# Compress video on your Mac

> Compress MP4, MOV and iPhone 4K video on your Mac with x264 for chat and social, and compare the copy frame by frame. Smally for Mac.

- URL: https://meetsmally.com/compress-video/
- Language: en
- Spanish version: https://meetsmally.com/es/comprimir-video/
- Site map for assistants: https://meetsmally.com/llms.txt

Drop an MP4, MOV or M4V, including iPhone 4K clips, and Smally for Mac makes a lighter copy for chat and social with x264. Your video never leaves your Mac.

## Drop. Check. Keep.

1. **Bring your file.** Drag it onto Smally, open it with Smally from Finder, or choose Compress with Smally from the Services menu. There is no setting to pick.
2. **Have a look.** See the new size in the row and compare the copy with its original before you keep it.
3. **Keep the lighter copy.** Save puts it next to the original, named like photo-smally. Smally never replaces your original or any file already there.

## What Smally makes

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. 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 not in the browser

Video needs the app, on your Mac. The browser version at /compress/ is for JPEG, PNG and WebP images.

## Quick facts

| This kind of file | Smally in the browser | Smally for Mac |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it takes | Not video: the row says Smally for Mac takes it, and nothing is uploaded | MP4, MOV and M4V, up to 8 GB |
| What it makes | Nothing: video needs the app | An H.264 copy for sharing, up to 1080p and 30 frames a second, made with x264 |
| What stays | The video, untouched | The original; the HDR an iPhone records (HLG) is converted |
| Per batch | Not handled here | Up to 50 files at a time |
| Where it is processed | In this tab, on your device. Nothing is uploaded | On your Mac. Nothing is uploaded |
| When the original is kept | Always: video is not handled here | A copy would not be at least 10% lighter, or the video is a skipped kind |

## Questions

- **Does Smally upload my video?** No. Smally for Mac compresses on your Mac, and your files never leave it.
- **Can it shrink a 4K iPhone video?** 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 in Preview, side by side or frame by frame, before you use it.
- **What is x264?** The encoder that makes the copy, a separate program included in Smally under the GPL. Its source code is at downloads.meetsmally.com/source/x264-0.165.3222.
- **Why was my video skipped?** Protected files, slow motion, HDR10 and Dolby Vision profile 5, other wide-colour video and clips with more than one video track are skipped, and the row says why.

## More

- [Compress PDF](https://meetsmally.com/compress-pdf/)
- [HEIC to JPG](https://meetsmally.com/heic-to-jpg/)
- [Compress JPEG](https://meetsmally.com/compress-jpeg/)

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Smally for Mac. Smally for Mac 0.16.0 (build 35, beta) needs Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later; download: https://downloads.meetsmally.com/latest. Files are never uploaded. Source of truth: https://meetsmally.com/compress-video/