Guide
Compress a video for email: small enough to attach
Drop a video above and it is set to land just under Gmail's 25 MB attachment limit. Smaller targets are one tap away.
In short
- Gmail attaches a video only up to 25 MB, and this tool gets yours under.
- Above 25 MB, Gmail uploads the file to Google Drive and sends a link instead.
- The tool aims at 24.5 MB for Gmail, or 10 MB and 5 MB elsewhere.
- A clip of up to 9 minutes 57 seconds fits in 24.5 MB.
- Your file is not uploaded. The whole thing runs inside this browser tab.
Email compressor
Runs in your browser · files never leave this page
Drop a video here
or
How to shrink it
Where it is going
Your file never leaves this page. The engine downloads once, the work happens in this tab, and there is no upload, no account and no storage. Close the tab and the file is gone unless you downloaded it.
More free tools: Video compressor · Video resizer · Video to MP4 · Video to MP3 · Video clipper · all tools
- Gmail's attachment limit
- 25 MB
- What the tool aims for
- 24.5 MB
- Picture bitrate for a 1-minute clip
- 3,138 kbps
Email attachment limits
Every email service sets its own limit. Gmail's is 25 MB, per its help page.
- Gmail sends anything over 25 MB as a Google Drive link, not as an attachment.
- Other inboxes set their own limits, so ask the person, or use 10 MB to be careful.
- Some companies set a lower limit on work email, and 5 MB is the safest pick there.
Which target should you pick?
A smaller target means a softer picture, so pick the biggest one that gets through.
- Pick 24.5 MB when you are emailing a Gmail address, because that is the most Gmail will attach.
- Pick 10 MB when you do not know which email service the other person uses.
- Pick 5 MB when you are emailing a work address that turns bigger files away.
The three email targets
| Target | Picture for a 1-minute clip | Longest clip that fits |
|---|---|---|
| 24.5 MB (Gmail) | 3,138 kbps | 9 min 57 s |
| 10 MB | 1,205 kbps | 4 min 3 s |
| 5 MB | 538 kbps | 2 min 1 s |
Target: 24.5 MB (Gmail)
- Picture for a 1-minute clip
- 3,138 kbps
- Longest clip that fits
- 9 min 57 s
Target: 10 MB
- Picture for a 1-minute clip
- 1,205 kbps
- Longest clip that fits
- 4 min 3 s
Target: 5 MB
- Picture for a 1-minute clip
- 538 kbps
- Longest clip that fits
- 2 min 1 s
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Why a longer clip comes out softer
The target size has to cover every second of the clip, so a long clip gets less for each one.
- The tool divides your target size by how long the clip is.
- It sets aside 128 kbps for the sound.
- The picture gets whatever is left, so a longer clip gets less.
- Below 200 kbps the picture turns to blocks, so the tool refuses and asks you to trim the clip.
How to compress a video for email
Four steps, all in this tab.
Compress a video for email
Drop your video
In the box at the top
Check the size
Already set for you
Press Compress
The size is worked out first
Download the MP4
Then send it
Limits of a browser tool
Everything runs on your own device, so your device sets the limits.
- File size: up to 500 MB runs comfortably. Bigger files may run out of memory.
- Speed: the engine uses one processor core, so a long re-encode takes minutes.
- First run: the engine downloads once, about 32 MB. After that it starts fast.
- Phones: it works, but a laptop is faster and has more memory.
Questions people ask
- How big a video can I email?
- Up to 25 MB in Gmail, per Gmail's help page. Other services set their own limits, so 10 MB is a careful choice when you do not know the inbox.
- What happens if my video is over 25 MB in Gmail?
- Gmail does not attach it. It uploads the file to Google Drive and puts a link in the email instead.
- How long a video fits in 25 MB?
- Up to 9 minutes 57 seconds at the 24.5 MB target. A 1-minute clip keeps 3,138 kbps for the picture, which looks good on most screens.
- My video is still too big. What now?
- Trim it first with the free video clipper, then compress the shorter clip. Or send a link from a cloud drive instead of an attachment.
- Is my video uploaded anywhere?
- No. The tool runs inside this browser tab, so your video never leaves your device. Only the engine itself is downloaded, about 32 MB, once per visit.
Want a finished video with captions, not just a smaller file? Cutroom edits your clip for you. Your first video is free.