Free Video Compressor

Upload limits worth knowing

Almost everyone arrives here because something refused a file. These are the ceilings people hit most often.

What actually determines file size

A video file is, near enough, bitrate × duration. Bitrate is how many bits per second the encoder is allowed to spend; multiply it by the length and you have the size. Everything else is a consequence of that one equation.

This is why "compress to 10 MB" is a different request for a 15-second clip than for a five-minute one. Fifteen seconds into 10 MB is about 5.5 Mbps — comfortable 1080p. Five minutes into the same 10 MB is about 270 kbps, which is not enough for 1080p, or for 720p, and pretending otherwise just produces blocks.

So when the budget gets tight this tool lowers the resolution instead. Fewer pixels, each one with enough bits to look right, beats a full-resolution frame that has visibly fallen apart. The result panel tells you which height it settled on.

Getting a better-looking result

• Trim before you compress. Duration is half the equation, and cutting a dead intro costs you nothing in quality. Ten seconds removed from a thirty-second clip gives every remaining frame 50% more bitrate.
• Always start from the original. Compressing an already-compressed export stacks the damage. Go back to the source file even if it means re-exporting.
• Aim slightly under the limit. Targeting exactly 10 MB for a 10 MB ceiling leaves no room for the few percent that single-pass encoding can overshoot by.
• Expect motion to cost you. Confetti, rain, grain, fast pans and crowd shots are expensive to encode. A static talking head at the same target will look far cleaner.

Why this one does not upload your file

Most free video tools send your file to a server, process it there and hand back a download link. That works, and it means a stranger now has a copy of your footage, kept for however long their retention policy says — which for unreleased product shots, client work or anything with a face in it is a real cost, not a theoretical one.

Here the encoder is compiled to WebAssembly and runs in this tab. The trade is honest: your laptop is slower than a server farm, so a long clip takes longer. In exchange there is no upload, no queue, no account and no copy of your video anywhere but your own disk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my file uploaded anywhere?

No. The encoder runs inside your browser through WebAssembly, and the file never leaves your device. You can check this yourself: open your browser's network tab while it runs, or disconnect from the internet once the page has loaded — the tool keeps working.

Do I need an account?

No. There is no sign-up, no email and no watermark on the result.

What size does Discord allow?

Free accounts can attach files up to 10 MB. Nitro Basic raises it to 50 MB and Nitro to 500 MB. If you are not paying for Nitro, 10 MB is the number you need to hit — that is the Discord preset here.

Why is my compressed video blurrier than the original?

Because a target file size is a bitrate budget, and that budget is shared across every frame. A two-minute clip squeezed into 10 MB gets roughly 650 kbps, which is not enough for sharp 1080p. Rather than produce a blocky 1080p mess, the tool reduces the resolution so the pixels it does keep look clean. A shorter clip at the same target will look noticeably better.

How long can my video be?

There is no hard duration limit, but the input file must be under 500 MB because everything is held in your browser's memory. Long videos also take longer to encode, since your own machine is doing the work rather than a server.

Which formats are supported?

MP4, WebM and MOV go in; MP4 comes out. MP4 with H.264 is the safest thing to upload anywhere, which is why it is the default output.

Why is it slower than a site that uploads my file?

Those services encode on a server farm. This one uses your laptop. For a short clip the difference barely shows, and you skip the upload, the queue, the download, and handing your footage to someone else.

The result is still over my target size. What now?

Single-pass encoding aims at the target rather than guaranteeing it, and some footage — heavy motion, grain, confetti — resists compression. Trim the clip shorter, which is the one change that always helps, or set a target slightly below what you actually need.

Does compressing twice make it smaller?

Smaller, yes, and worse. Each encode throws away detail permanently, and re-encoding an already-compressed file compounds the damage. Always start from the original.