Compress a video to 16 MB

When you need 16.00 MB

WhatsApp, and some messaging apps built on similar rules.

What to expect

One minute of 720p video fits with room to spare. Two minutes fits at 480p. Vertical phone video keeps its orientation.

How much video fits in 16 MB

Worked out with the same maths the compressor uses, for a typical 1080p phone or screen clip with sound. Fast motion needs more room, still scenes and screen recordings need less.

Clip length	Resolution we pick	How it looks
10 seconds	1080p	Sharp
30 seconds	1080p	Sharp
1 minute	720p	Sharp
2 minutes	540p	Good on a phone
5 minutes	270p	Watchable, small
10 minutes	240p	Watchable, small

How we hit the number

We work out how many bits each second of video can use: the target size, minus a safety margin, divided by the length, minus the audio. Then we pick the largest resolution that still looks clean at that rate and encode with your browser's built-in video encoder. If the result is still over, we automatically try once more at a lower rate.

The target we aim for is 15.52 MB, which is 480 KB under 16.00 MB, so the file is not turned away over a few bytes.

Questions people ask

Is 16 MB exact?

It is the commonly quoted figure. We aim a little below it for safety.

Can I send longer videos?

Send them as a Document, which has a much higher limit, or split them.

Limits change. We link the official page wherever there is one, and the safety margin means a small change is unlikely to matter. Last updated 2026-11-09.