How to compress video on iPhone, step by step

The short answer

You can make a video smaller on iPhone with tools built into the phone: record new videos in High Efficiency, export a copy at 1080p in iMovie, run an Encode Media shortcut, or send a large file through Mail Drop. Only the first three make the file itself smaller, and none of them shrinks the videos you already have in your library in one step. For a library with many large videos, an app such as Emptie is the practical route, because it compresses them on the phone and keeps their dates, places, favorites and albums.

Why some videos are so big

A 4K video at 60 frames per second holds a lot of data. The file size depends on three things: the resolution (the number of pixels), the frame rate (how many frames each second), and the bitrate (how many bits the encoder spends per second). Lowering any of them makes the file smaller, and the encoder you use decides how much detail is lost in the process.

One 5-minute 4K Dolby Vision video we use as an example is 2.18 GB, which is about 436 MB per minute. The frame rate matters less than you might expect, as the numbers below show.

Apple’s format choice matters too. Apple says the HEIF and HEVC formats “offer better compression than JPEG and H.264” and “use less storage space on your devices and iCloud Photos” while preserving the same visual quality (Apple Support, Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices, published 5 December 2025). Video recorded in High Efficiency uses HEVC, so it is smaller than the same clip recorded in the older H.264 format.

Option 1: Record new videos smaller

This route only affects videos you record from now on. It doesn’t change anything you already have.

1. Open the Settings app and tap Camera.
2. Tap Formats. Choose High Efficiency to record HEVC video. Choose Most Compatible only if you share video with devices that can’t play HEVC, because it records H.264 instead.
3. Optional: tap Record Video and choose a lower resolution or frame rate, such as 1080p at 30 fps. The list shows only the formats your iPhone supports (Apple Support, Change video recording settings on iPhone).

Recording at a lower resolution saves space every time, but the clip will have less detail than a 4K recording. If you film something you may want to crop or zoom into later, keep 4K and compress the file afterwards.

Option 2: Export a smaller copy in iMovie

iMovie is Apple’s free video app. It re-encodes a project when you export it, so you can choose a lower resolution for the copy. Add your clip to a new project to start.

1. Open iMovie, then open the project that contains your video.
2. Tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen, then tap Share Video.
3. Tap Options, then choose 1080p HD instead of 4K.
4. Tap Back or Done, then tap Save Video to add the export to Photos, or Save to Files to keep it in iCloud Drive or on the phone.

Apple’s iMovie guide notes that 60 fps is offered only when more than half of the project’s media is 1080p or 4K at 60 fps. It also suggests turning HDR off if you need the file to play on the most devices (Apple Support, Share your movie as a video file in iMovie on iPhone). iMovie saves a new file, so the original stays in your library until you delete it.

Option 3: Encode video with a shortcut

The Shortcuts app has an action called Encode Media that re-encodes video. Apple’s Shortcuts User Guide, which we checked for this post, doesn’t describe the action’s options, and third-party guides don’t agree on them. The labels may be different on your iOS version, so check the options when you add the action.

1. Open Shortcuts, tap the plus button, and add Select Photos. Turn on Select Multiple and choose the videos.
2. Add Encode Media. Choose a format (H.264 or HEVC) and a lower resolution, such as 1080p.
3. Add Save to Photo Album and choose an album, so the new videos are easy to find.
4. Run the shortcut. It saves new copies, and you delete the originals yourself afterwards.

The new copies are separate files, so the library holds both versions until you delete the originals. Deleting them sends them to Recently Deleted, where they stay for 30 days (Apple Support, Delete photos on your iPhone or iPad).

Option 4: Send a large video with Mail Drop

Mail Drop doesn’t make a video smaller. It sends a large file through iCloud and gives the recipient a download link, so the file doesn’t have to fit your email provider’s size limit.

1. Open Mail and start a new message. Add the video as an attachment.
2. If the message is larger than your email provider allows, Mail asks whether to send the attachments with Mail Drop. Tap to confirm.
3. Send the message. Each attachment stays available for 30 days, and the recipient has 30 days to download it.

Apple’s limits are worth knowing before you send. Apple says Mail Drop sends attachments up to 5 GB, and its list of cases where Mail Drop may not work includes a message larger than 5 GB. The recipient’s own email app may have a smaller limit, which can stop the attachment from arriving (Apple Support, Mail Drop limits). If the video is small enough for your provider’s limit, send it directly. If not, compress it first with one of the routes above.

Option 5: Compress many videos in place with an app

The built-in routes handle one video at a time, and each one leaves you to copy, compare and delete by hand. Compressing a library of 40 or 400 large videos that way takes a long time and a lot of care with the originals. This is the job an app is for.

Emptie is an iPhone app that compresses videos in your Photos library on the phone and replaces the originals. It is not out yet. This is how version 1 is designed to work:

• It finds the videos that will free the most space. The library is sorted by Estimated Savings, which is labelled as an estimate. Videos that would save less than about 20% are marked Already Efficient and left alone.
• It runs as a Batch. The Batch compresses the selected videos one at a time, with the phone locked or in other apps. It runs at about the same speed with the phone locked.
• You compare before anything is replaced. The Review step plays each original and its compressed copy side by side, shows both sizes, and lets you choose Keep original for any video.
• It checks each copy before touching the library. The compressed copy must play and have the expected duration. If a check fails, the original stays as it was.
• It keeps what matters. The date recorded, the location, Favorite, Hidden and your own albums are copied to the new video. Memories, face tags and Shared Album links can’t be carried over, and Emptie tells you that once, before the first replacement.
• The original goes to Recently Deleted. It stays there for 30 days so you can restore it. The space comes back when you empty Recently Deleted.

Emptie is free, with no subscription and no ads. If it helps, you can support the founder with an optional one-time $2.99 Founding Supporter purchase. No data leaves the phone, and there is no account. The planned App Store privacy label says Data Not Collected.

Route	Changes videos you already have	Handles many videos at once	What happens to the original
Record in High Efficiency	No, only new recordings	Not applicable	Not applicable
iMovie export at 1080p	Yes, makes a copy	One project at a time	Stays until you delete it
Shortcuts Encode Media	Yes, makes copies	Yes, with Select Multiple	Stays until you delete it
Mail Drop	No, sends the file as it is	Not applicable	Not applicable
Emptie	Yes, replaces in place	Yes, in one Batch	Deleted only after a verified copy and your confirmation, then kept in Recently Deleted for 30 days

What the numbers look like

These figures come from Emptie compressing a real 5-minute 4K Dolby Vision video in October 2026.

• Resolution and bitrate. The video went from 2.18 GB to 323 MB (−85%) as 1080p HEVC at 8 Mb/s, with no visible loss on the phone’s own screen.
• Frame rate. Going from 60 to 30 fps at the same bitrate saved almost nothing: 325 MB instead of 323 MB. A lower frame rate makes motion less smooth, so keep 60 fps unless you need the space it adds to a file.
• Encoder. Apple’s standard HEVC export of the same video came out at 591 MB. Emptie encodes with the iPhone’s hardware encoder directly, at a bitrate it chooses, so its copy was about half that size.
• Locked phone. A Batch runs at about the same speed with the phone locked, in other apps or on screen.

They are not a promise for every clip: the saving depends on how the video was recorded.

Which route to pick

• You want fewer large videos from now on. Set Settings > Camera > Formats to High Efficiency. It costs nothing and applies to every new recording.
• You need one video smaller for a message or a post. Use iMovie and export at 1080p HD.
• You send the same kind of video often. Build the Encode Media shortcut once, then run it on the selection each time.
• A video is too large to send by email. Use Mail Drop, or compress the file first if it fits your provider’s limit once smaller.
• You have hundreds of big videos you want to shrink. Use an app that handles a whole library in one pass, keeps the metadata and waits for your confirmation before it deletes anything. See how much storage iPhone video takes for what a library of that size can free, and how Emptie handles the space for why the number on the Storage screen doesn’t change right away.

If you are worried about quality, read whether compressing video loses quality before you compress your first batch. If your phone is almost full, why iPhone storage fills up with video explains where the space goes. For a side-by-side list of tools, see the best video compressor for iPhone, and read whether iPhone cleaner apps work before you install a general storage app.

Frequently asked questions

Does compressing video on iPhone lower the quality?

It can. A lower resolution or a lower bitrate removes detail. A 5-minute 4K video compressed to 1080p HEVC at 8 Mb/s shows no visible loss on the phone’s screen. A bigger screen may show the difference, so compare the result on the device you plan to watch it on.

Will compressing a video delete the original?

The built-in routes make a new copy and leave the original where it is until you delete it yourself. Emptie deletes an original only after its compressed copy is saved and checked, and only after you confirm in Review. The original then goes to Recently Deleted for 30 days.

Does Emptie upload my videos?

No. Emptie compresses videos on the iPhone. It has no account and no analytics, and its planned App Store privacy label says Data Not Collected.

Do dates, places and albums stay after compressing?

Emptie copies the date recorded, the location, Favorite, Hidden and your own albums to the compressed copy. Memories, face tags and Shared Album links can’t be carried over. If you give Emptie only limited access to Photos, it can’t read album membership, and it says so before you replace anything.

Can I make a video smaller to send by email?

Yes. If the video needs to fit your email provider’s limit, make it smaller first using one of the routes above. For a larger file, Mail Drop sends it through iCloud without changing its size. Mail Drop attachments stay available for 30 days.