You’ve just captured the perfect video on your iPhone, maybe a hilarious moment with your pet, a stunning sunset in slow-motion, or your child’s first steps. You tap the share button, ready to send it to your family on WhatsApp or via email, and you’re hit with the dreaded message: “File Too Large.”
It’s a frustratingly common problem in 2025. As iPhone cameras get better, our video files get bigger.
But don’t worry, you don’t need a powerful computer or any complicated software to solve this. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to compress a video on your iPhone. These three simple methods are fast, easy, and best of all, completely free.
Method 1: The Quickest Fix (No App Needed)
Before you download anything, check if iOS already has the tools you need. This two-part approach is perfect for making quick adjustments.
Part 1: Change Your Camera Settings for the Future
Prevention is better than cure. If you find your videos are consistently too large, you can adjust your recording quality. Go to Settings on your iPhone, scroll down and tap on Camera, then tap on Record Video. You’ll see a list of options, like 4K at 60 fps (highest quality, largest size) and 1080p HD at 30 fps (great quality, smaller size). For most social media and messaging, 1080p is more than enough and will save you a lot of space.
Part 2: Trim Your Existing Video
If your video is only slightly too large, trimming a few seconds off the beginning or end can often do the trick.
- Open the Photos app and find the video you want to shrink.
- Tap “Edit” in the top-right corner.
- You’ll see the video timeline at the bottom. Simply drag the yellow sliders at the beginning or end of the timeline to trim the video.
- Tap “Done” and choose “Save Video” or “Save Video as New Clip.”
Method 2: Use a Free App to Shrink Your Video
When trimming isn’t enough, a dedicated compression app is your best friend. These apps are designed to reduce video size significantly while balancing quality.
Our top pick for 2025 is “Video Compress – Shrink Vids”. It’s one of the best apps to compress video on an iPhone because it’s free, straightforward, and does its one job exceptionally well.
How to use it:
- Download “Video Compress – Shrink Vids” from the App Store.
- Open the app and tap the large + icon to select your video. You’ll need to grant it permission to access your photos.
- Choose the video file from your library.
- The app will present you with a list of target file sizes and quality presets (e.g., Full HD, HD 720p). For most sharing, selecting a preset between 40-60% of the original size is a great starting point.
- Tap to start the compression. A 500 MB video can easily become 90 MB in less than a minute.
- Once finished, the newly compressed video is automatically saved to your Photos library, ready to be shared!
Another great free option is “Compress Videos & Resize Video,” which uses a simple slider to let you choose the compression percentage and is very intuitive for beginners.
Method 3: Keep Full Quality & Send It with a Transfer Service
What if you’re a professional, a content creator, or just don’t want to sacrifice any of that crisp 4K detail? In that case, don’t compress your video—change how you send it.
This is the best way to send a large video from your iPhone for free without losing quality. Instead of attaching the file, you upload it to a service and share a simple download link.
For most users, a service like WeTransfer is perfect. You can upload files up to 2 GB for free directly from their website on your phone’s browser. For huge files larger than 2 GB, Smash is a fantastic free alternative that has no file size limit.
Which Method Is Right for You?
Still not sure which path to take? Here’s a simple breakdown:
- Trimming: Best for videos that are just slightly oversized. Quality loss is none (the video is just shorter) and it’s the fastest method.
- Compression App: Best for sending videos on WhatsApp, iMessage, or email. There is minor to moderate quality loss, and it’s a fast method.
- Transfer Service: Best for sending full, original-quality files. There is no quality loss, and the speed depends on your Wi-Fi or data connection.
Final Thoughts
Running into a “File Too Large” error doesn’t have to stop you from sharing your memories. As you can see, you have plenty of options right on your iPhone. For a quick share on a messaging app, a compression app is your fastest solution. If you just need to snip a few seconds off, trimming is the easiest fix. And to preserve every single pixel of quality, use a file transfer service.
Now you’re ready to compress and share any video, no matter the size. What are your favorite ways to share large videos from your iPhone? Let us know in the comments below!