Email attachment limits
Gmail · Outlook · iCloud Mail · Yahoo Mail: 25 MB max
Most corporate email servers: 10–20 MB max
1 minute of 4K iPhone video: ~400 MB — 16× the limit
How to Compress iPhone Video for Email
iPhone video is recorded at much higher quality than email can handle. Here are three ways to fix that — the fastest one takes 30 seconds and uses no extra apps.
Use iOS Mail's built-in size selector (30 seconds, no app needed)
Fastest method. Works directly from Photos.
- 1.Open Photos and find your video
- 2.Tap the Share button (square with arrow up)
- 3.Scroll down and tap Mail
- 4.Compose your email normally
- 5.Before sending, iOS shows a bar at the bottom: "Video Size: Small · Medium · Large · Actual Size"
- 6.Tap Small or Medium — the video compresses before sending
- 7.Tap Send
Approximate sizes:
Small → ~4–8 MB per minute (480p)
Medium → ~10–20 MB per minute (720p)
Large → ~30–50 MB per minute (1080p)
Actual Size → no compression
This only sends a smaller copy — your original in Photos stays at full size. You're not losing the original.
Share a link instead of attaching
Best for longer videos. No size limit.
Compress and save a smaller copy with MediaOptim Mobile
Best when you want to keep a compressed copy in your camera roll.
- 1.Download MediaOptim Mobile from the App Store
- 2.Open the app → select your video
- 3.Choose a quality preset (Small for email)
- 4.Compress — saves a new copy to your Camera Roll
- 5.Share the compressed copy via any email app
How Long a Video Can You Email? (Reference)
| Video length | Original 4K | After "Small" export | Email safe? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds | ~100 MB | ~3–5 MB | ✓ Yes |
| 30 seconds | ~200 MB | ~5–8 MB | ✓ Yes |
| 1 minute | ~400 MB | ~10–15 MB | ✓ Yes |
| 2 minutes | ~800 MB | ~20–30 MB | ⚠ Borderline |
| 3+ minutes | ~1.2 GB+ | ~40+ MB | ✗ Use a link |
For videos over 2 minutes, sharing a link is always more reliable than trying to compress for direct attachment.