How to Compress an MP4 File?

High-definition, long-duration MP4s are usually larger in size. We often encounter problems when dealing with such large video files, such as not being able to send them via email, not being able to upload them to the website, running out of device storage, etc. To solve this problem, we have to compress the video. Generally speaking, we can compress video from five aspects:

• Convert the video encoding format.
• Reduce the video resolution.
• Reduce the video bitrate.
• Reduce the video frame rate.
• Cut or crop the video file.

Fortunately, now we can modify all these aspects at once with the help of a video compressor. Below, I will share some powerful and reliable programs that can effectively compress MP4 files to your desired size. Please read on.

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is a versatile video software with a video compressor that can directly change the compression ratio of the video to make it smaller. It also allows you to convert videos into small files by using more efficient compression formats, reducing resolution, bitrate and frame rate, and removing unimportant parts. As the cherry on top, it supports batch compression. You can preview the output size until you get the desired result.

Now, let us follow the instructions below to compress an MP4 file using this software.

Apple QuickTime Player is more than just a media player, it is also capable of compressing video files such as MP4 and MOV. It can recompress videos using the HEVC codec without severely compromising video quality. However, it also allows you to select lower quality to further reduce file size.

QuickTime is very easy to use and the processing speed is fast. Since it comes preinstalled on every Mac computer, all you need to do is launch it and follow these steps:

The iPhone doesn't have built-in functionality to compress a video, so you'll need to use a third-party app. Luckily, there are plenty of apps in the App Store that do the job. A good example is Video Compress – Shrink Videos. It helps you compress videos easily by adjusting the compression ratio and can reduce video size as much as possible. Let’s see more details of compressing MP4 using this application.

There are also many video compression apps available on Android, one of which is Compress Video Size Compressor. It is a professional app that can trim and compress video files at the same time. Moreover, it provides multiple compression methods to compress videos to your desired size.

The app has features you shouldn’t miss, such as setting the target size, previewing the quality before exporting, and choosing the compression speed. Without further ado, let’s see how to start MP4 compression using this tool.

FreeConvert is a web-based service that is able to convert and compress video files without downloading any software or plug-ins. It offers a variety of compression methods, including setting target compression ratio, file size, quality, resolution and bitrate. Simply upload your file, choose a compression method, and start compressing. The whole process is very simple and quick. And, as long as you have an internet connection, you can access FreeConvert anytime and anywhere, no registration or login required. But please note that FreeConvert supports a maximum upload file size of 1GB.

Now, follow the steps here to compress your video using FreeConvert.

In addition to being a media player, VLC can also compress video files such as MP4, MKV, and MOV. Its built-in video converter tool allows you to freely adjust the encoding format, bitrate, quality and frame rate to change the video size. So it is beneficial if you know the original video parameters in advance. However, VLC does not display the output size, so you may not get the results you want on the first try.

VLC is free, open source, and available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Check out the steps to compress an MP4 video in VLC.

HandBrake is a well-known free and open source video transcoder that can convert any video to a small MP4. It provides various ready-made presets for you to convert files in one click. At the same time, it allows you to configure output settings to further compress files. Since it doesn't have a very intuitive interface, it can be a bit difficult for new users. But don't worry. There are tons of HandBrake tutorials online to help you out.

HandBrake works across platforms. Make sure you get the correct version, then follow the steps below to compress your MP4 files in HandBrake.

You probably know that YouTube compresses every video you upload. Therefore, you can also take advantage of it to reduce video file size, i.e. upload videos to YouTube and then download them. The specific method is as follows:

• 1. Open YouTube and log into your account.
• 2. Click ‘Create’ > ‘Upload videos’ in the upper right corner.
• 3. Click ‘Select Files’ or drag the video to upload.
• 4. Complete the upload settings, make sure to save the video as ‘Private’ in the last dialog box if you don’t want to publish the video. Or, you can save the video as ‘Unlisted’ and share the video with a link.
• 5. Click ‘Options’ (⋮) and select ‘Download’ to download the file. You will see that the file is much smaller than the original file.

In addition to YouTube, you can also use Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo, etc. to compress a video file.

Using the seven methods mentioned above, MP4 compression is overall a simple task. You can compare each program to choose the one that's best for you. But video compressors are not the only way, you can also use video hosting sites like YouTube to compress your videos. They can compress your files smoothly regardless of their size. That’s all I want to share in this post. Thank you for reading to the end. Have a nice day!

Various programs can help you reduce the size of your MP4 files. If you are a beginner and want to compress videos on Windows, it is recommended that you use WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro, which enables you to significantly shrink MP4 by changing the compression ratio. The entire process takes just a few clicks.

In most cases, compressing videos results in a loss of quality as details are removed. But you can compress the video without losing quality by zipping the file or losslessly cutting the file.

Since most email services limit attachment file size to 25MB, if you don't care about quality loss, you can use video compression tools like HandBrake, VLC, WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro, etc. to compress large MP4 files below 25MB. But if you don't want to lose quality, you can upload the video to a website and share it via a link. For more details, please visit how to compress video for email.