How to compress a video for WhatsApp

WhatsApp is strict about size: 16 MB for a status update and roughly 64 MB for a file sent in a chat (the exact chat limit depends on your app version, but anything above 64 MB is a gamble). A one-minute clip from a modern phone is easily 100–200 MB, so most videos need compressing first.

The quick way

1. Open the Compress video tool below and drop your file. It runs in the browser — the video is never uploaded.
2. Pick Medium. That is H.264 at CRF 25, which cuts a phone recording to roughly a quarter of its size with no visible change on a phone screen.
3. Download the MP4 and share it in WhatsApp as a video, not as a document, so it plays inline.

If it is still too big

• Trim it. Ten seconds of a two-minute video is usually the part people want. Use Trim video first, then compress.
• Choose Heavy. CRF 30 halves the size again. Fine for chat, noticeably soft on a TV.
• Send as a document. WhatsApp does not recompress documents, but the recipient has to open it in a player and the size limit is higher (2 GB).

Why WhatsApp makes videos blurry

When you send a video normally, WhatsApp re-encodes it to a low bitrate on your phone. Compressing it yourself first gives you control: your encoder decides which detail to keep, and the file may already be small enough for WhatsApp to leave alone.

iPhone videos (.MOV / HEVC)

Newer iPhones record in HEVC inside a .MOV container. Android recipients often cannot play these. Compress video already outputs H.264 MP4, so the same step fixes compatibility. If you only need the container changed without shrinking, use MOV to MP4.