Compress a video for Discord or email
Discord's free limit is 20 MB and Gmail/Outlook allow 25 MB. Here is how to get any clip under those limits with free software, without guessing.
1. Work out the bitrate
Open the video compression calculator, click the 20 MB or 25 MB preset and enter your video's length. It tells you the video bitrate and the highest resolution that will still look reasonable.
Example: a 90-second clip into 25 MB with 128 kbps audio leaves about 2,000 kbps for video – fine for 720p, tight for 1080p.
2a. Compress with HandBrake (free, point and click)
- Open the video in HandBrake.
- Summary tab: Format MP4.
- Dimensions tab: set the max height from the calculator (e.g. 720).
- Video tab: Encoder H.264, choose Avg Bitrate (kbps), enter the number, tick Multi-Pass Encoding.
- Audio tab: AAC at the audio bitrate you used.
- Start Encode and check the file size.
2b. Compress with FFmpeg (free, command line)
The calculator prints a two-pass command with your numbers filled in. Two-pass is the most accurate way to hit a size.
3. Still too big or looks bad?
- Trim the clip. Halving the length doubles the quality you can afford.
- Drop to 64 kbps audio or remove audio if it is not needed.
- Use H.265 (HEVC) for better quality at the same size – but check the receiver can play it.
- Send a link instead: Gmail turns big files into Drive links automatically, Outlook.com uses OneDrive links up to 2 GB.
Prefer an all-in-one app?
Paid converters wrap the same steps in a simpler interface and can compress many files at once. Check the free-trial limits before relying on one – for example, Wondershare's official FAQ says UniConverter's trial converts only one third of a video's length.