Compress Video to 10 MB

Video encoders do not think in megabytes; they think in bits per second. To fit a size, the compressor turns your target into a bitrate: 10 MB is 10,000,000 bytes, which is 80 million bits, and that budget is divided by the length of the clip in seconds. The audio track takes its share first, and whatever remains goes to the picture.

Worked through for a one-minute clip, 80 million bits over 60 seconds is about 1.33 megabits per second in total. With 128 kbps of audio, a little over 1.2 Mbps is left for video. That is enough for a clear 720p clip of a person talking, and tight for fast action at 1080p. The same arithmetic for a five-minute clip leaves only about a fifth as much per second, which is why long videos need a lower resolution or a trim to look acceptable.

The formula below gives the total bitrate for any size and length. Subtract the audio bitrate, converted to megabits, to see what is left for the picture. The compressor does this for you, but the number tells you in advance whether a clip will look good at 10 MB or needs a trim first.

A small file is only useful if the other side can play it. MP4 with H.264 video is the most widely supported combination there is: it plays in every major browser, on Android and iPhone, in messaging apps and in upload forms that check the file type. That is why it is the default output here, whatever the source format. A MOV from an iPhone or an MKV from a screen recorder comes back as an MP4 under 10 MB.

The Video codec stays at H.264 on this page because it plays everywhere. H.265 and AV1 can look better at the same size, but some phones, older computers and upload forms cannot play or accept them, which defeats the purpose of a file meant to be shared. WebM is offered under Output format for websites that prefer it.

Two-pass encoding is on by default for size targets. In the first pass the encoder watches the whole clip to see where the motion and detail are; in the second it spends more bits on busy scenes and fewer on still ones, while keeping the total on budget. The result looks better than a single pass at the same size and lands much closer to the target.

Three settings under Advanced settings give the picture more room. Maximum resolution at 720p or 480p means fewer pixels share the same bits, often the single biggest improvement for long clips. Maximum frame rate at 30 or 24 frames per second helps with 60 fps phone video. Lowering the Audio bitrate to 64 or 96 kbps, or removing audio entirely, frees space for clips where sound is not essential.

Some clips simply do not fit 10 MB with acceptable quality, such as a ten-minute screen recording or a sports clip at full resolution. Before compressing harder, cut out what is not needed with Trim Video; every second removed gives the rest more bits. For a short loop without sound, a GIF is sometimes the expected format, and Video to GIF makes one.

Check where the limit comes from, too. Discord, often named as the reason for a 10 MB target, says in its File Attachments FAQ that it raised the free upload limit to 20 MB. For other sizes, type any number into the target on the main Compress Video page. Uploads are deleted after processing and results after 30 minutes.