What is the best format for emailing a video?

MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio. It plays on every phone, computer and in most email clients’ previews. Compress video saves exactly that.

Can I compress a video to 10 MB?

Yes. Type 10 MB as the target. For anything longer than a minute, drop the resolution to 720p or 480p so the quality holds up.

Does compressing change the length?

No. Only the quality and resolution change. Use Trim video if you want to shorten it.

Guide

How to compress a video for email

Most email services reject attachments above about 25 MB (Gmail) or 20 MB (Outlook.com), and a minute of phone video is often bigger than that. You have two honest options: compress the video until it fits, or send a link. This guide covers the first, and tells you when to give up and do the second.

Steps

1Open Compress video and drop the file.
2Set the size limit. The 25 MB · Email preset matches Gmail; type a custom 20 MB to stay under Outlook.com’s limit as well.
3If the video is longer than a couple of minutes, also lower the resolution to 720p so the quality at 20 MB stays watchable.
4Trim it first if only part of the video matters; a shorter video compresses to a higher quality at the same size.
5Compress, then attach the saved MP4 to your email.

Open Compress video

How much can you compress before it looks bad?

Quality depends on bits per second of video. 20 MB over one minute is about 2.6 Mbit/s, which looks good at 720p. The same 20 MB over ten minutes is about 260 kbit/s, which looks rough at any resolution. As a rule, under two minutes compresses well to an email attachment; longer than five minutes usually does not.

When to send a link instead

If the video is long or needs to stay sharp, upload it to a drive or a video host and email the link. Compressing a 15-minute talk to 20 MB will make it unpleasant to watch. Compress for email when the clip is short and the point is to get it in front of someone quickly.

Attachment limits at a glance

Gmail: 25 MB per message (larger files are turned into Google Drive links).
Outlook.com: 20 MB per message.
Corporate mail servers: often 10 MB. Ask if you are not sure.

Privacy

Business videos often contain things you would rather not hand to a random online compressor. Every tool runs in your browser, so your files never leave your computer.

Questions

What is the best format for emailing a video?: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio. It plays on every phone, computer and in most email clients’ previews. Compress video saves exactly that.
Can I compress a video to 10 MB?: Yes. Type 10 MB as the target. For anything longer than a minute, drop the resolution to 720p or 480p so the quality holds up.
Does compressing change the length?: No. Only the quality and resolution change. Use Trim video if you want to shorten it.