How to Compress a Video to Email It (Gmail & Outlook)
Updated July 2026 · KeepClip
Email was never built for video. Every provider caps how large an attachment can be, and video files blow past those limits almost instantly. The fix is to compress the video before you attach it.
This guide covers the real size limits for each email service, and how to shrink a video enough to send it without handing your file to a random website.
Video Compressor
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Step by step
- 1
Check your limit
Gmail allows 25MB per email; Outlook allows 20MB. Your video needs to be under that.
- 2
Open the compressor
Go to keepclip.live/video-compressor and add your video.
- 3
Pick a preset
Choose "WhatsApp / Social" for the smallest file, or "Balanced" if quality matters more.
- 4
Compress and attach
Save the smaller file and attach it to your email as normal.
Email attachment size limits
- Gmail — 25MB per email (larger files are offered as a Google Drive link automatically).
- Outlook / Hotmail — 20MB per email, or up to 33MB in some configurations.
- Yahoo Mail — 25MB per email.
- Apple Mail (iCloud) — 20MB, with Mail Drop offering up to 5GB via a link.
- Corporate/work email — often much lower, sometimes 10MB. Check with your IT team.
What to do when the video is still too big
Even compressed, a long or high-resolution video may not fit under 25MB. When that happens you have two good options.
First, compress harder — the "WhatsApp / Social" preset produces the smallest file and is usually enough for anything a few minutes long. Second, if it still will not fit, upload the video to a cloud service and email the link instead. Gmail does this for you automatically: attach the large file and it offers to send it as a Google Drive link.
Why compress on your own device
Many "compress video for email" websites upload your file to their servers first. For a work document, a private family video or anything sensitive, that means handing your footage to a company you know nothing about.
A browser-based compressor does all the work on your own computer or phone, so the video is never uploaded anywhere. It is private, and it works even on a slow connection because nothing has to be sent and downloaded back.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum video size for Gmail?+
25MB per email. Above that, Gmail automatically offers to send the file as a Google Drive link instead.
What is the Outlook attachment limit?+
20MB by default, though some setups allow up to around 33MB.
Will compressing ruin the video quality?+
The "Balanced" preset keeps good quality while cutting size significantly. Use "WhatsApp / Social" only when you need the absolute smallest file.
Is my video uploaded to a server?+
No. Compression happens entirely in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.
How long does it take?+
The video processes in real time, so roughly the length of the video itself. A two-minute clip takes about two minutes.