How to Compress Video for Google Drive: Save Storage Space (2026)
Learn how to compress videos for Google Drive to maximize your 15GB free storage and speed up uploads.
Google Drive gives every account 15GB of free storage — shared across Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos. A single uncompressed 4K vacation video can consume 4-8GB of that in one shot. If you regularly shoot on a modern smartphone or camera, that free tier disappears fast.
The solution is straightforward: compress video for Google Drive before you upload. A properly compressed video can be 60-80% smaller with no visible quality difference on any screen you'd actually watch it on. That 4GB clip becomes 800MB. Your 15GB now lasts months instead of weeks.
This guide covers everything: how Google Drive actually handles your videos, the best compression settings for cloud storage, and step-by-step instructions for Mac, Windows, and browser-based compression.
Does Google Drive Compress Videos?
This is a common point of confusion. Google Drive does not compress your original video file when you upload it. The file you upload is stored exactly as-is, at its original size and quality.
What Google Drive does do is transcode videos for in-browser playback. When you or someone you share with hits the play button inside Drive, Google streams a transcoded version (capped at 1080p) rather than the original file. This transcoded stream exists only for playback — it does not replace your original, and it does not reduce your storage usage.
Key implications:
- Your 10GB 4K video still counts as 10GB toward your storage quota, even though Drive only plays it at 1080p
- Downloads always give the original file at original size
- Storage savings only come from compressing before uploading
The bottom line: if you want to save storage, you need to compress the video on your device before it ever reaches Drive.
Google Drive Video Limits and Requirements
Before compressing, it helps to know what Google Drive can actually handle:
| Specification | Limit |
|---|---|
| Maximum file size | 5 TB per file |
| Free storage tier | 15 GB (shared with Gmail and Photos) |
| In-browser playback cap | 1080p maximum |
| Recommended format | MP4 (H.264) |
| Supported formats | MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WMV, FLV, WebM, MPEG |
| Sharing resolution | Streams at up to 1080p regardless of original |
Practical takeaways:
- If your video will only be watched inside Google Drive (not downloaded), compressing to 1080p costs you nothing visually — Drive won't stream higher than that anyway
- MP4 with H.264 gives the best compatibility for Drive playback across all devices and browsers
- If collaborators will download and edit the file, preserve higher quality and only compress lightly
How to Compress Videos for Google Drive on Mac
Using Compresto (Fastest Method)
Compresto is a native Mac app that uses Apple Silicon's hardware encoder to compress video in a fraction of the time software tools take. Drag in a file, pick quality, click compress.
Steps:
- Download and open Compresto
- Drag your video (or a whole folder of videos) into the window
- Select quality — Medium or High works well for Drive storage; this targets H.264 or H.265 with optimized bitrate
- Click Compress
- Upload the compressed output to Google Drive
For a 1-hour 1080p video, Compresto typically produces a file 50-70% smaller than the original. Upload times drop proportionally — a 3GB file that used to take 20 minutes on a typical home connection compresses to 900MB and uploads in 6 minutes.
Compresto also handles batch compression natively. If you have a folder of recordings to back up to Drive, drop the whole folder in and compress everything at once before uploading. See how to compress a video on Mac for a full breakdown of Mac compression options.
Using QuickTime Player (Built-In, No Download)
- Open your video in QuickTime Player
- Go to File > Export As
- Choose 1080p (or 720p for smaller files)
- Save and upload to Drive
QuickTime is limited to resolution-based compression — you cannot set a target bitrate. But for casual Drive backups where you don't need exact size control, it's the fastest zero-install option.
Using HandBrake (Free, More Control)
- Download HandBrake and open your video
- Select the "Fast 1080p30" preset (or "HQ 720p30" for smaller output)
- Under the Video tab, switch codec to H.265 (HEVC) and set RF to 24–26
- Click Start Encode
- Upload the output file to Google Drive
H.265 at RF 26 produces files that look excellent on any screen up to 1080p — and since Drive caps playback at 1080p anyway, this is the ideal encode for Drive backups. See best video compression for Mac for a full HandBrake vs. Compresto comparison.
How to Compress Videos for Google Drive on Windows
Using HandBrake
HandBrake is available for Windows and works identically to the Mac version:
- Download HandBrake from handbrake.fr
- Open your video file
- Choose a preset: Fast 1080p30 or HQ 720p30 Surround
- Set codec to H.265, RF around 24
- Click Start Encode, then upload to Drive
Using VLC Media Player
VLC's Convert/Save function (accessible via Ctrl+R) can transcode to a smaller file. Choose H.264 or H.265, set a target bitrate, and export. The interface is less intuitive than HandBrake but works if VLC is already installed. For full instructions see how to compress video with VLC.
How to Compress Videos for Google Drive Online
If you're on a managed computer where you cannot install software, browser-based tools are the fallback option.
Options:
- Clideo (clideo.com) — upload, compress, download; 500MB file limit on free tier
- Kapwing (kapwing.com) — video editor with export quality controls; good for short clips
- HandBrake Online — not available; HandBrake is desktop only
- Zamzar — format conversion with basic compression; 200MB limit free
Important caveats: Online tools require uploading your original (large) file to a third-party server before compression. For a 2GB video on a typical home connection, that upload alone takes 10+ minutes before compression even starts. For large files, local tools are dramatically faster. See compress video online free for a full comparison of browser-based compressors.
Best Compression Settings for Google Drive
Since Google Drive caps in-browser playback at 1080p, these settings are optimized for storage efficiency while maintaining visual quality that looks excellent on any Drive playback screen.
| Scenario | Resolution | Codec | Bitrate | Est. File Size (60 min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casual backup (family videos) | 720p | H.264 | 2–3 Mbps | 900 MB – 1.4 GB |
| Standard backup (meetings, vlogs) | 1080p | H.264 | 4–6 Mbps | 1.8 – 2.7 GB |
| High-quality backup | 1080p | H.265 | 3–5 Mbps | 1.4 – 2.3 GB |
| Maximum efficiency | 1080p | H.265 | 2–3 Mbps | 900 MB – 1.4 GB |
| Collaborative editing (download) | 1080p | H.264 | 8–12 Mbps | 3.6 – 5.4 GB |
Recommended default for most Drive backups: 1080p, H.265, 3 Mbps. This produces files roughly 70% smaller than typical camera output with no visible quality loss on any screen at Drive's 1080p playback cap.
For videos being shared via link where recipients will only watch in-browser — not download — you can compress more aggressively to 720p at 2 Mbps. The playback experience will be identical to a higher-bitrate file when streamed through Drive's player.
How Much Space Can You Save?
Real-world compression results for common video sources:
| Original File | Original Size | Compressed (1080p H.265) | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 Pro 4K 60fps (10 min) | 3.8 GB | 600 MB | 84% |
| iPhone 15 Pro 1080p 30fps (10 min) | 1.2 GB | 280 MB | 77% |
| Android 4K 30fps (10 min) | 2.4 GB | 520 MB | 78% |
| GoPro Hero 12 4K (10 min) | 4.2 GB | 680 MB | 84% |
| Screen recording 1080p (60 min) | 8.0 GB | 800 MB | 90% |
| DSLR H.264 1080p (10 min) | 1.8 GB | 350 MB | 81% |
Screen recordings compress especially well because large areas of the frame don't change between frames — the codec can encode these areas with very little data. A 60-minute screen recording that would fill half your Drive quota can often compress to under 1GB.
These numbers assume good compression settings (H.265, RF 26 or equivalent). Quick exports from QuickTime or basic online tools typically achieve 40-60% reduction. Purpose-built tools like Compresto and HandBrake reach 70-85% with better quality preservation.
FAQ: Google Drive Video Compression
Will compressing video reduce quality when playing in Google Drive?
At good compression settings (H.265, 1080p, 3+ Mbps), no visible quality difference exists when watching through Drive's built-in player. Drive transcodes all videos to a streaming format capped at 1080p anyway, so even if your compressed file has slightly lower bitrate than the original, the Drive player's own transcoding step means the playback quality is effectively the same.
What video format does Google Drive prefer?
MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio is the most universally compatible format for Drive. It plays in every browser without issues and downloads cleanly. H.265 (HEVC) also works and produces smaller files, but some older browsers may not play H.265 directly inside Drive's viewer.
Does Google Drive reduce video quality automatically?
Google Drive does not reduce quality of stored files. It only affects the stream used for in-browser playback (transcoded to max 1080p). The original file you upload — at whatever size and quality you uploaded it — remains unchanged in storage. This is why compressing before upload is the only way to save storage space.
How do I upload large videos to Google Drive faster?
Compress before uploading. A 4GB file that compresses to 800MB uploads 5x faster on the same connection. Beyond that: use a wired ethernet connection rather than Wi-Fi, upload during off-peak hours, and use the Google Drive desktop app (which handles large uploads more reliably than the browser uploader).
Can I share compressed Google Drive videos with full quality?
Yes. When you share a Drive link to a video, recipients can either watch it in-browser (Drive streams at up to 1080p) or download the original compressed file. If your compressed video is 1080p at good quality settings, recipients get the full compressed file on download — which looks excellent on any standard display.
Download Compresto to compress videos, images, and PDFs on your Mac with one click.