Compress a video on iPhone
To reduce the size of a video after you've recorded it, open your video in iMovie, then export it from iMovie at a lower resolution.
What you need
An iPhone 12 or later running iOS 26 or later.*
The latest version of iMovie for iOS. Download for free from the App Store on your iPhone.
A video in the photo library on your iPhone. If the video is stored elsewhere or you are using a third-party photo app to manage your photos and videos, learn how to import media to your photo library so it appears in the iMovie media browser.
* You can compress a video with iMovie on iPhone with earlier versions of iPhone, iOS, and iMovie, but the steps to compress and the available options may vary.
Compress a video with iMovie
Add the video to an iMovie project, then export the video at a lower resolution. You can check the size of the video at any time.
Add your video to an iMovie project
Open iMovie.
In the Projects browser, tap Start New Project, then tap Movie.
Tap Media, then tap Video to browse the videos that are stored in your photo library.
Tap the video that you want to compress. A check mark appears on the video to confirm your selection
Tap Create Movie. A new project opens with your video in the iMovie timeline. From here, you can optionally edit your video or skip straight to exporting if you're ready.
Tap Done.
Export your video at a lower resolution
When you export at a lower resolution, you reduce the size of the file. But video quality might be reduced, depending on the settings of your iPhone at time of recording (1080p HD is the default resolution setting). 540p is suitable for social media. 360p is suitable for text messaging.
Tap the Share button
at the bottom of the screen. If you're in the Projects browser, tap the iMovie project, then tap the Share button.Tap Save or Share Video.
Tap Options.
Select a lower resolution, like 720, 540, or 360. The approximate size of a one-minute video file at the available resolutions is as follows:
1080p (default iPhone camera and iMovie export settings): 70–105 MB
720: 19–27 MB
540: 12–16 MB
360: 6–9 MB
Tap Done.
Choose where you want to export your movie:
To save the video to your photo library, tap Save Video. If you use iCloud Photos, the video will appear on your other devices.
To save in iCloud, in a different location on your device, or in another third-party storage service that you’ve enabled in the Files app, tap Save to Files, choose a location, then tap Save.
To use AirDrop to share with a nearby device, tap AirDrop, tap your profile picture at the top of the screen, then tap the device you want to send to.
To verify the new file size, you can check the size of the exported video.
Check the size of a video on iPhone
Use the Photos app if your video is in your photo library. Use the Files app if you saved the video elsewhere.
Check the size of a video in the Photos app
If you saved the video to your photo library, you can see the size of the video in the Photos app.
In the Photos app, locate the video in your photo library, then select it.
Tap the Information button at the bottom of the screen. The file size appears under the name of the device used to record the video, along with other technical details.
To watch the video, tap it in the photo library.
Check the size of a video in the Files app
If you saved the video in a location other than your photo library, you can check its size in the Files app. Other locations can include different locations on your device, in iCloud, or in a third-party cloud storage service (if you added it to the Files app).
Go to the Files app on your iPhone.
To find the exported video, tap Browse or Recents at the bottom of the screen, or enter the video’s file name in the search field.
When you’ve located the video, the size of the file appears next to the filename in list view or under the thumbnail in icon view.
To watch the video, tap it in the Files app.
If the video is still too large
If the file is still too large, trim the video to make it shorter.
If you want to try a different resolution
If you want to try to export with a different resolution, reopen iMovie, open the project with the video, then export the video with a different resolution setting.
If you want consistently smaller video file sizes
For consistently smaller video files, you can adjust the camera settings on your iPhone. Choose a resolution lower than 1080p HD (the default resolution setting), turn off HDR Video, and make sure High Efficiency is selected.