How to Make MP4 Smaller: 6 Methods That Actually Work (2026)
A 4K MP4 from your iPhone can easily hit 6 GB for 10 minutes of footage. Here are 6 proven methods to make MP4 smaller, ranked by effort and result.
How to Make MP4 Smaller: The Complete 2026 Guide
A 10-minute 4K video from an iPhone can hit 6 GB. A screen recording of a presentation runs into hundreds of megabytes before you've even thought about sharing it. Trying to email or upload a multi-gigabyte MP4 is a frustrating experience — and it doesn't have to be.
Learning how to make MP4 smaller comes down to understanding what's actually inside the file and which part you're targeting. This guide covers six proven methods, from one-click tools to fine-grained manual settings, with a recommended bitrate table and realistic expectations for each approach.
The short version: changing the codec from H.264 to HEVC (H.265) is the single most effective method, giving you roughly 50% smaller files at equivalent quality. Everything else is complementary.
Why MP4 Files Are Large in the First Place
An MP4 file is a container — it holds video, audio, subtitles, and metadata. The video stream inside the container is what takes up most of the space, and its size is determined by three things:
- Codec: The algorithm used to compress the video (H.264, HEVC, AV1, etc.)
- Bitrate: How many bits per second are allocated to the video stream
- Resolution: How many pixels are in each frame (1080p vs 4K doubles the pixel count)
Duration multiplies everything — a 30-minute MP4 is three times larger than a 10-minute one at the same settings.
Modern smartphone cameras default to high-quality settings that prioritize visual fidelity over file size. That's the right default for capture, but it means the raw footage needs compression for storage and sharing.
Method 1: Change the Codec from H.264 to HEVC — Biggest Impact
The single most effective way to make an MP4 smaller is to re-encode the video stream using HEVC (H.265) instead of H.264. At the same visual quality, HEVC produces files approximately 40-50% smaller. A 4 GB H.264 video becomes roughly 2 GB in HEVC.
Understanding the difference between HEVC and H.264 helps clarify why: HEVC uses more sophisticated encoding decisions (variable-size coding blocks, extended motion prediction) that find and eliminate more redundancy per frame.
The tradeoff: HEVC encoding is more computationally expensive than H.264. On older hardware or in software-only mode, encoding a long video can take hours. On Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4), Apple's dedicated media engine handles HEVC encoding nearly as fast as H.264 — making this the go-to method for Mac users.
How to do it with Compresto: Drop your MP4 file onto Compresto. It automatically uses Apple's HEVC hardware encoder. No settings to configure, no command lines. The output is an MP4 container with an HEVC video stream, compatible with macOS, iOS, and most modern devices.
How to do it with HandBrake: Select your file, choose a preset (H.265 MKV or H.265 MP4), adjust quality with the RF (Rate Factor) slider — RF 22-28 is a good range for most content — and click Start Encode.
Method 2: Reduce the Bitrate — Precise Control
Bitrate is the number of bits per second used to encode video. Higher bitrate = better quality = larger file. Lowering the bitrate directly reduces file size, but go too low and you'll see visible compression artifacts — blockiness, loss of detail in complex scenes, color banding.
The key is finding the minimum bitrate that still looks good for your specific content. Talking-head videos and screencasts can use much lower bitrates than fast-motion sports or nature footage with lots of texture detail.
Recommended Bitrate Settings for MP4
| Resolution | Content Type | H.264 Bitrate | HEVC Bitrate | Typical File Size (10 min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | Screencasts, talking head | 2-4 Mbps | 1-2 Mbps | 150-300 MB |
| 1080p | General video | 6-10 Mbps | 3-5 Mbps | 450-750 MB |
| 1080p | High motion, sports | 10-15 Mbps | 5-8 Mbps | 750 MB-1.1 GB |
| 4K | General video | 25-40 Mbps | 12-20 Mbps | 1.8-3 GB |
| 4K | High motion | 40-60 Mbps | 20-30 Mbps | 3-4.5 GB |
In HandBrake: Switch from "Constant Quality" (RF) to "Average Bitrate" (ABR) mode and enter your target bitrate. Two-pass encoding (encode the video twice — first to analyze, then to optimize) produces better results at the same bitrate but takes twice as long.
In Compresto: The quality slider adjusts the effective bitrate automatically relative to the source. You don't need to calculate target bitrates manually.
Method 3: Scale Down the Resolution — Simple and Effective
Going from 4K to 1080p reduces the pixel count by 75% (from ~8.3 million pixels per frame to ~2 million). This has a massive impact on file size — even at the same bitrate settings, a 1080p encode of a 4K source will be dramatically smaller.
When this makes sense:
- The final destination doesn't need 4K (most web and social media platforms display at 1080p max for most users)
- You're archiving footage shot in 4K but mainly watched on 1080p screens
- You're preparing video for email or messaging apps where resolution limits apply anyway
When to keep the original resolution:
- The content will be displayed on 4K screens
- You need to zoom in or crop in post-production
- The content is archival and you want full quality for future use
In HandBrake: In the Dimensions tab, set the resolution to 1920×1080 (or use the "Anamorphic: None" setting and type 1920 in the width field). HandBrake maintains aspect ratio automatically.
In Compresto: The resolution scaling option lets you set a maximum dimension. Set max width to 1920 for a 4K-to-1080p downscale.
Method 4: Trim Unnecessary Footage — Obvious but Overlooked
The fastest way to make an MP4 smaller is to remove the parts you don't need. A 30-minute lecture recording where the actual content is 22 minutes can be trimmed to those 22 minutes, instantly making it 27% smaller before any quality decisions.
On Mac with iMovie: Import the file, drag the clip to the timeline, trim by dragging the edges, and export. Free and simple.
On Mac with QuickTime Player: Open the file, go to Edit > Trim, drag the yellow handles to select the portion you want to keep, click Trim, then save. This is lossless for many common formats — QuickTime can trim H.264 MP4 without re-encoding.
With HandBrake: In the Point-to-Point settings, specify start and end timecodes to encode only a specific segment.
Trimming is lossless in quality but only saves space proportional to what you cut. It doesn't address the underlying file-size-per-minute problem.
Method 5: Use HandBrake — The Free Professional Standard
HandBrake is the most widely used free video transcoder, and for good reason. It offers fine-grained control over every compression parameter and produces excellent results. The learning curve is steeper than drag-and-drop tools, but the output quality-to-size ratio is among the best available for a free tool.
Key HandBrake settings for making MP4 smaller:
- Preset: Start with "H.265 MP4 2160p 60" for 4K or "H.265 MP4 1080p30" for 1080p. These are conservative quality presets — you can go lower.
- Quality (RF): Lower RF = higher quality, larger file. RF 24-28 for archival, RF 28-32 for web/social.
- Encoder: Select "H.265 (VideoToolbox)" on Mac for hardware-accelerated encoding — much faster than software x265.
- Audio: AAC 128-160 kbps for stereo is sufficient for most content. AC3/DTS passthrough if you're preserving surround sound.
Our guide on how to use HandBrake covers the full workflow in detail.
Limitations: HandBrake is a one-file-at-a-time tool (it has a queue, but setup requires individual configuration). No folder watching or automatic batch processing. For compressing large video libraries automatically, you need a different approach.
Method 6: Use Compresto for Automatic MP4 Compression on Mac
For Mac users who want results without diving into compression settings, Compresto is purpose-built for this workflow. It uses Apple's native media frameworks and hardware HEVC encoder to compress MP4 files efficiently with minimal configuration.
What makes Compresto different from HandBrake:
- Drag and drop: No presets to configure, no encoding queues to manage
- Folder monitoring: Set Compresto to watch a folder and it automatically compresses new videos as they're added — useful for camera imports, screen recording folders, or download directories
- Batch processing: Compress an entire folder of MP4 files at once
- Multi-format support: Images, PDFs, and video in one app — not just video
- Speed: Apple Silicon hardware encoding means a 10-minute 4K video compresses in under 2 minutes on M-series Macs
The output is a standard MP4 file with HEVC encoding — playable on any modern device that supports H.265. For content destined for platforms that prefer H.264, the quality slider gives you control over the compression aggressiveness.
Compresto is particularly effective alongside archive tools for Mac: use an archive tool for documents and code, and Compresto for your media files.
Method 7: Online Tools — For Occasional, Small Files
If you only occasionally need to compress a single small MP4 and don't want to install anything, online tools like Clideo, Kapwing, or HandBrake's web interface offer compression in the browser.
Realistic limitations:
- File size limits (typically 500 MB to 2 GB)
- Slower than native tools (server-side processing)
- Privacy considerations — your video is uploaded to a third-party server
- Less control over output quality and codec settings
- Queue wait times during peak hours
For occasional compression of a presentation recording or a short clip, online tools work fine. For regular compression of large files or video libraries, a native tool is significantly better.
VLC for Basic Compression
VLC is primarily a media player, but it includes a basic video conversion/compression feature via Media > Convert/Save. You can select an output format, choose a codec, and set a bitrate.
The results are functional but not optimal — VLC's encoding quality doesn't match HandBrake's at equivalent settings, and the interface for encoding is buried and unintuitive. VLC is a reasonable option if you have it installed and need a quick compression of a single file, but it's not a compression workflow tool.
Which Method Should You Use?
For Mac users who want simplicity: Use Compresto. Drop in your files, get smaller files out. The HEVC hardware encoder on Apple Silicon makes this both fast and high-quality.
For maximum control over quality and size: Use HandBrake. Configure your codec, bitrate, and resolution precisely for each project.
For archiving a large video library: Use Compresto's folder monitoring feature to automatically compress videos as you add them, or batch-process your existing library.
For trimming without re-encoding: Use QuickTime Player's trim feature (Edit > Trim) for a fast, lossless cut of H.264 footage.
For understanding codec choices: Read our HEVC vs H.264 comparison to understand why codec selection matters more than bitrate adjustments alone.
How Much Smaller Can You Actually Make an MP4?
Realistic size reduction expectations by method:
| Method | Size Reduction | Quality Impact |
|---|---|---|
| H.264 → HEVC, same quality | 40-50% | None |
| Reduce bitrate 30% | ~30% | Minimal if done carefully |
| 4K → 1080p | 60-75% | None on 1080p screens |
| Trim 25% of footage | 25% | None |
| Combined (codec + bitrate) | 60-70% | Minimal |
Combining codec change with moderate bitrate reduction and resolution downscaling can reduce a 6 GB 4K video to under 1 GB while remaining indistinguishable from the original on any typical display.
FAQ: Making MP4 Files Smaller
Q: How do I make an MP4 smaller without losing quality?
The most effective lossless-feeling approach is converting to HEVC (H.265) at a high quality setting. While technically lossy (HEVC compression discards some data), at quality settings like RF 22-24 in HandBrake or Compresto's high-quality mode, the output is visually indistinguishable from the original. True lossless compression of video produces minimal size reduction because video is already highly compressed.
Q: What is the best free tool to compress MP4 on Mac?
HandBrake is the best free option with full control over compression parameters. Compresto offers a simpler workflow with excellent results, available on the Mac App Store. For a completely no-install solution, QuickTime Player (built into macOS) can trim MP4 files without re-encoding.
Q: Can I compress MP4 on Mac without downloading software?
Yes, to a limited extent. QuickTime Player's Export function (File > Export As) can downscale resolution from 4K to 1080p or 720p. For codec conversion and full bitrate control, you'll need additional software like Compresto or HandBrake.
Q: How small can I make an MP4 before quality becomes unacceptable?
This depends heavily on the content. Screencasts and talking-head videos can tolerate very low bitrates (1-2 Mbps at 1080p) while looking fine for web viewing. High-motion sports and nature footage needs higher bitrates to avoid blocking artifacts. As a rule, cutting the original file size by more than 80% with re-encoding will produce visible quality degradation in most content. The 40-60% reduction from HEVC conversion is typically the sweet spot for maximum savings with minimum quality loss.
Q: Does compressing an MP4 affect audio quality?
Standard compression workflows re-encode audio to AAC 128-160 kbps stereo, which is transparent (indistinguishable from higher bitrates) for most content. If you're working with high-quality audio (lossless, surround sound, or studio recordings), check your tool's audio settings and increase the audio bitrate accordingly, or use audio passthrough if the format supports it.