Compress a video for email
Gmail lists 25MB and Outlook 20MB, but a file near the limit still bounces. Aim for about 15MB.
20 MBOutlook.com's limit, and the lower of the two. Gmail lists 25MB. Checked 29 Sep 2026
MB
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What to know
- Gmail lists 25MB and Outlook.com lists 20MB. Whichever you use, the recipient's limit applies too, so the lower number is the one that counts.
- Attaching a file makes it about a third bigger, because email can only carry text and has to re-encode it. A 20MB video travels as roughly 27MB, which is why files near the limit bounce. Around 15MB is a safe target for any provider.
- Work accounts are stricter again. Exchange often defaults to 10MB, and IT can set it lower.
Questions
- Is my video uploaded?
- No. It is processed on your device and never sent to a server.
- How long does it take?
- Usually only seconds. There is no upload or download wait because your device does the work, and most phones and computers have video encoding built in. A long clip on an older phone can take longer.
- Why did my video come out at a lower resolution?
- A small file has room for only so much detail. Rather than a blocky 1080p video, the tool scales it down so it looks clean. Pick a bigger size or trim the clip to keep more resolution.
- It says my browser cannot do it.
- Use a current Chrome, Edge or Safari. Not every browser can read every video format.