Compress a video for email on iPhone
Gmail and Outlook.com accept attachments up to 25 MB, about nine seconds of 4K video straight from an iPhone. To send it as an attachment, make a copy under 25 MB: at 720p that holds a little over two minutes, at 1080p under one. Longer videos go as a link instead, through Mail Drop in Apple Mail, Google Drive or OneDrive.
How big can an email attachment be?
| Service | Attachment limit | What happens with a bigger file |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | 25 MB | Gmail replaces the file with a Google Drive link |
| Outlook.com | 25 MB | Share it from OneDrive instead, up to 2 GB |
| Apple Mail with Mail Drop (iCloud) | Up to 5 GB per message | The file is uploaded to iCloud and the recipient gets a link that works for 30 days |
The person receiving also matters: their provider may have a smaller limit. Apple notes that a recipient’s email app can refuse a Mail Drop message that is too large for it.
How long can a video be to fit in 25 MB?
A minute of 4K at 30 fps takes about 170 MB on an iPhone, and a minute of 1080p at 30 fps about 60 MB, by the camera’s own numbers. To fit 25 MB, the copy needs a lower bit rate and often a lower resolution. ClipLeve picks the highest resolution whose bit rate still fits, so the table shows the longest clip that fits at each one:
| Resolution | Longest clip that fits |
|---|---|
| 1080p | 48 s |
| 720p | 2 min 09 s |
| 540p | 3 min 47 s |
| 360p | 6 min 47 s |
Longer than about six and a half minutes, even 360p won’t fit 25 MB. Send only the part that matters, or use a link.
How do you send a video by email from your iPhone?
- In ClipLeve, open the video and tap Send a smaller version.
- Choose For email, which targets up to 25 MB, or type a size for another service.
- If the whole video won’t fit, choose Send only a clip and trim it.
- Share it to Mail, Gmail or Outlook from the share sheet. The file is not added to Photos.
Send a smaller version is part of ClipLeve Pro, free for 3 days for new subscribers. Your original video isn’t changed.
When is a link better than an attachment?
When the full quality matters more than the convenience. Mail Drop sends up to 5 GB from Apple Mail and doesn’t count against your iCloud storage, but the link expires after 30 days. Gmail swaps a bigger file for a Google Drive link on its own, and Outlook.com shares files up to 2 GB from OneDrive.
Questions
Why does my iPhone say the video is too large to email?
Because it is bigger than the account’s attachment limit, 25 MB for Gmail and Outlook.com. Apple Mail may offer Mail Drop instead, which sends a link.
Does a video under 25 MB look much worse?
A short clip at 1080p can look close to the original. A long one has to drop to 720p or lower, which shows on a big screen. Check the estimate first in the video size calculator.
Can I email a video longer than 10 minutes?
Not as a 25 MB attachment. Use Mail Drop, a Google Drive or OneDrive link, or send the part that matters as a clip.
Sources
- Google: Gmail attachment size limits (25 MB), checked
- Microsoft: Sending limits in Outlook.com (25 MB attachments, 2 GB OneDrive files), checked
- Apple Support: Mail Drop limits (5 GB, 30 days), checked
- iOS Settings › Camera › Record Video, with High Efficiency: the size of a minute of video for each setting, checked
- ClipLeve’s size model, the same one the app uses before processing (app version 1.0.0), checked
