DocumentToolbox Online tools

Video Compressor

Shrink MP4, MOV, WebM, and other videos for faster uploads and sharing (requires FFmpeg on the server).

Tool interface

Free upload limit: 100MB

Result

Run the tool to see output...

About Video Compressor

Video Compressor re-encodes uploads to a smaller MP4 (H.264 + AAC) file so clips fit email limits, upload faster to social platforms, and use less storage on phones and laptops. Creators trim delivery time for client reviews; marketers meet campaign portal caps; teachers submit classroom clips through strict LMS forms. You choose a compression level to trade visual quality against file size—the same creative decision editors make in desktop suites, but in the browser.

Processing runs on the server with FFmpeg. If the host does not ship FFmpeg, or the binary is not on PATH, set FFMPEG_BIN in .env to the full path to ffmpeg (for example on Windows, the path to ffmpeg.exe). Output is always MP4 for broad compatibility; unusual or proprietary source codecs may need a local transcode first.

Re-encoding is lossy—each aggressive pass can add softening, banding in gradients, and blockiness in fast motion—so keep a master copy of originals when you might re-edit. Audio is preserved when present; silent clips stay silent. Very long or high-resolution sources may hit upload or processing time limits on shared hosting.

Do not upload footage you are not allowed to process or redistribute—copyright and privacy rules still apply. For confidential interviews or unreleased products, prefer offline tools approved by your security team. For public social clips, compression is usually the fastest path to a shareable file.

Supported formats

This tool accepts Video/Mp4, Video/Quicktime, Video/Webm, Video/X-Matroska, Video/X-Msvideo. Always respect the upload limit shown next to the form before sending large documents.

How to use

  1. Upload your file in the file field.
  2. Complete the extra fields (password, page ranges, quality, and similar).
  3. Click Run tool.
  4. Download or read the output below.

If processing fails, check the upload size limit on the form, try fewer or smaller files, or retry in a fresh tab.

Security & privacy

Files and text you send are processed to produce your result and are not intended for long-term storage on your behalf. Avoid uploading passports, bank details, medical records, or legally sensitive material unless you accept the risks of any online service. For confidential workflows, prefer offline software on a device you control. Read our privacy policy for site-wide practices.

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Frequently asked questions

Answers for Video Compressor—expand a question to read more.

Why does compression fail or say FFmpeg is missing?

This tool runs on the server using FFmpeg. Your host must have the ffmpeg binary installed and on PATH, or you must set FFMPEG_BIN in the site .env to the full path to ffmpeg.exe (Windows) or ffmpeg (Linux/macOS).

What format is the output?

Compressed files are saved as MP4 (H.264 video and AAC audio when an audio track exists). Very old or unusual codecs in the source file may not transcode until you convert them with desktop software first.

What is the upload size limit for video?

Video Compressor allows larger uploads than other tools (default 100 MB per file). Self-hosters can set TOOLS_VIDEO_MAX_KB in .env. PHP upload_max_filesize and post_max_size must be at least as large.

Why do I get a 504 Gateway Timeout?

Encoding can take several minutes. Nginx and PHP-FPM use short default timeouts; if they give up before FFmpeg finishes, you see 504. Increase nginx fastcgi_read_timeout and fastcgi_send_timeout, php-fpm request_terminate_timeout, and FFMPEG_TIMEOUT so they are aligned (e.g. 600 seconds). Very long clips on a small server may still need a shorter file or more CPU/RAM.