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How to compress an iPhone video

iPhones record very high quality video, which is why a short clip can be tens or hundreds of megabytes. Two things decide how sharable it is: the resolution and the format.

HEVC and 4K, in plain terms

  • 4K means 3840×2160 pixels, four times the pixels of 1080p. It's rarely visible on a phone or laptop screen, but it is what makes files huge.
  • HEVC is the efficient video format iPhones use by default ("High Efficiency" in Settings, Camera, Formats). It makes smaller files than older formats, but many websites, upload forms and older computers can't read it.
  • "Most Compatible" in that same setting records in a more widely supported format instead. Files are bigger but open almost everywhere.

What compressing does to an iPhone clip

The result is a standard MP4 that opens almost everywhere, which also fixes the compatibility problem, and it keeps the orientation your video was recorded in. In our own tests with iPhone clips, Medium compression made files roughly 70–90% smaller, and High made them smaller still. Low compression keeps the most quality and saves less. Your results will depend on the footage: detailed, fast-moving scenes shrink less than calm ones.

Which level should you choose?

  • Sharing in a chat or by email: Medium or High.
  • Uploading to a form that wants a clear picture: Medium.
  • You want to keep 4K: Low, accepting that the saving is modest.

Select your clip in the compressor to see the estimated size for each level, and compare the result with your original before you download. For a form, see also compressing for an upload form.

Compress a video Free, no account, nothing uploaded.

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