SmallyLittle bird. Lighter files.

MOV compressor · on your Mac

Compress MOV on your Mac, never uploaded.

A .mov from an iPhone or QuickTime is often too heavy to send. Smally for Mac makes a lighter H.264 copy for chat and social, and your video never leaves your Mac.

Smally in the browser needs JavaScript and a current Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox. If it doesn't start here, Smally for Mac compresses images, PDFs and videos: meetsmally.com.

The drop zone above takes JPEG, PNG and WebP images in this tab. If you drop a .mov there, nothing is uploaded: the row tells you that Smally for Mac takes video.

What Smally for Mac makes from a MOV

A copy for sharing: H.264 video made with x264, up to 1080p and 30 frames a second, so a 4K iPhone clip becomes a 1080p copy. The HDR an iPhone records (HLG) is converted so the colours look right on any screen.

A copy is kept only when it is at least 10% lighter than the original; otherwise your video stays as it is. Videos can be up to 8 GB.

Check it before you send it

  • Video copies are made for sharing, so they can look a little different from the original. Play the video next to its copy, or step through it a frame at a time, before you rely on one.
  • Save puts the copy next to the original. Smally never replaces your video.

What it skips

  • Some videos are skipped, with the reason: protected files, slow motion, HDR10 and Dolby Vision profile 5, other wide-colour video, and clips with more than one video track.

Why a MOV is not compressed in the browser

Video needs the app, on your Mac. The browser version takes JPEG, PNG and WebP images, and a .mov dropped there is left alone and never uploaded.

How it works

  1. Drag your file in. Drop your file on the drop zone above, or choose it with the file picker. Nothing is uploaded.
  2. Compare the original and the copy. Press Preview on the finished row, drag the divider between the original and the copy, and look at it at 100 % or 200 %.
  3. Download the lighter copy. Download the copy you like. Your original stays untouched, and a copy is offered only when it is lighter.

Quick facts

Smally in the browser and Smally for Mac, side by side, for this kind of file
This kind of fileSmally in the browserSmally for Mac
What it takesNot video: the row says Smally for Mac takes it, and nothing is uploadedMP4, MOV and M4V, up to 8 GB
What it makesNothing: video needs the appAn H.264 copy for sharing, up to 1080p and 30 frames a second, made with x264
What staysThe .mov, untouchedThe original; Save puts the copy next to it
Per batchImages only: up to 5 files at a timeUp to 50 files at a time
Where it is processedIn this tab, on your device. Nothing is uploadedOn your Mac. Nothing is uploaded
When the original is keptAlways: video is not handled hereA copy would not be at least 10% lighter

Need PDFs, videos or photos bigger than the browser takes? Smally for Mac does them on your Mac. Compress PDF

Does Smally upload my MOV?

No. Smally for Mac compresses on your Mac, and your files never leave it.

Can it shrink a 4K iPhone MOV?

Yes. The copy is H.264 at up to 1080p and 30 frames a second, made for chat and social. A 4K clip becomes a 1080p copy.

Will the copy look the same?

It can look a little different, because it is made for sharing. Compare it with the original side by side or frame by frame before you use it.

What if my MOV is already small?

A copy is kept only when it is at least 10% lighter than the original. When it would not be, Smally leaves your video as it is.

Does the browser version compress MOV?

No. Smally in the browser takes JPEG, PNG and WebP. Video is for Smally for Mac.

What does the browser version count?

How many times its engine starts, how many times it fails and with which error code, and which Smally for Mac links are clicked, by day. Each count is just a number: no cookie, no ID, and nothing that identifies you or your files. Your files never leave this tab.

That record is stored with the time it happened and, within two days, added into a total for the day and deleted. Our hosting provider keeps ordinary server logs, as any host does; those are separate from these counts.