Compress Video for YouTube
Smaller files upload faster to YouTube, especially on slower connections, without a noticeable quality difference after YouTube's own processing.
Drag and drop your video here
or
Choose videoMP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WebM and more · up to 500MB per file · select several to batch compress
vlog-episode-12.mp4
Ready to download
610 MB
from 2.4 GB
Uploads about 4× faster on the same connection.
Cuts upload time significantly, especially on slower or capped internet connections
Frees up local storage before archiving or deleting the original
Keeps enough quality that YouTube's own re-encoding doesn't compound visible loss
YouTube file size limits
YouTube allows files up to 256GB or 12 hours, but faster uploads save you time.
Use the 'Basic' preset — YouTube re-encodes every upload anyway, so you don't need to over-compress before uploading.
Recommended settings
What we'd pick for this job. After choosing a file, resolution sits right under the compression settings, crop is under “Resize / crop”, and codec is under “Advanced settings”.
By quality · Basic
YouTube re-encodes anyway — give it the best source.
H.264
Fastest for YouTube to process after upload.
Original
YouTube gives higher-resolution uploads better-quality streams, so keep 1440p / 4K as shot.
Original or 16:9
Use 9:16 only for Shorts.
Your editor's final export
Never a previously compressed copy.
Tips for the best result
Don't over-compress for YouTube
YouTube re-encodes every upload itself. Use the Basic preset so you still hand it a high-quality source — the goal is a faster upload, not the smallest file.
Keep your resolution
YouTube assigns better-quality streams to higher-resolution uploads. If you shot in 1440p or 4K, leave Resolution on Original to keep that advantage.
Upload speed is the real win
On a typical home upload speed, cutting a 2.4GB file to about 600MB turns a long upload into a short one, with no visible difference after YouTube's processing.
Start from the original file
Compression is lossy, so re-compressing a video that has already been shrunk (or sent through a chat app) stacks artifacts. Always work from the camera or editor export.
How it works
Step 1
Upload
Drop your file in — up to 500MB free.
Step 2
Pick a quality
Basic, Strong, or Superb compression.
Step 3
Download
Get your smaller video in seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
As long as you use the 'Basic' preset, the quality difference is minimal — YouTube re-encodes every upload into its own set of resolutions anyway, so extreme pre-compression is unnecessary.
Upload time depends mostly on your internet upload speed and file size — compressing beforehand reduces the amount of data that needs to travel to YouTube's servers.
Yes, as long as Resolution is left on Original (the default) — only the bitrate is reduced, so 4K, 1080p, etc. all remain intact.
Fast-motion content like gaming benefits from the 'Basic' preset to avoid extra motion blur, while slower vlog content can often use 'Strong' with little visible difference.
YouTube supports files up to 256GB or 12 hours long, whichever comes first — compression is mainly useful for saving upload time, not fitting under a hard limit.