How to compress a video on Android (Samsung, Pixel and the rest)

Contents6 sections

1. Why do Android videos take up so much space?
2. How do I compress a video on a Samsung phone?
3. How do I make a video smaller on a Pixel or other Android phone?
4. How do I record smaller videos from now on?
5. What’s the quickest way to compress lots of videos?
6. Questions people ask

On Samsung, open the video in Gallery, tap Edit, then More options and Size and format, and pick a lower resolution. On other Android phones, trim the clip in Google Photos and save a copy, or let Google Photos back it up at 1080p with Storage saver. To keep new videos smaller, record at Full HD instead of 4K.

Why do Android videos take up so much space?

Because phones record at very high quality by default. Samsung’s buying guide puts it at about 100 MB for every minute of Full HD video and about 300 MB a minute in 4K. A few minutes of a concert in 4K can outweigh hundreds of photos.

Google says file size depends on “the scene that you record, resolution, and framerate”, so a busy, moving scene at 60 frames per second costs more than a still one at 30. The fix comes in two parts: shrink the videos you already have, then record smaller ones from now on.

How do I compress a video on a Samsung phone?

Samsung’s Gallery app can save a video at a lower resolution. Samsung’s guide gives the steps:

1. Open the video in Gallery and tap Edit.
2. Tap More options, then Size and format.
3. Choose a lower resolution, such as Full HD.
4. Tap Save.

Samsung notes that large or high-resolution videos can take a few minutes to save. Check the new copy plays properly before you delete the original.

To cut the parts you don’t need, tap the Trim icon (the scissors) in the same editor and drag the sliders. Samsung’s video editor guide says the editor is on S20 models and later.

How do I make a video smaller on a Pixel or other Android phone?

Trim it in Google Photos. Open the video, touch and hold, then drag the trim handles to the part you want to keep and tap Save. Google’s Photos editing help says this saves a copy with your edits, so the original is untouched. Cutting a ten-minute clip to the two minutes that matter is often the biggest saving you can make.

Let the backup be smaller. In Google Photos, tap your profile picture, then Google Photos settings, Backup and Photos and videos quality, and choose Storage saver. Google’s backup quality page says videos higher than 1080p are resized to 1080p. That shrinks the copy in your Google storage, not the file on your phone. To clear the phone’s copy as well, use Free up space on this device afterwards. Our guide to freeing up space on Android walks through it.

Google Photos doesn’t offer a lower-resolution export for a single video, so if a trimmed clip is still too big, you need an app that compresses.

How do I record smaller videos from now on?

Lower the default resolution. It’s the setting that makes the biggest difference.

• Pixel: in the Camera app, switch to video, open the settings in the bottom left and set Resolution to Full HD. Google’s Pixel Camera help lists this under reducing resolution to save storage space. Lower Frames/sec to 30 for everyday clips too.
• Samsung: open Camera > Settings > Videos > Advanced video options. On some models it includes High efficiency videos and Reduce file size, per Samsung’s camera settings guide, which notes that not every option is on every phone.

Keep 4K for the moments you’ll want on a big screen later.

What’s the quickest way to compress lots of videos?

Doing it one clip at a time in Gallery gets old fast. Siftlo’s Compress video tool does a batch on the phone. Open Large files on the Clean screen to see the biggest videos first, tick the ones you want smaller and tap Compress, or start from Compress video in Tools. Siftlo shows the plan before anything changes, and Keep the originals is on by default.

If you choose to replace the originals, your phone asks you to confirm and moves them to its bin, and Siftlo says queued to free until the bin is emptied. The first 2 GB of video each month are free, with no account, and Plus removes the limit. The iPhone version of this guide covers the same tool on Apple’s phones.

Method	What it does	Keeps the original	Where
Samsung Gallery, Size and format	Saves at a lower resolution	You choose	Samsung phones
Google Photos trim	Cuts the length, saves a copy	Yes	Most Android phones
Google Photos Storage saver	Backs up above 1080p at 1080p	Yes, on the phone	Your Google storage
Record at Full HD	Smaller files from now on	Not applicable	Camera settings
Siftlo Compress video	Shrinks a batch on the phone	On by default	Android and iPhone

Questions people ask

Does compressing a video reduce its quality?

A little, yes. Google says Storage saver keeps photos and videos at a slightly reduced quality, and videos at 1080p or lower look close to the original. Dropping from 4K to 1080p is hard to notice on a phone screen, and much easier to spot on a large TV.

How do I send a video that's too big for email?

Share it as a link instead. Gmail's limit for personal accounts is 25 MB, and Google says it automatically turns a bigger attachment into a Google Drive link. You can also upload the video to Drive yourself and share the link.

Does trimming a video in Google Photos replace the original?

No. When you trim a video in Google Photos and tap Save, it saves a copy with your edits, so the original stays as it was until you delete it.