3 Ways to Compress a Video for Facebook [PC/Online/App]

To compress a video for Facebook:

  1. Download and install Movavi Video Converter.

  2. Add your videos to the converter.

  3. Specify your settings and start compressing.

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Best tools for the Facebook video compression

Edited by Ben Jacklin
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Facebook has strict requirements for uploading videos and movies, so if yours does not meet the criteria, it won’t be posted. In this guide, we cover different ways to compress a video for Facebook.

Program

Platform

OS

Download

Movavi Video Converter

Desktop

Windows, macOS

Download for Free
Download for Free
Download for Free
Download for Free

YouCompress

Online

Available in any supported browser

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Whether you are on a PC or a Mac, compressing a video for Facebook is easy. You can use Movavi Video Converter – a powerful yet easy-to-use converter that can reduce the video file size in just a few clicks. Plus, it supports the most popular media formats, including MP4, MOV, and MP3, which makes it possible to convert your file to a format accepted by Facebook. 

Movavi Video Converter also offers extra features you can use to edit your video, giving you more options to maintain it at a high quality.

Here is how to compress a video for Facebook:

Step 1.  Download and launch Movavi Video Converter

Download Movavi Video Converter and install it on your computer.

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Step 2. Add your clip

You can easily add your video by dragging and dropping it into the program window. Alternatively, you can click Add Media, then Add video, and select your video from the file explorer or finder.

Step 3. Configure your compression settings

Once you have added your media files to the program window, you will see the Compress file option beside them. This is where you can change the file size and bitrate. You will also notice various output formats available on the bottom panel of the main interface. Choose the one you prefer before proceeding to the condensing process. For reference, Facebook recommends the MP4 and MOV formats.

Step 4. Start your Facebook video compression

All that's left to do is to click Convert and wait for the process to complete. Once the conversion is done, you can post your newly compressed video to your Facebook page or profile without any issues.

How to compress a video for Facebook Messenger online

Facebook Messenger is a popular messaging app for sending videos to friends and family. But as with Facebook itself, there is a file size limit for videos that can be shared on the platform. The maximum file size for a video that you can share is 25 MB. So if your video is larger than that, you'll need to shrink it to a small file before sharing.

Fortunately, there is a quick way to do this without installing any software. In this section, you will learn how to compress a video for Facebook Messenger using YouCompress. It is a straightforward online video compressor for resizing files to the smaller size.

  1. Open up your browser and go to the online shrinker.

    Go to YouCompress

  2. Click Select File and choose a video from your file explorer or gallery. Since this is just a simple online tool, there are no settings to configure. You have to assume that the video you are compressing is already in the proper format.  

  3. Click Upload File & Compress to condense your video. The page will reload when the compression is done. You can save the finished file by clicking the Download button. Afterwards, you can select Delete File From Server to maintain your privacy.

How to compress a video for Facebook on an Android phone & iPhone

If you're on the go and want to upload a video to Facebook, you can use a mobile app to compress it first.

Compress a video for Facebook on an iPhone

  1. Follow the link below to download Video Compress - Shrink Videos from the App Store.

    Download the app

  2. To select your video for converting, click on the button with two arrows pointing towards each other. This will pull up your phone’s gallery. Go to the album where your file is located and select the video.

  3. Once your video is uploaded, toggle the Compression Ratio slider to get your preferred size.

  4. Tap the Download button and wait for the process to finish.

Compress a video for Facebook on an Android phone

  1. Download Video Compress and launch it.

    Download the app

  2. You will immediately see blocks of albums on your device that contains videos. Scroll until you find the album where your video is located and tap on it. Tap the Compress video option.

  3. Select the output video resolution and the new size.

  4. If you want to work with custom settings, tap the Custom tab on top of the screen. Here, you can use the Video Resolution and Bitrate sliders to select your preferred settings.

  5. Tap Compress and wait for the process to complete.

Video requirements for Facebook

Before you optimize a video for Facebook, it will be helpful to go over the basics of what videos can be uploaded to the social media platform. Here is a detailed overview of the specs Facebook accepts.

Parameter

Description

Video format

Recommended formats are MP4 and MOV. Other formats supported are 3G2, 3GP, 3GPP, ASF, AVI, DAT, DivX, DV, F4V, FLV, GIF, M2TS, M4V, MKV, MOD, MPE, MPEG, MPEG4, MPG, MTS, NSV, OGM, OGV, QT, TOD, TS, VOB, WMV

Aspect ratio

16:9 (full landscape), 1:1 (square), 4:5 (vertical), 9:16 (full portrait/vertical)

Video dimensions

Minimum 120px × 120px (square feed video), minimum 500px wide (stories)

Summary

Compressing a video is a great way to meet the requirements for uploading to Facebook. Additionally, it’ll also enable faster video loading. You can either download video compression software to your PC, install an app if you’re on your mobile, or use a web-based reducer for a quick compression. The conversion process itself normally won’t take too long, although it depends on the size and length of your video.

We recommend using Movavi Video Converter as it offers one of the best ways for downsizing or shrinking videos. It can successfully decrease the size of your video file without losing quality and provide helpful editing tools (like clip trimming) for further compression.

Movavi Video Converter

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Frequently asked questions

▶️ Why won’t my video upload to Facebook?

The most common reason is that the video file is too large or longer than it should be. Facebook accepts videos that are up to 4 GB in size. Another possibility is that your Internet connection is too slow or unstable to upload a big file.

▶️ How do I upload 4K to Facebook?

While you can technically upload a 4K video to Facebook, it will cap your video resolution at 1080p for posting. Facebook’s help center says that it supports a max resolution of 1080p.

▶️ How long can a Facebook video be?

Facebook allows a maximum of 240 minutes long (or 4 hours long) for video feed uploads. However, for stories and in-stream videos, you can only post clips that are 120 seconds long.

▶️ What is the best video format to upload to Facebook?

Facebook supports a wide range of video formats, including WMV, AVI, and MKV. But the platform recommends uploading MP4 or MOV files.

▶️ What is the best video resolution for Facebook?

The best video resolution for Facebook is 1080p. To enable HD viewing, go to your Account settings on Facebook and navigate to settings for Videos. Then select HD if available as the Video Default Quality. This is how you can check whether the video you’ve uploaded is in HD.

▶️ What is the maximum video file size for Facebook?

The platform recommends uploading a maximum of 4 GB file size. This applies to feed videos, stories, and reels.

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