Watch: How to Compress Video Files Safely in 3 Proven Ways

Video files that are too large are often difficult to send, save, or upload. Reducing file size is the most direct way to address this issue, letting you shrink the video while maintaining good image quality. This article tests and verifies three effective and proven methods for your reference.

How to Compress Videos Safely

• Reduce video size with a compression tool
• Trim the excess part of the video
• Zip the video file

Method 1: Reduce Video Size with a Compression Tool

MiniTool Video Converter is a professional video compressor that enables you to compress video files without quality loss. You can reduce your file size to any extent you want. It supports compressing videos of various formats, such as MP4, MKV, WMV, MOV, AVI, Xvid, WebM, FLV, etc. Up to 5 videos can be compressed at the same time.

• Open MiniTool Video Converter
• Move to the Compress Video section
• Import a video file
• Configure video compression level and parameters
• Start the compression process
• End compression and check the compressed video

MiniTool Video Converter

• Batch convert video/audio files among 1000+ formats.

• Quickly compress videos for easy storage and transfer.

• Accurately extract subtitles from video/audio files.

• Effectively enhance video quality.

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1. Download the software.

Click on the button above to download and install MiniTool Video Converter. Then, launch it on the PC.

2. Import a video file

Click on the Add Files option to import a video file. Or, you can also drag and drop the video into the middle area.

3. Compress video files.

Click on the Settings icon on the target video output. Then, decide the compression extent by dragging the slider. Next, select the output format by expanding the Format menu. Click on OK to save the changes. Finally, click on the Compress button and wait for the compression to finish

4. Check the compressed file.

When the compression ends, the tool will automatically switch to the Completed tab. Then, you can click the Play icon to view the compressed video and click the Folder icon to locate it.

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Method 2: Trim the Excess Part of the Video

In addition, you can also use MiniTool Video Converter to compress your large files by cutting or trimming the unwanted part of the video. Its video cutting feature enables users to easily trim, split, or cut videos.

What pleasantly surprised me most is the ability to import and edit a wide range of formats, such as AVI, 3GP, VOB, WebM, WMV, MP4, MOV, FLV, MKV, MPG, MPEG, MXF, and M4V, fully meeting users' everyday video cutting needs.

Fast Track Steps:

• Move to the Cut Video section
• Import the video
• Cut or trim the video
• Preview the cut video
• Determine the video file save path
• Export the video

1. Open MiniTool Video Converter

2. Import the video

Click the Cut Video option on the Home page to import the video from a local file.

3. Cut or trim the video

Tap the video clip and set the start and end points around the unwanted section. Tap the Cut icon to separate the selected section, then tap the separated clip and choose Delete to remove it.

Hover your mouse over the beginning or end of the video until the arrow icon appears, then drag the icon inwards.

4. Preview the video

Click the Play icon to see if the cut video satisfies you before exporting.                    

5. Export the video

Then, expand the Output option to choose a location for the exported video. Then, select Merge into one file to combine all clips into a single video. Finally, click Export to save the result.

Method 3: Zip the Video File

• Launch Windows File Explorer
• Find the target video
• Zip the video

Creating a zip file keeps a good balance between reducing video file size and maintaining high video quality. The file size change isn’t huge, and the quality is almost not being affected. The example below demonstrates how to compress video for email.

1. Open Windows File Explorer

Open File Explorer (formerly known as Windows Explorer) by pressing Windows + E or another way.

2. Find the Video that needs to be zipped

Browse your drive to find the folder that contains the video file you want to send through email. Then, locate the video file and select it.

3. Zip the video

Right click on the video > navigate to Send to > choose Compressed (zipped) folder > give a name to the zip file and press Enter (this operation is optional).

Also Read:Full Guide to Windows Explorer Needs to Be Restarted

Tips for Sharing Big Videos with Others

If you don’t want to compress the video before sending it to others, you’d better consider the following things.

#1. Share a Video Using Gmail

• Launch Gmail
• Create a new message window
• Fill in the message information
• Attach the video to Gmail

In addition to compression, you still have other choices for sending a large file. Generating a link to a video is what a lot of people are doing right now. Gmail is a world-famous free email service developed by Google. People like to send emails with pictures, documents, and even videos by using it.

How to send files with Gmail:

• 1. Search for Gmail in Google Chrome or type the Gmail website into the address bar.

• 2. Click on the Compose button located in the upper-left section to open a new message window.

• 3. Type the correct email address or select a recipient. Then, type a Subject to your email.

• 4. Click on the Attach files icon at the bottom and follow the on-screen instructions to continue.

However, if the size of the file to upload is larger than the size restriction (25 MB), a message will pop up to inform you that you need to upload your file to Google Drive first, and then a corresponding link will be generated to access the file.

How to create a Google Drive link to a video in Gmail:

1. Repeat step 1 to step 3 mentioned just now.
2. Click on the Google Drive icon at the bottom. If you don’t know which one is, put your cursor onto each icon until you find the one that says “Insert files using Drive”.
3. Click the New option, then choose the File upload option to import a video from local files.
4. Browse your device to select the video file you want to send and click Open.
5. Click Upload and wait for the process to finish.
6. A link will be generated and appeared automatically in your Gmail window.

Now, you’re just one step away from sharing your video link with others: click on the Send button and follow the instructions to offer anyone the link access to view your video file. When people receive your email, they can watch the video by just clicking on the link.

#2. Send a Video Using OneDrive (Outlook)

• Sign in to Outlook and open OneDrive
• Click Upload > Files and select the video to upload
• Click Share Link to get a shareable link
• Enter the recipient's email address, add a message, and click Send.
• View the video

Like Gmail, Outlook gives a size limit to the file you tend to send using it. If you’d like to share a large video through it, you need the help of OneDrive: creating a link to the video using OneDrive and sending it to others.

1. Visit the Outlook website and sign in with your account.
2. Open the OneDrive window.
3. Click Upload from the top menu bar.
4. Select Files from the drop-down menu.
5. Browse your drive to select the video file and then click Open.
6. You can also click and drag the target video file into the OneDrive window directly.
7. Click on the Share Link button in the small window that shows up at the end of the file upload.
8. You can also click New > Attach > OneDrive to select the uploaded video manually.
9. Enter the email address or select a recipient.
10. Type the message text and click Send.
11. The recipient can click on the link to view your video easily.

Also Read:How To Recover Permanently Deleted Files In Windows

You can also turn to other cloud services to share or send large files, such as Mail Drop, Dropbox, Amazon Drive. You can also try to re-download a video in a lower quality or make a GIF that captures the central idea of your video.

Conclusion

In a word, knowing how to compress video files safely can help reduce file size while maintaining good video quality. This article introduces three methods: using a video compressor to reduce file size, trimming excess parts, and zipping the video file. Choose a suitable method based on the desired file size and video quality.

If you encounter any questions when using MiniTool Video Converter, please send an email to support@minitool.com for help.

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