How to Compress a Video for Email in Every Way

We love videos because they capture our memories perfectly unlike pictures. They help us to capture memorable moments in action, the moment a significant other proposes, a college graduation party, it can also simply be a tutorial video teaching a friend or a colleague at work to do something. Whatever the purpose of the video is, we need a medium of sharing it such as email. Sharing a video through email can be convenient because it allows you to write out extra thoughts in addition to sharing your video file, however that becomes a problem when the size of the video is too large. This article will help you learn the many ways to compress a video for email so that you can share your videos no matter how large they originally are.

Email Size Limit for Videos

Sending files through email can sometimes be difficult, this is because each platform has different file limits and it can be quite challenging to send large videos. Gmail and Yahoo allow you to send videos of 25MB totally or less in size while Outlook, iCloud, and Zoho set their limit to 20MB. If you try to send a video greater than the limit your email platform has provided, you may get an error message.

How to Compress a Video for Email on a PC

Trying to send a large video without success can be frustrating, with your PC however there are two apps that can be used to compress a video for email using apps that are already installed on your PC. These applications are available on systems running the Windows operating system.

1.Windows Media Player

This is a pre-installed application developed by Microsoft mainly used for playing media and viewing images. It also supports basic video editing and sharing of video files. It is however unsuitable for compression of any kind, therefore you should consider other alternatives if you need to compress your video before sharing to email

2. The Photos App

This app allows you to view and edit your photos and videos. Although it has standard editing features, it is user-friendly and easy to navigate. A disadvantage of the Photos app is that you cannot choose the format of your output

Step 1. Launch the app 

The first thing to do is to run the application. Launch the app and wait for it to load.

Step 2. Import the file

Click on the New Video drop-down menu, then select New Video Project. This will allow you to import the video you wish to compress. In case you'd like to make a few changes to the video, you can edit it in this step.

Step 3. Compress and export

Click on Finish Video. You will have the choice of selecting the size of your export ranging from small to large. Since your intent is to compress the video, you can select small before you start exporting.

Part 3. How to Compress Videos For Email on Mac

For Mac users, compressing a video for email using the tools you already have will be different from PC users because you do not have the same operating systems. Here's how to compress a video for email using the available application on Mac.

3. iMovie

This is a free video editing and compression tool. It does not need any special installation as it is already available on your system.

Step 1. Run the application and import the video

Open iMovie to run the program. Once the app is running, click on the down arrow to import the video from your files

Step 2. Edit the video

You may skip this step if you do not wish to make any changes to your video. Open the video file in iMovie to edit, you can drag the video strip if you only wish to use a part of the video

Step 3. Export to your email

If you skipped step 2, control-click the video and proceed to click on Compress from the menu that appears. This will help create a smaller version.

If you chose to edit, click on File and then select the share option. Tap on Email, you will be asked to choose what size you are sharing, click on Small to make the video file smaller. Hit the Share button and a smaller version of the video will open on a blank email screen.

4. QuickTime

QuickTime is another ready made application for Mac users. Although the compression options are few, it is quick and easy to use. To compress a video using QuickTime:

Step 1. Open the video file

Before you can use QuickTime to compress a video to email, you need to open the file first.

Step 2. Click on File to compress video

After opening the file, click File and from the menu, select Export As. Here you will be required to select compression options such as resolution and quality.

Step 3. Share to email

Once your video is successfully compressed, click Share and select the option that allows you to share the video to your email.

3 Ways to Compress Video for Email on both PC & Mac

While there are tools that are specific to either PC or Mac when it comes to compressing videos for email, there are also tools that are applicable for both. Some applications that work with both PC and Mac include; Movavi Video Converter, DivX Converter and Clideo. These tools however are not pre-installed on your systems.

1. Movavi Video Converter

Movavi is an excellent option if you're looking to reduce the size of a video to email limits. It is user friendly, quick and does not affect your original video even after compression.

Step 1. Download, install and run the software

You're required to download Movavi Video Converter to use this software. Once download is complete, install the program and run it.

Step 2. Import the video

You import a video by clicking on Add Media, then select the Add Video option. This will allow you to access your files, select the video file and open it.

Step 3. Select the output options you want

After successfully importing your file, click the Video tab and here you will choose the output format and file size

Step 4. Compress and export

Click the Convert button to begin the compression and wait patiently till it's done. This tool allows you to share your video to any platform or software so exporting to your email will be a breeze.

2. DivX Converter

If you're looking for an easy way to customize your video into a highly compressed version and still retain quality, then you should go for DivX Converter. It is efficient editing, conversion, and compression tool and it is just right for compressing a video for email.

Step 1. Download and install DivX Converter

Visit the DivX Converter official website to download the application. Be sure to click on the one that's compatible with your operating system. Install the app after download.

Step 2. Run the app and import your video

Click on the DivX Converter app to run it, once it has loaded import your video. You can import video by dragging it to DivX Converter or clicking the + button. Rename your original file before compression.

Step 3. Choose an output profile

Here you can customize your output as you desire or choose a preset option from the menu

Step 4. Compress the video

Hit Start to begin compression. The app will notify you when the process is over the you can click on Open to view your newly compressed video in the folder.

3. Clideo

Clideo is an easy-to-use online video editing platform that comes with a lot of video editing functions such as merging, resizing, adding audio or text, and compression. It is free and does not need any installation, it's compression tools allow users to reduce the size of videos for easy attachment to emails

Step 1. Upload original video file

Visit the Clideo's video compressor website since it does not require downloading a software and upload the video you want to compress by clicking the Choose File button. Ensure the video is less than 500mb in its original size.

Step 2. Compress video to required size

Once upload is complete, you will need to wait for the site to set up the necessary variable for compression. The size of your file might influence how long the compression process takes.

Step 3. Download the compressed version

After compression, you will be directed to the editing page to ensure that the compressed video is to your liking, the size of the video before and after compression will be displayed on top of the page for easier comparison. You can now download the compressed video before sending to your email.

Bonus tip: How to Zip a Video for Email

You might be wondering what it means to zip a video, this is when you compress a video by moving it into a smaller and movable container. This will reduce the size of the attachment while preserving the quality of the video.

Step 1. Compose the email and select Attach File

Step 2. Locate the video you want to send and right click on it. From the menu that appears, click Send to then select Compressed (zipped) folder

Step 3. Wait till Windows zips the file and attach to the email.

FAQs

1. How do I reduce the size of a video for Email?

With any of the tools mentioned above, you can easily reduce the size of your video file attachments to the limit allowed by your chosen email platform. Asides from reducing the size of your video, you'll also have the option to edit it

2. How can I email a video that is large?

Movavi Video Converter, Clideo as well as DivX Converter are some tools that help you share large video files through email without stress. Since there's a limit to the size of videos you can send, these softwares will compress your video to a size and format of your choosing allowing you to email the video.

3. How can I email a file larger than 25MB?

Zipping a file is a good way to send a file larger than 2mb through email as it encloses and compresses the file into a small container.

Conclusion

Email is an important aspect of daily life especially in a work environment and with several video formats and quality, sending a video within a 20 or 25mb limit can be stressful. However, with this article you can compress a video for email anytime you wish.