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Compress a video to 3 MB

Three megabytes is a common attachment cap on help desks and forms.

  • Nothing is uploaded. Your browser does the compression, so the file stays on your device.
  • Lands under the real limit. We aim a little below it, so the upload goes through first time.
  • Fast. A 30 second 1080p clip fits into 10 MB in about two seconds on a desktop.
Where are you sending it?

Custom size 3.00 MB. We aim for 2.91 MB, a small safety margin so the file never lands just over.

Sent to our servers: 0 bytes. It all happens in this tab.

When you need 3.00 MB

Help desk tickets, insurance claims and school portals.

What to expect

Ten seconds stays at 720p. Thirty seconds drops to about 360p, and a minute to around 270p.

How much video fits in 3 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 lengthResolution we pickHow it looks
10 seconds720pSharp
30 seconds360pWatchable, small
1 minute270pWatchable, small
2 minutes240pWatchable, small
5 minutes240pVery soft, trim it first
10 minutes240pVery soft, trim it first

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 2.91 MB, which is 90 KB under 3.00 MB, so the file is not turned away over a few bytes.

Questions people ask

Does sound count toward the 3 MB?

Yes. We keep audio at a low rate that is fine for speech and leave the rest for the picture.

Related

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.