When you need 8.00 MB
Forums, gaming communities, and some email-to-SMS gateways use limits around this size.
What to expect
A 30 second 1080p clip typically lands near 720p and looks clean. Motion-heavy video loses detail first.
How much video fits in 8 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 | 720p | Sharp |
| 1 minute | 540p | Good on a phone |
| 2 minutes | 360p | Watchable, small |
| 5 minutes | 240p | 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 7.76 MB, which is 240 KB under 8.00 MB, so the file is not turned away over a few bytes.
Questions people ask
Why 8 MB?
It is a long-standing default on forums and chat software, so many people still need it.
Will it be MP4?
Yes where your browser allows, otherwise WebM.
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.