How to Compress a Video on Mac (QuickTime, Finder, iMovie)

macOS has several free, built-in ways to make a video smaller — you don't need to download anything. QuickTime Player and Finder can re-encode a video at a lower resolution in a few clicks, iMovie gives more control, and a browser tool can hit an exact size such as 10 or 25 MB. Here's how each one works.

QuickTime Player: Export As

Open the video in QuickTime Player.
Choose File → Export As and pick 1080p, 720p or 480p.
Choose where to save it.

Exporting a 4K or 1080p video at 720p typically makes it several times smaller. QuickTime offers no quality slider and can't aim for a file size, but it's the fastest built-in option.

Finder: Encode Selected Video Files

Select one or more videos in Finder, right-click and choose Quick Actions → Encode Selected Video Files (on older macOS, Services → Encode Selected Video Files). Pick a setting — 480p, 720p, 1080p or 4K — and whether to use HEVC (smaller) or H.264 (more compatible), then click Continue. The new files are saved next to the originals. It's the easiest way to compress several videos at once.

iMovie: more control

In iMovie, add the video to a project, then choose File → Share → File. Set Resolution (540p, 720p, 1080p…), Quality (Low, Medium, High, Best or Custom) and Compress (Faster or Better quality). iMovie shows the estimated file size before you export, so you can adjust until it fits.

In your browser, to an exact size

Open Compress video in Safari or Chrome, drop the video and choose a size — under 10 MB for Discord, under 25 MB for email or any size you type — or a quality level. MiniFiles uses your Mac's own video encoder through the browser, so the video is compressed locally and never uploaded. You can also trim, remove the audio and compare the result with the original before downloading.

Which method should you use?

Quick smaller copy: QuickTime's Export As 720p.
Many videos at once: Finder's Encode Selected Video Files.
Fine control with a size estimate: iMovie.
A specific size limit: a browser compressor.
Maximum control: HandBrake — see the best free video compressors.

Zipping a video with Compress in Finder barely helps: video is already compressed, so the ZIP is almost the same size.

Key takeaways

QuickTime Player's File → Export As re-encodes a video at 1080p, 720p or 480p on a Mac.

Finder's Quick Actions → Encode Selected Video Files compresses one or many videos at 480p–4K in HEVC or H.264.

iMovie's File → Share → File sets resolution and quality and shows the estimated size.

MiniFiles compresses videos to an exact size (e.g. 10 or 25 MB) in Safari or Chrome on a Mac without uploading them.

Frequently asked questions

How do I compress a video on a Mac for free?

Open it in QuickTime Player and choose File → Export As → 720p, or right-click it in Finder and choose Quick Actions → Encode Selected Video Files.

How do I make a video smaller to email from a Mac?

Export it at 720p or 480p with QuickTime, or use a browser tool with an under-25 MB option. For larger files, Mail Drop sends an iCloud link instead.

Can QuickTime compress video?

Yes. File → Export As re-encodes the video at 1080p, 720p or 480p, which makes it much smaller, though you can't set an exact file size.

Does right-click Compress make a video smaller?

Barely. Finder's Compress creates a ZIP, and video is already compressed. Use Encode Selected Video Files instead.