Video Compressor

Compress video to 500 MB

The size is already set to 500 MB. Add your video and get an MP4 that comes in just under it.

Getting a video under 500 MB

500 MB is the default limit for a video uploaded with Canvas’s media tool, and Discord’s limit with full Nitro. Both expect long videos, yet a long 4K recording or screen recording can go well past it.

It holds about twenty minutes of full HD or forty at 720p. Our Canvas page aims for 480 MB, a little under the limit. A video bigger than 1 GB can still be compressed here when your browser can handle it, since only our server has that limit.

We aim a little under 500 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 500 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 500 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 2:34:35? 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 500 MB

  • Canvas media uploads

    Videos uploaded through Canvas’s Record/Upload Media tool can be 500 MB by default, though a school can change it. Files submitted to an assignment don’t count against your own storage, so a big submission doesn’t fill it.

  • Discord with full Nitro

    Full Nitro allows 500 MB per upload, ten times Nitro Basic, so a long clip or a whole match can go up in one piece. Our Discord page aims for 480 MB with full Nitro, a little under the limit.

  • Videos bigger than 1 GB

    Our server takes videos up to 1 GB; your browser has no such limit, only the free storage it needs, about one and a half times the target. So a long 4K recording can still come down to 500 MB, as long as your browser can decode it and it isn’t HDR.

How to compress a video to 500 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

    500 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 500 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 500 MB?

Just under it. We aim a few percent below 500 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 500 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 500 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 500 MB?

Past 2:34:35 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.

Can I compress a 2 GB video to 500 MB?

Yes, in your browser, which has no size limit, only the free storage it needs for the result. Our server takes videos up to 1 GB and 60 minutes, so a video your browser can’t handle, an HDR one for instance, has to stay within those.

Why does the Canvas page aim for 480 MB?

To leave a margin under the 500 MB limit, so the upload isn’t refused for a few bytes. If your school set a different number, type it into the Target size box, and we aim a little under that one.

How long does it take to compress 500 MB?

It depends on the video’s length and your device, more than on the size you choose: a long video takes longer, and a phone is usually slower than a computer. The page shows the progress; keep the tab open until it’s done.

Should I choose H.264 or H.265 for 500 MB?

H.265 keeps more detail in the same 500 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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