Free tool · Gmail limit · Runs in your browser
Compress a video for email
Short answer
Gmail says personal accounts can send attachments up to 25 MB, and work or school limits are set by the administrator. On our test clip the tool's presets needed 273 to 290 kbps at 480p, 485 to 519 kbps at 720p and 812 to 1,039 kbps at 1080p, so about 7 min 58 s of video fits under 25 MB at 480p, 5 min 9 s at 720p and 2 min 51 s at 1080p, audio included.
Batch is free and unlimited - files are processed one after another on your device, with no queue or daily cap. Maximum 100 MB per file; the first run loads a ~30 MB engine once per visit.
Key takeaways
- Gmail Help states 25 MB for personal Gmail accounts. For work and school accounts, the Google Workspace administrator sets the sending and receiving limits.
- If the total attachment size is over the limit, Gmail removes the attachment and adds it as a Google Drive link instead, so an oversize video is not lost, it just arrives as a link.
- Under 25 MB (25,000,000 bytes, counted as decimal megabytes) the preset lengths for our test clip are 7 min 58 s at 480p, 5 min 9 s at 720p and 2 min 51 s at 1080p. Camera footage will fit for less time.
- For a 3 min video, the formula gives 1,111 kbps in total and 983 kbps for video after 128 kbps audio.
- The tool has fixed resolution presets, not an exact size. For a hard 25 MB cap, a two-pass encode at the computed bitrate lands within 2% of the target in our test.
What Gmail publishes
| Question | What Gmail says |
|---|---|
| Personal Gmail account | The attachment limit is 25 MB |
| Work and school accounts | The Google Workspace administrator sets sending and receiving limits |
| Over the limit | Gmail removes the attachment and adds it as a Google Drive link |
| Large files such as videos | Use Google Drive |
Send attachments with your Gmail message, read 2026-10-09.
How much video fits under 25 MB
The table uses the highest video bitrate that any of our three test sources needed at each preset, then adds 128 kbps for audio. It is a conservative estimate for animation. A phone clip of people, water or foliage needs more bits at the same CRF, so treat the lengths as a ceiling and test your own file.
| Preset | Highest video bitrate this clip needed | Total with audio | Length that fits under 25 MB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 480p | 290 kbps | 418 kbps | 7 min 58 s |
| 720p | 519 kbps | 647 kbps | 5 min 9 s |
| 1080p | 1,039 kbps | 1,167 kbps | 2 min 51 s |
How long a video fits under 25 MB, using the highest bitrate any of our three sources needed, plus 128 kbps audio.
Megabytes here are decimal (1 MB is 1,000,000 bytes). If a mail service counts 1 MB as 1,048,576 bytes, there is up to 4.9% more room (1,048,576 / 1,000,000 = 1.049).
Hitting 25 MB exactly
The compress tool picks a resolution and a quality level (CRF 28), not a file size, so the result depends on the footage. When the limit is hard, solve for the bitrate: total kbps = size in bytes × 8 / seconds / 1000, then subtract the audio. For 3 min under 25,000,000 bytes that is 1,111 kbps, or 983 kbps of video.
That bitrate is close to what the 1080p preset needed on our clip (1,039 kbps), so a 3 minute clip of similar content sits at the edge at 1080p and has room at 720p (519 kbps).
- Pass 1:
ffmpeg -y -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 983k -pass 1 -an -f null /dev/null - Pass 2:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 983k -pass 2 -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4
When it is still too big
Drop one preset, shorten the clip, or send a Google Drive link. Gmail does the last one for you when the attachment is too large, according to its help page, so a video that just misses 25 MB still arrives as a link rather than being rejected.
Free tools:Compress a videoTrim a videoVideo file size calculator
Where the lengths come from
The Gmail lengths above are computed from nine measured runs of this compressor on one animated clip. The full table, with sizes, bitrates and quality scores for every preset, is on the Compress a video page.
Work out the bitrate for this limit
The calculator is set to the Gmail limit. Change the length to see the video bitrate a two-pass encode needs.
- Total bitrate that fits
- 1,111 kbps
- Video bitrate after audio
- 983 kbps
- 480p preset on our test clip
- Likely fits: that clip needed up to 290 kbps
- 720p preset on our test clip
- Likely fits: that clip needed up to 519 kbps
- 1080p preset on our test clip
- Probably too big: that clip needed up to 1,039 kbps
- Two-pass commands at this bitrate
ffmpeg -y -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 983k -pass 1 -an -f null /dev/nullffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 983k -pass 2 -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4
3 min under 25 MB: 25,000,000 bytes × 8 ÷ 180 s ÷ 1000 = 1,111 kbps, minus 128 kbps audio.
The presets are a guide taken from one animated clip. Camera footage with more motion needs more bits, so the final check is the size of your own file.
Questions people ask
What is the Gmail attachment size limit?
Gmail Help says 25 MB for personal Gmail accounts. For work and school accounts, the Google Workspace administrator sets the limits.
Why did Gmail turn my video into a Drive link?
Gmail says that when the total attachment size is greater than the limit, it automatically removes the attachment and adds it as a Google Drive link in the email.
How many minutes of video fit in 25 MB?
On our test clip, about 7 min 58 s at 480p, 5 min 9 s at 720p and 2 min 51 s at 1080p with 128 kbps audio. Footage with more motion fits for less time.
What resolution should I use to email a video?
720p is the preset that keeps the most detail while leaving room: our clip needed 485 to 519 kbps at 720p. Use 480p if you need to send a longer clip.
Can I hit exactly 25 MB?
Not with the presets. Use a two-pass encode at the bitrate the formula gives; in our test it landed within 2% of the target size.
More ways to shrink a video
Sources and how we checked
- Gmail Help: Send attachments with your Gmail message (read 2026-10-09)
- FFmpeg wiki: Encode/H.264 (CRF, presets and two-pass) (read 2026-10-06)
Reviewed October 9, 2026. Measurements ran the tool’s own ffmpeg arguments on the same single-thread WebAssembly engine your browser downloads. The evidence files are in data/seo/hub/evidence/2026-10-09/compress.