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Compress Videos

1. Compress Video/Audio in Different Formats+
  1. 1.1 Compress MP4 on Winodws & Mac
  2. 1.2 Reduce Size of MP4
  3. 1.3 Resize MP4 Videos Online
  4. 1.4 Compress MP4 Online
  5. 1.5 Free MP4 Compressors
  6. 1.6 Compress FLV
  7. 1.7 Compress MKV
  8. 1.8 Compress MOV
  9. 1.9 Compress MOV Online
  10. 1.10 Compress WMV
  11. 1.11 Comrpess M4V
  12. 1.12 Compress MPEG/3GP
  13. 1.14 Compress AVI File
  14. 1.15 Reduce Size of MKV
  15. 1.16 Top 5 WebM Compressors
  16. 1.17 Compress WAV Free Online
  17. 1.18 FLAC Compression Software
  18. 1.19 Top 5 Online MP3 Size Reducers
  19. 1.20 Compress M4A Files Free Online
2. Compress Video from Devices/Apps +
  1. 2.1 Compress iPhone Video
  2. 2.2 Compress Camcorder Video
  3. 2.3 Compress GoPro Video
  4. 2.4 Compress QuickTime Video
  5. 2.5 Compress Fraps Video
  6. 2.6 Top 12 File Compressor for Android
  7. 2.7 MMS Video Size Limit for iPhone/Android
  8. 2.8 Shorten Videos on iPhone
  9. 2.9 10 Video Compressor App Android/iPhone
  10. 2.10 Top 8 Video Size Reducers for Android
3. Compress Video with Different Apps +
  1. 3.1 Resize Video in iMovie
  2. 3.2 Make VLC Resize Video
  3. 3.3 Make Windows Movie Maker Resize Video
  4. 3.4 Different Apps to Compress Video
  5. 3.5 Compress Videos with Windows Media Player Alternatives
  6. 3.6 Use FFmpeg to Resize Video
  7. 3.7 Apple Compressor 4 Alternative
  8. 3.8 Top 6 Clipchamp Alternatives
  9. 3.9 Top 7 Video Cutter and Compressor
  10. 3.10 HandBrake Video Compressor Alternative
4. Compress Video for Different Purposes +
  1. 4.1 Compress Video for Email
  2. 4.2 Compress Video for Web
  3. 4.3 Compress Video for YouTube
  4. 4.4 Compress Video for Vimeo
  5. 4.5 Compress Video for Facebook, Instagram
  6. 4.6 Twitter Video Compression
  7. 4.7 Resize Facebook Video Size
  8. 4.8 Resize Instagram Video Size
  9. 4.9 Compress YouTube Video Size
  10. 4.10 Compress Video for DVD
  11. 4.11 Send Large Files via Email
  12. 4.12 Compress Files for WhatsApp
  13. 4.13 Send Long Videos on WhatsApp
5. Other Tips & Tricks +
  1. 5.1 Full Guide to Compress Video
  2. 5.2 Free Video Compressors
  3. 5.3 Top 13 Video Compressors
  4. 5.4 Top 10 Video Compressor for Mac
  5. 5.5 Top Audio Compressors
  6. 5.6 Top 8 Audio Compressor Free Online
  7. 5.7 Compress Files to Small Size
  8. 5.8 Compress HD/FHD (4K/1080P) Videos
  9. 5.9 Compress A Video
  10. 5.10 Compressed Video Formats
  11. 5.11 Top 8 Compression Software 2019
  12. 5.12 Top 9 File Compressors
  13. 5.13 How to Make A File Smaller
  14. 5.14 How to Make Video Smaller
  15. 5.15 Lossless Compression
  16. 5.16 Top 10 Ways to Reduce Video Size
  17. 5.17 Compress Files & Folders
  18. 5.18 Compress Folder Online and Free
  19. 5.19 Top 6 Online Size Converters
  20. 5.20 Top 10 Ways to Send Large Videos
  21. 5.21 Top 5 Video Resizer
  22. 5.22 Top 6 File Size Reducer
  23. 5.23 Shorten a Video Online and Free
  24. 5.24 Change MP4/MP3 Bitrate
  25. 5.25 11 Ways to Compress Videos Free Online

Top 12 Ways: How to Compress A Video Without Losing Quality

by Christine Smith • 2024-02-26 15:19:42 • Proven solutions

If you are a movie buff, you know the research, time, and patience that are needed to create a collection of your favorite videos over the years. So now, when you have a massive selection of videos that surpasses your PC storage, you may get the same questions listed above. Delete some old favorites to accommodate a few new ones, but this is only a temporary solution. Do not fret as you can compress video and keep the past and add the new ones as well. Video compression also becomes necessary when you want to upload your video to a site where there is a limitation to the size that can be uploaded.

Moreover, compressed videos consume fewer Internet data while uploading, and the overall process is quick. Considering the above benefits, reducing the file size seems to be of utmost importance. Are you looking for ways on how to compress a video, like compressing MP4, MOV, MKV, even DVD movies? We have the best video compression solutions listed in the parts below.

Top 13 Video Compressors Online/Windows/Mac/iOS/Android

Part 1. Knowledge About Video Compression You Should Know

To make your video file compression task easy, read below to know the basics of video file size, factors affecting its size, and related details.

1. What is Video Compression

The video compression definition simply refers to the process of reducing a video size by encoding the video. The video size can be affected by many parameters, including video resolution, video format, codec, bit rate, and others. Types of video compression, including lossless video compression and lossy video compression, the lossless compression always keep a higher video quality after compressed while the lossy compression lowers the quality. Choose which method to compress videos according to your needs.

2. Importance of Video File Size

A file format defines the structure in which file information is stored. When it comes to video files, they are generally large, as they need large data to depict the video signal accurately. There are many different types of video file formats available, but all the files feature characteristics, including – a container type, video signal, audio signal, and a codec. The size of the video file is essential as it determines the time and data needed for downloading as well as uploading. Moreover, many social networking and video sharing sites have limitations to the size of the video that can be uploaded to their website. The video size also decides the amount of space it occupies on your PC storage. Larger the file size, the more significant the area needed.

3. Factors Affecting Video File Size

Various factors affect the size of a video file:

  • Bit rate (data rate): Bit rate is the amount of data that is used by each video file, and it is generally measured in kilobits per second. The size of the bit rate is directly proportional to the video file size. Thus, the higher the bit rate better is the video file quality.
  • Frame rate: Frame rate is defined as the number of frames per second, and videos are generally recorded in 24 or 30 fps. The frame rate is directly proportional to the video file size, the larger the frame rate, the larger is the file size. 
  • Resolution: Another important aspect that decides the video file size is its resolution, which is the size of the output video and measured in pixels. The higher the file resolution better is video quality. 

4. Benefits of Compressing Videos

Video file compression has become necessary owing to multiple reasons as enlisted below:

  • Reduced file size occupies less space on your PC storage and thus creates an additional room to add more videos.
  • Compressed files are easy and quick to share and transfer through mails.
  • Smaller-sized files can be easily and quickly uploaded to social networking and video sharing sites.
  • A lot of video sites have restrictions on the size of the file that can be uploaded, and thus, file compression becomes necessary.
  • To make your favorite videos fit perfectly on the small screen of your smartphone or tablet, you need to compress its size as large size videos will not play properly.

5. Does Google Drive Compress Videos

Many people use Google Drive or other similar cloud service application to upload videos and photos to save space. But when they download them online, the video and photo quality seems not clear enough as the original. Google Drive has a 15 GB storage for free, and it would not compress video quality if you choose to keep your files original. But when you want to download your uploaded files again, the quality may be affected by your devices such as mobile phones, which don't have too much space to store the downloading files and will lose some quality. What's more, when you're viewing the uploaded files online, the quality will lose a bit and depend on the network situation.

Part 2. How to Compress Video Files Without Losing Quality on Windows/Mac

Before learning online video compression tools, we want to recommend you the best alternative to you as the online tools have their limitations on file size, quality loss, network situation, and more others. Wondershare UniConverter (originally Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate) is what we recommend most to compress video files. It's an all-in-one video tool which can reduce video size by converting video format, changing resolution, setting bitrate, and other customized features. You can use it to compress your MP4/MOV/AVI/MP3 and other video or audio files with super fast speed and full quality output. Compatible with both Windows and Mac system, you can also achieve its additional functions such as video download, DVD burning, video transfer, etc.

  • Compress a video without losing any quality on Windows and Mac systems.
  • Compress video files by changing their parameters like size, resolution, frame rate, bit rate, and format.
  • Edit videos before compressing with cropping, trimming, rotating, adding watermarks, applying effects, etc.
  • Facilitates batch converting and compressing multiple files at a time.
  • The APEXTRANS technology makes it 30 times faster than any other software.
  • Download YouTube videos and playlist by pasting URLs easily.
  • Support file compression that best suits specific devices like the iPhone, Apple TV, XBOX, PSP, and others.
  • Versatile toolbox includes fixing video metadata, GIF maker, casting video to TV, video transfer, and screen recorder.
  • Supported OS: Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista, macOS 11 Big Sur, 10.15 (Catalina), 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, 10.10, 10.9, 10.8, 10.7

Method 1: How to Compress A Video Easily With 2 Steps

Step 1 Launch Wondershare video compressor and add a video.

Open Wondershare UniConverter on your PC/Mac and switch to the Compressor section. After that, click the + icon on it to select a video you want to compress size.

add a video to compress

Step 2 Compress video size easily.

Click on the setting icon, and the video details will be displayed in the popup window. Move the progress bar to change the file size to compress the video size. You're allowed to preview the compressed video for the 20s by clicking the Preview button. Finally, click the Compress button to downsize the video.

how to compress a video

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Method 2: How to Compress Videos in Batch on Windows/Mac

Step 1 Launch the video compressor and add video files.

Launch Wondershare UniConverter and click the +Add Files button to add the video files that you want to compress, they can be in different formats. Alternatively, you can just directly drag and drop your videos to the compression software.

open video compressor to add files

Step 2 Open video Settings window.

On the bottom of the interface, click the drop-down icon next to Output Format and select the desired output format and resolution under the Video tab. Click the editing icon beside resolution was chosen to open the Settings window. Alternatively, you can also click the upper-right Settings icon to open the Settings window.

Open Video format Settings window

Step 3 Customize Settings to reduce video size.

From the popup Settings window, set the default Custom tab to Small Size, and this will automatically reduce the bit rate of the file. You are also optional to change the resolution, bit rate, frame rate, codec manually to shrink the file size if you need it. Once Settings are done, click Save to finish creating the new format, and then select the newly-built format.

Customize settings to shrink video size

Step 4 Start video compression.

After you have set and selected the output format, the size of the videos can be previewed on the main interface. Finally, click Start All to start the compression process for all the videos soon.

compress videos in batch

Once the compression is complete, the files can be managed from the Converted tab or just click the Output icon at the middle bottom of the Converting interface.

With this method, you can compress a video easily and quickly. If you are looking for more details, read the steps about how to compress video to reduce video size >>.

Wondershare UniConverter provides you two different methods to compress videos, and if you need batch compression and conversion, you can choose Method 2, which also offers audio files compression. And select Method 1 if you want to compress video one-by-one with easier steps. Both methods will reduce your video size with super fast speed and high-quality output.

Free Download Free Download

How do I compress videos without losing quality? --- A question from Quora

Quora-answer

Move to How do I compress videos without losing quality>> to learn more.

Part 3. Top 9 Free Video Compressor to Compress Video Online

There is no dearth of free video compression software when you are looking for ways on how to compress video files. Among all the available options, free video compressor online is best for users who need to reduce video size for a few numbers of files occasionally. These free online video compressors are quite decent for their interface, features, and speed. Top 11 tools to compress video online are listed below for your reference.

  1. Clideo
  2. FreeConvert
  3. Online Converter
  4. YouCompress
  5. VideoSmaller
  6. PS2PDF
  7. AConvert
  8. CloudConvert
  9. Zamzar

1. Clideo

A free online tool to compress video, Clideo can accept the source files from your computer, Dropbox, Google Drive, or by pasting their URL. Besides, the web app has many other solutions like video merger, video cutter, meme maker, video resizer, etc. that make Clideo a complete post-production package that can be accessed right from your Internet browser.

compress video

Pros:

● It lets you edit the output before downloading it.

● It keeps your files secure, and no one but you has access to them.

Cons:

● It adds a watermark to the compressed videos, and a subscription plan must be purchased to get rid of it.

Steps to use:

Step 1: Open https://clideo.com/compress-video on your web browser.

Step 2: Click Choose File and select and upload the video you want to compress. Alternatively, click the small arrow next to the Choose file button and select an option to upload the source file.

Step 3: Wait while the video uploads and Clideo compresses it on the server. Click Download to download the clip to your PC upon completion.

2. FreeConvert

Another free tool to reduce video size online, FreeConvert gives you more control over the output file size as you can manage the compression rate with the help of the slider. Besides, you can even select a different output format, choose your preferred codec, and if need be, resize the video as well.

compress video

Pros:

● It is free to use.

● It can accept files from your computer or their URL.

Cons:

● It has limited options to resize the videos while compressing.

Steps to use:

Step 1: Open https://www.freeconvert.com/video-compressor on your Internet browser, click Choose File and select and upload the video from your PC (or drag the video from your computer and drop it inside the Drop your files here box).

Step 2: Select an output format, your preferred codec, the compression type (by size or by quality), use the slider to set the compression ratio, optionally choose a resizing option, and click Compress Now from the bottom-right area to compress video online.

3. Online Converter

Indeed a free and no-nonsense compressor, Online Converter, requires no subscription to reduce video size. All the compression options can be accessed right from the landing page, where you have full control over the output file size. The process of using the solution is available on the webpage itself, along with other tips and the supported file types.

compress video

Pros:

● It is free with simple UI.

● It allows you to enter the output file size manually.

Cons:

● It can accept only up to 200MB files.

Steps to use:

Step 1: Ensure that Upload File is selected in the Source drop-down list, click Browse, and select and upload the source video from your computer. Optionally select From a URL from the Source drop-down list, and paste the URL of the video in the Enter URL of the file to compress field that appears next.

Step 2: Enter your preferred output size in the Desired Video Size field, select the quality of the audio from the Audio Quality drop-down list, and click Compress to reduce video size online.

4. YouCompress

An online solution specifically dedicated to file size reductions, YouCompress has a clean interface with comparatively fewer distracting advertisements. The web tool can compress video, audio, PDF files, and even images, thus making it a complete compression platform for everyone and all needs.

compress video

Pros:

● It is a free tool with a fully encrypted connection to keep your files secured from any external threats or intrusions.

● There are no watermarks.

Cons:

● It doesn’t let you select source videos from other means like Cloud platforms or URLs, and files can be upload only from your computer.

Steps to use:

Step 1: Click Select file on the main page, and use the box that appears to select the source video that you want to compress.

Step 2: Click Upload File & Compress, and wait while YouCompress uploads and compresses the video file. Once done, click the Download link next to the Completed mark to download the output to your computer. Post downloading, and you can safely click the Delete file from the server link to remove the video from YouCompress’ server.

5. VideoSmaller

VideoSmaller is a free method to reduce video size online without compromising on its quality. The program allows reducing the size directly from the browser and supports an array of formats, including MP4, AVI, MPEG, and MOV. After the compression task is completed, the files are automatically removed after a few hours.

compress video using VideoSmaller

Pros:

● It supports a suitable file format.

● It is easy to use and understand interface.

Cons:

● The Maximum 500MB of files can be uploaded for compression.

Steps to use:

Step 1: Open http://www.videosmaller.com/ on your PC browser.

Step 2: Click Browse and add the desired video file from your PC.

Step 3: Select Video Width and click the Upload Video button.

6. PS2PDF

PS2PDF is yet another free media compression tool that can reduce video size online. While compressing, you can choose a different output format and video codec, thus making the produced file more useful to you. An optional analysis method ensures that the quality deterioration remains almost negligible and that the compressed video is watchable while occupying less space on your hard drive at the same time.

compress video

Pros:

● It accepts files of up to 600MB for compression.

● It allows you to choose a different codec (e.g., or for MP4) for the output file.

Cons:

● It doesn’t allow editing during or after compressing the videos.

Steps to use:

Step 1: On the landing page, click Add Files, click From Your Computer, and select and upload a source video from your local hard drive. Optionally you can also click Google Drive or Dropbox to choose the source video from any of these two Cloud platforms.

Step 2: Select your preferred output format from the Output drop-down list, choose a codec from the Video codec drop-down list, select analysis type from the Method drop-down list, pick a reduction method from the Reduce File Size drop-down list, use the slider to set the compression ratio as needed, and select an output dimension from the Resize drop-down list from under the Output Dimension section.

Step 3: Click Compress Now from the bottom to reduce video size using PS2PDF.

7. AConvert

AConvert is a decent free online video compression tool that allows shrinking your video by editing their bit rate, size, frame rate, and aspect ratio. The tool is free to use and has a simple interface. In addition to compression, it also supports converting your videos to an array of other video formats. Converted files can be saved on the local system, Google Drive, or Dropbox.

compress video size online using AConvert

Pros:

● Simple interface.

● Support multiple file formats.

Cons:

● File size limitation to 200MB.

Steps to use:

Step 1: Open https://www.aconvert.com/video/ on a PC browser.

Step 2: Click Choose file or URL to add the desired video file.

Step 3: Under the Options tab, select change size, bit rate, or frame rate from the drop-down menu. Select the settings for various parameters.

Step 4: Click Convert Now to start the process. The video file will be successfully compressed and can be downloaded.

8.CloudConvert

This is a popularly used online tool that allows video file resizing without hampering the quality. The file compression can be done by editing aspect ratio, bit rate, resolution, and other parameters. The program supports all popular video file formats like MP4, OGG, WMV, MKV, FLV, AVI, and others. CloudConvert also allows processing multiple files at a time and can convert them to other file formats. In addition to the local system, compressed data can also be saved to the cloud, like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, and box.

reduce video file size online using Cloud Convert

Pros:

● It supports multiple file formats.

● It allows saving a compressed file to the cloud.

● It supports converting files to other formats.

Cons:

● There are no video editing features.

Steps to use:

Step 1: Launch https://cloudconvert.com/ on a PC browser.

Step 2: Click Select File and add the video files from PC, Dropbox, and other mentioned sources.

Step 3: Select Output format and click the editing icon to open the popup Conversion Options window. Make desired video settings and click Okay.

Step 4: Click Start Conversion to initiate the process. Once files are successfully reduced in size, they can be saved at the local system or cloud storage as desired.

9. Zamzar

Zamzar is a known name when it comes to video file conversion and compression. This online tool is free to use and has a simple interface. The program allows adding files up to 50MB and supports all popular file formats and video codecs. Zamzar also supports Device-specific formats. You can add the local files from your PC or can also provide their link. Once compressed, the download link of the files is sent to the provided email address.

compress a video online using Zamzar

Pros:

● It supports a wide range of video formats and codecs.

● Simple interface.

Cons:

● 50MB of file size limitation.

● A link for a compressed file is sent through email.

How to compress a video using Zamzar:

Steps to use:

Step 1: Open http://www.zamzar.com/ on your PC.

Step 2: Click Choose Files to browse and add video files from PC. You can also drag and drop the file or add their URL.

Step 3: Click drop-down menu beside Convert files to: and select format that will lead to reduced video size.

Step 4: Enter the email address and click Convert. The added video will be compressed, and its link will be sent to the mentioned email ID.

Part 4. A Comparison Table for You to Select the Proper Video Compressor

Below given is a comparison table between the above listed 11 online compressors and Wondershare video compressors. The table will help you to decide the method that best suits your requirements.

Software/Features Wondershare UniConverter VideoSmaller Aconvert CloudConvert Zamzar Clideo FreeConvert Online Converter YouCompress PS2PDF
Free/Paid

Paid software with a free trial version

Free

Free

Free

Free

Free with watermark

Free

Free

Free

Free

File Upload size limitation No limitation 500MB 200MB No limitation 50MB 500MB 1GB 200MB 500MB 600MB
Supported input formats Support more than 1000 video/audio formats MP4, AVI, MPEG, and MOV. All popular formats All popular formats, including MP4, OGG, WMV, MKV, FLV, AVI All popular formats and codecs, including MP4, AVI, FLV, MOV, and others Almost All Major Formats Including MP4, WMV, VOB, MOV, AVI, etc. Almost All Major Formats Including MP4, M4V, MKV, AVI, etc. Almost All Major Formats Including MP4, AVI, MOV, FLV, 3GP, WMV, etc. MP4, MOV, AVI MP4, MKV, MOV, M4V, MTS, MPG, WEBM
Quality after compression Excellent lossless quality Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good
Conversion Speed 30X faster than any other Decent Decent Decent Slow Slow Slow Slow Slow Slow
Batch processing Yes No No Yes No No Yes No No Yes
Video Editing features Yes No No No No Yes No No No No
Burn videos to DVD Yes No No No No No No No No No
Convert files to other formats Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes

Conclusion:

After learning how to compress a video with so many methods, there are no more worries if you want to make video files smaller. The above topics will help you find the most appropriate way to shrink the video file size. Download and free trail to compress video or audio files quickly on your Windows/Mac.

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* Some of the above codec formats may need to be supported by system.

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Christine Smith

Christine Smith

chief Editor

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