Limit reference
WhatsApp file size limit
Aim for
16MB
As of , WhatsApp caps videos sent as media at 16MB. Sending the same file as a document skips compression and allows up to 2GB, but loses the preview and autoplay.
By plan
WhatsApp limits by tier
What the same file is allowed to be, depending on the plan you are on or the route you send it by. Only the default free path is ever offered as a preset — the rest are here so you can see whether changing route is cheaper than compressing.
As media (video)
16MB
As document
2GB
The tool
Compress a file to fit WhatsApp
Video, images or PDFs, already set to 16MB. Runs on your machine — nothing is uploaded.
2Add your file
Video, images and PDFs, all compressed on your own machine. No upload, no account, no watermark, no limit on how many files.
Reference
Other platform limits
Every one of them dated, and the advertised number next to the one that works.
- Discord20MBVerified 26 Sep 2026
- Gmail18MBVerified 26 Sep 2026
- Outlook15MBVerified 26 Sep 2026
- Notion5MBVerified 11 Oct 2026
- Microsoft Teams100MBVerified 11 Oct 2026
- GitHub25MBVerified 11 Oct 2026
- Telegram2GBVerified 26 Sep 2026
- Slack1GBVerified 26 Sep 2026
- Reddit1GBVerified 26 Sep 2026
- YouTube256GBVerified 11 Oct 2026
- Google Drive5TBVerified 11 Oct 2026
- Dropbox2TBVerified 11 Oct 2026
- LinkedIn5GBVerified 11 Oct 2026
- WeTransfer3GBVerified 11 Oct 2026
Background
Why the limit bites, and what to do about it
- Why free compressors add watermarksWatermarks, daily caps and signup walls come from one place: every file you compress costs the operator money. Remove the server and the reason goes.
- How to send a large video on WhatsAppWhatsApp caps video at 16MB and re-compresses whatever you send. Sending as a document skips both — here is when to use which.
- Why is my video file so big?A 30-second clip can be 4MB or 400MB. The difference is bitrate, resolution, frame rate and length — and only one of them is worth changing first.