How to compress a video on iPhone without losing quality

Contents6 sections

1. Why are iPhone videos so big?
2. How do I make future videos smaller?
3. How do I shrink a video I’ve already taken on iPhone?
4. How do I compress a video on Android?
5. What does Siftlo’s Compress video tool do?
6. Questions people ask

Make a smaller copy and compare it before you delete the original. Trim the clip in Photos and save it as a new clip, or export it from iMovie at a lower resolution. For future videos, keep Settings > Camera > Formats on High Efficiency, which Apple says saves space at the same visual quality, and lower Record Video.

Why are iPhone videos so big?

Because the camera defaults lean towards quality, and video is a lot of pictures every second.

Two settings decide most of a video’s size: resolution and frame rate. Depending on the model, an iPhone records in HD or 4K at 24, 25, 30, 60 or 120 frames per second. Apple’s Record a video guide puts it in one line: “Faster frame rates and higher resolutions result in larger video files.” So a minute of 4K at 60 frames per second takes more space than the same minute in 1080p at 30.

The format matters too. Under Settings > Camera > Formats, High Efficiency records video in HEVC and Most Compatible records in H.264. Apple’s HEIF and HEVC page says HEVC compresses better, so it uses less storage “while preserving the same visual quality”. That’s the closest thing to compression without visible loss, and it happens at the moment you record. The same setting shrinks photos too; see how to compress photos on iPhone.

Then there are the heavy modes:

• ProRes, on Pro models, is turned on in Settings > Camera > Formats > Apple ProRes. Apple’s ProRes article says ProRes files are “up to 30 times larger than HEVC files”. Apple pitches it for higher colour fidelity and editing, so most everyday clips don’t need it.
• Slo-mo records at 1080p HD at 240 frames per second from the back camera by default, per Apple’s video recording settings page. Some models add 4K at 120.
• Cinematic mode defaults to 1080p HD at 30 frames per second, with 4K options in Settings > Camera > Record Cinematic.

How do I make future videos smaller?

Change two settings once, and every clip after that is lighter.

1. Open Settings > Camera > Formats and choose High Efficiency.
2. Go back, tap Record Video and pick a lower resolution or frame rate for everyday clips, such as 1080p at 30 frames per second instead of 4K at 60.
3. If you have a Pro model and don’t edit professionally, check that Apple ProRes is off in the same Formats screen.

You can still switch per clip. With Video selected in the Camera app, tap the resolution and frame rate at the top of the screen to change them for one recording. Save 4K for the moments you’ll want on a big screen.

This only affects new videos. Everything already in your library stays the size it is.

How do I shrink a video I’ve already taken on iPhone?

The iPhone has no single Compress button for video. There are two built-in ways to get a smaller file, and both make a new copy, so you choose when the original goes.

Trim it in Photos. The quickest win is cutting what you don’t need: the minute of pocket footage before the speech starts. In Photos, open the video and tap the edit button, drag either end of the frame viewer, then tap Done. Apple’s trim guide gives you two choices: Save Video keeps only the trimmed version, and you can still Revert it later, while Save Video as New Clip saves both. To keep a full copy until you’re sure, save a new clip, watch it, then delete the long one.

Export a smaller copy from iMovie. Apple’s iMovie app can re-save a clip at a lower resolution. It’s in the App Store if it isn’t on your phone.

1. In iMovie, tap Start New Project, then Movie.
2. Tap the video, then Create Movie.
3. Back in the Projects browser, tap the project, tap the share button, then Share Video.
4. Tap Options and choose a lower resolution (and frame rate, if offered).
5. Tap Done, then Save Video to put the copy in your photo library.

Apple’s iMovie sharing guide also notes that sharing straight to Mail or Messages from iMovie “creates a 360p-resolution video at 30 frames per second (fps), regardless of the original content”. That’s tiny, and fine for a quick look, but not for keeping.

Here’s the honest trade. Lowering the resolution is what makes the real difference to size, and it’s also what costs detail. How much you notice depends on the clip and the screen you watch it on. Watch the copy before you delete the original, and empty Recently Deleted afterwards, or the space won’t come back. Our guide to freeing up space on iPhone covers that last step.

Method	How much smaller	Quality	Keeps the original?
High Efficiency (HEVC) for new videos	Smaller than H.264, per Apple	Same visual quality, per Apple	Applies to new videos only
Lower Record Video setting	Smaller for every new clip	Less detail than 4K or 60 fps	Applies to new videos only
Trim in Photos	Depends on how much you cut	Length changes, not resolution	Yes, with Save Video as New Clip
iMovie export at a lower resolution	Smaller the lower you go	Some detail lost	Yes, it saves a copy
iMovie share to Mail or Messages	Very small, 360p at 30 fps	Much lower	Yes, it sends a copy
Siftlo Compress video	Depends on the video	Some detail lost	Your choice

If what you’re really after is space rather than one smaller file, video usually isn’t the only culprit. If you were hoping a cache clean would do it, here’s what clearing an iPhone’s cache really frees.

How do I compress a video on Android?

It depends on the phone, so here are only the two routes the makers document. Our full guide to compressing a video on Android goes further.

On a recent Samsung Galaxy, Samsung’s guide (written for 8K clips on the S23 to S26 series) has you open the video in Gallery, tap Edit, then More options > Size and format and choose a lower resolution, then Done and Save.

Google Photos can keep a smaller copy in your backup instead. Per Google’s help, with Storage saver as the backup quality, “videos higher than 1080p will be resized to high-definition 1080p” in your backup. Set it in Google Photos under your profile picture, Settings > Backup > Photos and videos quality.

What does Siftlo’s Compress video tool do?

It makes the job one step instead of a project. Siftlo is a phone app that sorts, deduplicates and clears photos and files, and Compress video sits in its Tools tab next to Trim and Extract audio.

You can start from two places. Pick Compress video in Tools, or open Large files on the Clean screen, where Siftlo lists the biggest files on your phone. Tick the clips and tap Compress; anything that isn’t a photo or video is left out and listed separately. Siftlo shows the plan before anything changes, and you choose whether to keep the originals.

The compressing runs on the phone, so your videos aren’t uploaded anywhere. If you choose to replace an original, your phone asks you to confirm and the original goes to its deleted album rather than vanishing, and Siftlo says queued to free until that album is emptied, instead of counting space that hasn’t come back yet.

On Free, you get 2 GB of video compressed a month, with no account. If one video is bigger than what’s left of that allowance, Siftlo says so before it starts, on a sheet headed Keep the video, lose the bulk, and offers three ways out: shrink it with Plus, delete it instead (always free), or keep it as it is. Plus removes the allowance. The pricing page lists every allowance, and you can see all of Siftlo’s tools on the features page.

Siftlo runs on iOS 16 or later and Android 11 or later.

Questions people ask

Does AirDrop send a video at full quality?

It can. In Photos, tap the share button, then Options, and turn on All Photos Data to send the original file with its metadata and edit history. Apple notes the Most Compatible option may convert files to MOV instead.

Does iCloud's Optimise Storage shrink my videos?

Only the copies on your phone. With iCloud Photos and Optimise Storage on, iCloud keeps the originals at full resolution and the iPhone keeps space-saving versions, starting with what you open least. You can download the original whenever you need it, so nothing is lost.

Why won't a long video send in Messages?

Apple says some long videos are simply too large for a standard text message, and the attachment size limit is set by your service provider. Use AirDrop for someone nearby, or Mail Drop in Mail, which gives the recipient 30 days to download it.