Compress a video to 20 MB

You are sending a clip through a chat app or a message-size limit that sits around the size of a short phone video. It is the size where a clip of a minute or so can keep a respectable resolution, but a longer recording still has to drop to a smaller frame, and footage shot at full phone resolution will not fit as it is.

How long a video fits in 20 MB

The longest clip that keeps each resolution at each quality, worked out with the same arithmetic FitSize uses to plan an encode. Times use h, m and s for hours, minutes and seconds, and are rounded down, so a clip at the listed length fits.

Assumes 30 fps, a 16:9 picture and stereo AAC audio at 128 kbps. A different frame rate, a taller picture or a bigger audio track changes the times.

Worked examples

• A 30-second clip: 1080p at Balanced quality (that resolution holds up to 30 s).
• A 2-minute clip: 480p at Balanced quality (that resolution holds up to 2 min 17 s).
• A 10-minute clip does not fit in 20 MB at any resolution FitSize offers. Trim it or accept a smaller target.

What quality to expect

A 2-minute 720p clip at this size gets about 0.042 bits per pixel per frame. That is under our Smallest preset (0.05), so expect visible blocking at 720p. Drop to a lower resolution or shorten the clip. This is an estimate from bitrate arithmetic, not a measurement: real quality depends on the footage, and fast motion or fine detail needs more.

Who needs 20 MB

These verified limits are at or just above 20 MB. Where a limit is for email, the file has to be smaller than the number, so the third column is what to aim for.

What each of these limits covers

• Discord: Free (no Nitro). Discord's help centre says the free limit is 20 MB as of August 2026, up from 10 MB, and that size is now checked before compression on desktop and mobile alike (mobile used to compress first). Discord says it is experimenting with limits, so some accounts may see more. It also says Android users with large source files may hit the limit more often than before. Many third-party guides still say 10 MB. Source: support.discord.com
• iCloud Mail: Message with attachments. Incoming and outgoing messages are limited to 20 MB, or up to 5 GB with Mail Drop turned on. The page states no separate attachment limit. Source: support.apple.com
• Notion: Paid plan, PDFs. On a paid plan, PDFs must be under 20 MB. The page states no limit for other file types on paid plans. Some summaries say paid plans allow up to 5 GB per file; the page does not say that. Source: notion.com
• Pinterest: Image Pin, web upload. Image Pins uploaded on the web are limited to 20 MB; the app side lists 1 GB as recommended. The Pin specs page gives no file size for video Pins (only length, 4 seconds to 5 minutes). Some sources apply the 20 MB to video Pins too; the page gives no file size for video Pins. Source: help.pinterest.com
• Zoho Mail: Personal users, whole email. For personal users the maximum email size including all attachments is 20 MB. Paid plans allow larger attachments (250 MB, 500 MB or 1 GB by plan) and administrators can add stricter policies. Source: zoho.com

Tips at 20 MB

1. Check which limit you are really under. The services listed on this page share this size, but some measure the whole message rather than the file, and those need a smaller target than the number suggests.
2. Shorter and smaller together beat either alone. If you are just over, trimming a few seconds usually saves more than dropping a quality level.
3. Keep the original. Compressing to a limit is a one-way trip, and the next place you send the clip may allow far more.