Email Video Compressor
Compress videos to send by email. Gmail limits attachments to 25MB and most email services cap at 20-25MB. Our tool fits your video within these limits.
Select platform
What is Gmail / Email's video size limit?
Upload your video to CompressYourVideo.com, select Gmail / Email, and download the compressed version. CompressYourVideo.com automatically optimizes your video to fit within Gmail / Email's size limit with the best possible quality.
Sending video by email has been frustrating since video became common on smartphones. The core problem: email was designed in the 1970s for text, and every email provider has bolted on attachment support with varying size limits. Gmail's 25MB limit, Outlook's 20MB, Yahoo's 25MB, these numbers are tight enough that most phone-recorded videos won't fit without compression.
Why email has size limits
Email providers store every email you send and receive. For free accounts, storage is finite, and large attachments eat into everyone's quota fast. 25MB was generous when it was set, it's now a bit of a relic given that phone videos are routinely 100-500MB.
Gmail vs Outlook vs Yahoo limits
- Gmail: 25MB attachment limit. Above this, Gmail automatically converts to a Google Drive link, which requires the recipient to have a Google account to view without downloading.
- Outlook/Hotmail: 20MB limit. More conservative than Gmail.
- Yahoo Mail: 25MB, same as Gmail.
- Corporate email (Exchange): Often 10-20MB, sometimes as low as 5MB. IT departments set these limits.
- iCloud Mail: 20MB, but has a "Mail Drop" feature for larger files (up to 5GB as a link).
Our tool targets 23MB by default, safely under Gmail and Yahoo, and requires no modification for those email providers. If you're sending to Outlook users, use our Custom Size option and target 19MB.
MP4 is the only safe format for email
Email clients range from Gmail's web interface (which can preview MP4 inline) to Outlook for Windows (which often doesn't preview video at all). The one format that works everywhere as a download is MP4 H.264. Avoid MOV (Windows users can't open it), AVI (too large), and WebM (iOS can't play it).
Better alternatives for large videos
If your video needs to be over 25MB: Google Drive (share a link, free up to 15GB), WeTransfer (free up to 2GB, link expires in 7 days), Dropbox (free up to 2GB per transfer), or YouTube (upload as unlisted and share the link). These are all better than compressing to the point of unacceptable quality.
What are the best video settings for Gmail / Email?
- ✓Target 20MB if sending to Outlook users, Outlook's limit is lower than Gmail's.
- ✓Consider WeTransfer or Google Drive for videos over 100MB, free for up to 2GB.
- ✓Keep corporate email videos under 10MB, some corporate IT policies block large attachments.
- ✓Add a Google Drive link as a backup in your email body in case the attachment is blocked.
- ✓720p is plenty for email, recipients view on monitors, not cinema screens.
Why compress video before sending on Gmail / Email?
Gmail / Email enforces a strict file size limit. If your video exceeds it, Gmail / Email will either reject the upload, reduce quality automatically, or convert it to a document file that recipients must download manually.
By compressing with CompressYourVideo.combefore uploading, you control the quality. Our tool calculates the optimal bitrate for your specific video length, so you get the sharpest possible result within the platform's limit.