asks for 16 MB exactly.

We aim a little under 16 MB so the file is sure to fit, since most sites reject anything even slightly over. Sizes are in decimal megabytes (1 MB is 1,000,000 bytes), so the result also fits a limit that counts megabytes the binary way. Your video is encoded once at the bitrate that lands on 16 MB; when it’s compressed in your browser, the result is measured and done again if it came out too big.

How long a video fits in 16 MB

The longest video that keeps each resolution, for a typical 30 fps video with sound. At 60 fps, expect about half as long.

ResolutionLongest video
1080p
720p
480p
360p

Longer than 4:55? Even 360p would look too rough, so the page asks for a bigger size. Trim the video first or choose a bigger size.

Where you’ll run into 16 MB

  • WhatsApp chats and groups

    Under 16 MB, a video plays right in the chat instead of arriving as a document to download. Our WhatsApp page aims for 15 MB, a slightly safer margin, and keeps the whole video instead of making you trim it in the app.

  • WhatsApp Business messages

    Businesses that send video through the WhatsApp Business Platform meet the same 16 MB cap per file. Compress product demos and how-to clips to it before you upload them, so customers get a video that plays in the chat.

  • Email from Gmail or Yahoo

    A 16 MB file fits in a Gmail or Yahoo Mail email, because even after encoding it stays under 25 MB. Outlook is stricter: there the file has to be about 14 MB, which our email page handles.

How to compress a video to 16 MB

  1. 01

    Add your video

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

  2. 02

    Check the size

    16 MB is already filled in. Change it if you need another size, or pick a preset instead.

  3. 03

    Download the MP4

    It comes out just under 16 MB. Compare it with the original, then save it.

Questions

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

Will the video be exactly 16 MB?

Just under it. We aim a few percent below 16 MB so it’s certain to fit, since sites and apps reject a file that is even slightly over.

What if my video is already under 16 MB?

Then it already fits, and the page tells you so. You can send it as it is, or still make it smaller with a preset.

Will my video look worse at 16 MB?

That depends on its length. A short video keeps its full resolution; a longer one is scaled down, to 720p or lower, so the picture stays clean instead of blocky. The table above shows where each step starts. The sound keeps its quality unless the size is very small for the length.

What if my video is too long for 16 MB?

Past 4:55 there aren’t enough bits for a watchable picture, even at 360p, and the page asks for a bigger size. Trim the video with our video cutter first, or choose a bigger size.

Is this the same as the WhatsApp page?

Almost. This page aims just under 16 MB; the WhatsApp page aims for 15 MB, leaving a little extra room under WhatsApp’s limit.

Can I send a longer video on WhatsApp?

As a document, up to 2 GB, but it won’t play in the chat: the other person has to download it first. Compressing keeps it a video that plays right away.

Can I send a 16 MB video on Discord too?

Yes. It’s under the 20 MB limit of a free account, so the same file works in WhatsApp and Discord.

Should I choose H.264 or H.265 for 16 MB?

H.265 keeps more detail in the same 16 MB, so a longer video can keep a higher resolution. Choose it when the people you send it to have newer devices; H.264 plays everywhere.

Is my video uploaded to compress it?

Not when your browser can handle it: then it’s compressed on your device. Otherwise it goes to our server over an encrypted connection and is deleted 2 hours after compressing.

More ways to compress video

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