How to compress video for email online

• I tested desktop apps, online tools, and mobile apps to compress video for email in 2025.
• Desktop software like Movavi Video Converter and VLC gave me the most control over file size and format.
• Free and online tools are fine for one-off jobs but often have limitations, such as watermarks, slower speeds, or caps around 1 GB.
• Built-in options (iMovie on Mac, ZIP folders on Windows, cloud links) help when you don’t want extra downloads.
• Your best choice depends on whether you need fast shrinking, exact control over 25 MB/10 MB limits, or just a quick way to share a large file.

I’ve sent more than a few videos that bounced back because the file was too big. And so over the past months, I tested a mix of free, online, and desktop apps on my Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, and Android. Some tools made it simple to shrink a clip to under 25 MB, while others gave me precise controls to modify resolution, bitrate, and format.

This guide shares the ones that actually worked for me in 2025. I’ll explain why I picked each program, what I liked, and what didn’t impress me.

• Best overall: Movavi Video Converter
  This simple yet powerful tool provides an all-in-one solution for compressing, editing, and converting your videos with little to no learning curve.
• Best free option: VLC
  VLC offers a lot of compressing options while being easy to use and for zero cost.
• Best online tool: VEED
  This tool offers a browser-based solution for video compressing that doesn’t force you to download software, which can handle files up to ~1 GB very well.
• Best built-in: iMovie
  iMovie is the built-in video editing tool for Macs. It offers potent video compressing functionality and is a good way to compress videos without downloading anything.
• Best for mobile: Video Compress
  This Android app will compress your videos right from the photo library, allowing you to effortlessly send it via email or social media.

Sending large video files is no longer an issue when you have a video compressor that is as user-friendly as the following options. You can quickly and easily compress a video for an email attachment without losing any of the quality of your original video file. Check the programs below to learn how to send a video through an email.

Why I picked it: I picked Movavi because it gave me the smoothest way to compress video files for email without losing much quality. I liked that I could drag a slider and set the exact size I needed, whether that was 50 MB, 25 MB, or 10 MB. Compared to free tools, it was consistently faster, and the results looked sharper. To me, it’s the balance of speed, control, and simplicity that makes it stand out.

OS: macOS, Windows

Best for: fast and easy tool to compress videos for email

Movavi Video Converter is a fast, reliable video file compressor software available for Mac or Windows. Videos are compressed in a few clicks, with no negative impact on the quality of the original file. With its intuitive interface, this is a user-friendly software that is easy to learn and navigate. If you are looking at emailing videos and you need to reduce your file size to respect the maximum limits of your email program, this is an excellent option.

Use the buttons below to download Movavi Video Converter for Windows or Mac. Open the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the program.

Why I picked it: VLC has been around forever, but it’s still a solid free option in 2025. I like being able to tweak bitrate, codec, and resolution to push a large file down under email limits. It’s not the fastest, but it gives me full control over compression. For zero cost, it’s hard to beat.

OS: Linux, macOS, Windows, Unix, iOS, Android

Best for: free good-quality cross-platform video compression

VLC is a free open-source cross-platform media player. Besides video playback, it also has a lot of different video editing features, including compression. VLC also offers a lot of customization options.

How to email videos and compress them with VLC

1. Download, install and open VLC.
2. Select Media from the dropdown menu. Click Convert/Save.
3. Click Add to select your file.
4. Click Convert/Save to see and select your file conversion options.
5. Select your file destination.
6. Click Start.

Why I picked it: I chose VEED because it offers a browser-based video compressor that doesn’t force you to download software. I liked that I could upload a clip, pick Low/Medium/High or adjust resolution, and see roughly how much the file would shrink without guessing. In several tests, VEED handled files up to ~1 GB without crashing, and the free plan was good enough for quick email-ready exports. It’s not perfect, but for online flexibility, it beats many other web tools I've tried.

OS: web-based

Best for: free and secure online video compression

VEED is a free and secure online video file compressor. You can use it from your web browser with no need to download any software.

How to use VEED to compress a video

1. Go to the converter website.
2. Upload the video you want to compress by clicking Choose video.
3. Choose the quality and resolution of your video.
4. Click Compress Video. Once it’s done, download your compressed video.

If you are wondering how to send videos through email or how to make a video smaller for email, here are a number of useful tips on how to compress your video to reduce its size and a list of programs to do it.

• Tip 1. Use video compressors: video compressing tools can be downloaded and installed on your computer or be available solely online. They encode the video in a way that shrinks the data, meaning it takes up less space and it is how to send large video through email.
• Tip 2. Zip files (Windows/Mac): ZIP file is an archive file format that offers lossless data compression. Zipping a file reduces its size and it makes it easier to send a video via email. ZIP file is an archive file format that offers lossless data compression. Zipping a file reduces its size and it makes it easier to send a video via email.
• Tip 3. Use iMovie: iMovie is the built-in video editing tool for Macs. It also offers video compressing functionality and is a way to compress videos for email on your Mac or iOS devices.
• Tip 4. Use a cloud service: including options such as Dropbox and Google Drive, cloud services offer easy video file compression and storage without impacting quality. You can then easily email videos with an optimized file size.
• Tip 5. Use iPhone apps: iPhone applications can directly access your photo/image library, compress and save your video so you can send a video via email from your phone.
• Tip 6. Use Android apps: there are many free and paid Android applications that can compress videos for your needs. They can directly access your video library or a cloud storage.
• Tips 7-9. Additional tips to reduce video file size: if the file is too big after the compression, you can further reduce it by trimming the video or removing audio. Also, converting your video to GIF will make it lighter. Lastly, try downloading videos in a lower quality or resolution.

Below is an in-depth overview of ways to compress a video for an email. You are sure to find a user-friendly option that suits your project needs, as well as your email marketing software and device requirements.

Why I picked it: Sometimes my file was just a few MB over the cap, and zipping was the fastest way to condense it. I liked that I didn’t need extra software as it’s built into both Windows and Mac. It won’t shrink heavily compressed formats like MP4 much, but it’s handy in a pinch.

Best for: free, quick way to create ZIP video files to share via email

Another option to send videos through an email is to create a ZIP file. Below you’ll find two guides on how to send a long video through email using ZIP files on a Mac and Windows.

How to create a ZIP file in Windows 10

1. Locate the video file to zip.
2. Right-click the file, select Send to and select Compressed (zipped) folder.
3. A zipped folder will be created in the same location as the original file.

How to make a ZIP file on your Mac

1. Locate the video file you want to zip.
2. Right-click on the file and select Compress.
3. A zipped folder will be created in the same location as the original file.

Why I picked it: I already had iMovie on my Mac, so it was convenient for making a smaller export. I liked that I could lower the resolution and still get a decent result. It’s not as flexible as dedicated compressors, but it works fine for trimming and shrinking personal clips.

Best for: free, quick, and easy video file compression for Mac users

iMovie is the free built-in video editing and compression tool found on iOS devices. While compressing the video file, you can also modify the resolution and quality of the video to further reduce file size. It can be easily used across iOS devices to compress video for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod.

How to compress a video on iMovie

1. Open iMovie to compress a video. In the File menu, select Import Media to add the video file. Then return to the File menu, select Share and File.
2. Select file resolution and quality. Click Next and designate the name and desired location to save the compressed file.
3. Click Save to compress your file.

Why I picked it: There were times when the file was still too big even after compression. In those cases, I just uploaded it to Drive or Dropbox and shared the link. I liked that it skipped the fight with size limits and let me send large files without worrying.

Best for: fast, online video file compression that doesn’t affect the quality

The next option is to use a cloud service, like Dropbox or Google Drive. Read the guides below to learn how to send large videos using cloud services.

Dropbox

1. Go to the Dropbox website and create an account or login.
   Visit Dropbox
2. Move your video file to your Dropbox folder.
3. Click Share, which will automatically compress your file.

Google Drive

1. Open Google Drive and create a new account or login.
   Visit Google Drive
2. In Google Drive, select the video file(s) you would like to compress.
3. Right-click and select Download.
4. A .zip file for each selected file will be downloaded to your computer.

Why I picked it: I wanted to resize videos right on my iPhone without a computer whenever I was on the go. This app lets me select a clip, slide a compression bar, and instantly shrink it to under 25 MB. I liked that I could preview the quality before saving.

Best for: free, easy tool to compress an iPhone video for an email

This iPhone and iPad application compresses your videos to save storage space and facilitate sharing, while maintaining the video quality of the original file. You can further reduce the file size by customizing the compression ratio and then preview to check the image quality before finalizing the compression. Follow the steps below to learn how to send large video files from your iPhone.

How to compress a video on an iPhone

1. Download the application for the App Store and install it.
2. Select your video file from your library.
3. Adjust the compression settings and tap Compress.

Tap Delete Originals or Keep Originals to delete or keep the original videos.

Why I picked it: I needed a lightweight Android app to shrink videos quickly, and this was the easiest one to use. I liked that it had ready presets for different quality levels, so I didn’t have to tweak much myself. It’s straightforward and quickly reduces files to under 25 MB fast.

Best for: an easy way to compress video files for email on Android devices

Google Play rating: 3.9 out of 5, 45k reviews

A good option if you are wondering how to send a video that is too large on Android. This app will compress your video right from your photo library, allowing you to send a video via email or even to social networks from your Android device.

How to compress a video on an Android device

1. Download and install the Video Compress app from Google Play.
2. Upload your video and select Compress Video.
3. Adjust video quality if required.
4. Tap Save or Share.

Best for: to resize video for email if the video is too long to send or the file size is too large.

Before you send a large video file through email, you will need to compress it. If the file is still too large, you can edit or trim your video until you reach the optimal file size. Reassess your video and maybe edit it down to the essentials or take just a clip of the video to share via email. Another option is to delete the audio to further reduce file size.

Best for: to change things up a bit and reduce your video to just a few frames on a loop, thus reducing file size.

Use an online GIF generator, or an iPhone or Android app to make an animated GIF. Such GIF tools allow you to select the parts of the video you want to use by designating the start and end times of the frames to include or it can automatically select the first 5 seconds of the video to use on a loop.

Best for: to reduce the video file size without shortening the content of the video.

Also consider reducing the resolution and image quality of the video. Avoid too many effects and transitions and maintain low frame rates. To optimize the quality of your video while keeping file size down, choose to compress MP4 for email sharing.

To successfully send large video files via email, be sure to keep the file size to a minimum by monitoring a few different factors. If you are having trouble bringing your file size down to the maximum limits imposed by your email service provider, you can play around with some of the following aspects of your video file:

File resolution

• By lowering the video resolution, you reduce the sharpness of your images. However, more importantly, you are also bringing down your file size
• HD quality is generally 1920 x 1080 pixels, but to reduce the file size you can go down to 640 x 360 pixels and still maintain viewing quality

File quality

• Download or export your video file in lower quality
• MP4 is recommended to maintain quality and reduce file size

File compression

• Zipping your file is an easy, foolproof way of reducing your file size
• Other video compressing tools and applications will compress your file and allow you to adjust the resolution, quality

File trimming/editing

• Many video compressor tools also offer video editing tools
• Trim, crop, or cut your video to reduce file size
• Minimize graphics, visual effects, and audio to optimize your video file

Sharing via a link instead of email

• Instead of adding the video file as an attachment, send a link instead
• Google Drive and Dropbox allow you to send your video files by email or via a link, where you can enable permissions for the contacts you are sharing with

To share videos via email, you first need to know how to compress a video for emailing and which size limits apply to the email service you are using. Below is a quick look at the most popular email service providers and their maximum email attachment size limits.

After testing all of these, I’d personally keep two options ready. For precise control and reliable results, use Movavi Video Converter. It’s fast, simple, and I can target exact file sizes like 10 MB or 25 MB. For free, quick video shrinking, I go with VLC or VEED.IO.

If I’m on a Mac, iMovie handles casual compressing without extra downloads. On mobile, I stick with Compress Videos on iPhone or Video Compress on Android, as both apps make it easy to cut down files before emailing. And if the file is simply too large to shrink without ruining quality, I just upload it to Google Drive or Dropbox and send the link.

At the end of the day, the right tool depends on whether you want control, convenience, or just a fast way to fit a large file under your email’s 25 MB limit.