Compress Video for Email
Shrink any video to about 12 MB so it sends as a real attachment through Gmail and Outlook — not a Google Drive link. That extra headroom absorbs the ~33% Base64 overhead email adds, so it still clears the recipient's 20-25 MB cap. Free, private, and runs 100% in your browser.
Target size
Bitrate-calculated to fit
Privacy-first
Videos never leave your device
Fast processing
WebCodecs + mediabunny
We calculate a target bitrate from your video's duration so the output fits under 12 MB (Email). Longer clips get less bitrate per second, so trimming first gives the best visual quality.
Target Size: Under 12 MB (Email)
We calculate a per-video bitrate from duration, then re-encode with H.264 + AAC. If the first encode overshoots, we retry at 10% lower bitrate (up to two retries).
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About Compress Video for Email
Email has held the same attachment ceiling for over a decade: Gmail and the Outlook.com web app both cap a message at 25 MB, while the classic Outlook desktop client, Apple Mail over iCloud, and Yahoo stop at 20 MB, and locked-down corporate Exchange servers at 10 MB. Those caps apply to the encoded message, not your raw file — email can't carry binary, so every attachment is Base64-encoded into text, which inflates it by about a third. A 20 MB video actually crosses the wire as roughly 27 MB and bounces at the recipient's server. And when Gmail sees a message over the cap it doesn't warn you: it strips the attachment, uploads it to your Google Drive, and pastes a link that external and corporate recipients often can't open without a permission prompt. Compressing to about 12 MB leaves room for the Base64 overhead, so the message lands near 16 MB and clears every mainstream inbox as a real attachment.
We read the video's duration and calculate a target bitrate that fills 12 MB without overshooting — file size divided by length, minus a margin for the MP4 container and audio track. For a 60-second clip that works out to about 1.5 Mbps, plenty for crisp 720p, and it scales down proportionally for longer videos. The output is standard MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio — the one combination Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail preview inline instead of forcing a download, and that plays on whatever phone the recipient opens the message on. If the first pass overshoots the target, we automatically retry at a lower bitrate.
Every frame is re-encoded on your own device in a Web Worker using WebCodecs and the mediabunny library. Your video is never uploaded, queued, or stored on a server — which matters when the thing you're emailing is a signed contract, a medical clip, or an internal HR recording. Unlike an online compressor, nothing you're about to send gets a second copy sitting on someone else's infrastructure first; close the tab and the data is gone.
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Compress Video for Email — Frequently Asked Questions
What size does a video need to be to email it?
About 12 MB. Gmail and the Outlook.com web app both cap a message at 25 MB, and many desktop and corporate clients at 20 MB — but email Base64-encodes every attachment and adds roughly 33% on top. A 15 MB video already weighs about 20 MB once encoded, and a 20 MB one crosses 26 MB and trips Gmail's ceiling. Targeting 12 MB means the encoded message lands near 16 MB and clears both the 20 MB and 25 MB caps without switching to a Drive link.
Why did Gmail turn my video into a Drive link?
Because the message went over 25 MB once the attachment was encoded. Gmail doesn't reject oversized files — it uploads them to your Google Drive and pastes a link in the body instead. That works for people inside your Google Workspace, but external and corporate recipients often hit a permission prompt or a firewall that blocks Drive. Compressing under the cap keeps it a normal attachment they can download straight from the email.
What's the limit for Outlook and corporate email?
Outlook.com's web app allows up to 25 MB, matching Gmail, but the classic Outlook desktop client defaults to 20 MB and corporate Exchange servers often drop to 10 MB. The recipient's server limit applies too, so the lower of send and receive wins — you might attach a file fine and still have it bounce at their end. If you're emailing a locked-down organization, use our 10 MB target instead of this one to be safe.
Will the video still look good at 12 MB?
For clips up to about a minute at 720p, yes — 12 MB gives around 1.5 Mbps, enough to look clean on a laptop or phone. Long or high-motion footage (several minutes, fast action) gets a tighter budget and will look softer. This tool controls file size, not length, so for a long clip trim it first with our Video Trimmer to keep the picture sharp within the target.
Is my video uploaded anywhere to compress it?
No. Everything runs in your browser using WebCodecs — the file is re-encoded on your device and never touches a server. That's the whole point of doing it here rather than an online uploader: the video you're about to email doesn't get a second copy sitting on someone else's infrastructure first.
What size does a video need to be to email it?
About 12 MB. Gmail and the Outlook.com web app both cap a message at 25 MB, and many desktop and corporate clients at 20 MB — but email Base64-encodes every attachment and adds roughly 33% on top. A 15 MB video already weighs about 20 MB once encoded, and a 20 MB one crosses 26 MB and trips Gmail's ceiling. Targeting 12 MB means the encoded message lands near 16 MB and clears both the 20 MB and 25 MB caps without switching to a Drive link.
Why did Gmail turn my video into a Drive link?
Because the message went over 25 MB once the attachment was encoded. Gmail doesn't reject oversized files — it uploads them to your Google Drive and pastes a link in the body instead. That works for people inside your Google Workspace, but external and corporate recipients often hit a permission prompt or a firewall that blocks Drive. Compressing under the cap keeps it a normal attachment they can download straight from the email.
What's the limit for Outlook and corporate email?
Outlook.com's web app allows up to 25 MB, matching Gmail, but the classic Outlook desktop client defaults to 20 MB and corporate Exchange servers often drop to 10 MB. The recipient's server limit applies too, so the lower of send and receive wins — you might attach a file fine and still have it bounce at their end. If you're emailing a locked-down organization, use our 10 MB target instead of this one to be safe.
Will the video still look good at 12 MB?
For clips up to about a minute at 720p, yes — 12 MB gives around 1.5 Mbps, enough to look clean on a laptop or phone. Long or high-motion footage (several minutes, fast action) gets a tighter budget and will look softer. This tool controls file size, not length, so for a long clip trim it first with our Video Trimmer to keep the picture sharp within the target.
Is my video uploaded anywhere to compress it?
No. Everything runs in your browser using WebCodecs — the file is re-encoded on your device and never touches a server. That's the whole point of doing it here rather than an online uploader: the video you're about to email doesn't get a second copy sitting on someone else's infrastructure first.