How to compress your video
It takes about two minutes, and your video will look the same.
📱 On Android (easiest)
- Open the Play Store and search for “video compressor”.
- Install any free, well-rated one (most work the same way).
- Open it and pick your video.
- Choose a 720p or 1080p preset — or anything labelled “medium quality” / “for sharing”.
- Save the compressed copy, then upload that file here.
🍎 On iPhone
- Open the App Store and search for “video compressor”.
- Install a free one, open it, and pick your video.
- Choose a 720p or 1080p preset and export.
- Upload the exported file here.
To avoid this next time: Settings → Camera → Formats → High Efficiency records the same quality at roughly half the size.
💬 The messaging-app trick
Send the video to yourself on a messaging app that compresses (Telegram's “Saved Messages”, or WhatsApp), then download the version it delivers. Those apps re-encode automatically — this routinely turns a 500 MB clip into around 80 MB.
💻 On a computer
Use HandBrake (free, Windows/Mac/Linux). Open your video, pick the Fast 1080p30 preset, and start the encode.
What should I aim for?
Compress as much as you can — the smaller the file, the faster it uploads. As a rough guide, this is roughly what a compressed video should come out at. Longer videos are naturally bigger, so size depends on length:
| Video length | Aim for around |
|---|---|
| 1 minute | 29 MB |
| 3 minutes | 86 MB |
| 5 minutes | 143 MB |
| 15 minutes | 429 MB |
| 30 minutes | 858 MB |
| 1 hour | 1.68 GB |
These are guidance, not hard limits — coming in under them is better still, and the upload page tells you the target for your own video. Don't worry about hitting a number exactly; any decent compressor preset will land in the right range.