How to send a large video. Without the weight.
Why email rejects it, what WhatsApp does to the quality and how to send it as a link.
To send a large video, send a link instead of the file. Gmail only attaches up to 25 MB and WhatsApp compresses videos. Upload it to Google Drive or iCloud, or record it with Hilo, which gives you the link when you stop.
With Hilo, the person who gets it also watches it in the browser with nothing to download, and you know whether they watched and how far.
1. By email: up to 25 MB
Gmail attaches up to 25 MB; if the video is bigger, it uploads it to Google Drive and sends a link. In Mail on the Mac, Mail Drop sends files up to 5 GB with a link that lasts 30 days.
Good for: short videos. Missing: one minute of 4K screen recording is already over 25 MB, and you don't know if they opened it.
2. On WhatsApp: better as a document
Sent as a video, WhatsApp compresses it and it looks worse. Send it as a document (Attach › Document) so it arrives as is, up to 2 GB. The recipient has to download all of it to watch.
3. Upload it to Drive, iCloud or Dropbox
Upload it and share the link. Check it's set to “anyone with the link”, or people will have to request access.
Good for: big files you already have. Missing: you wait for the whole upload, and you don't know who watched or how far.
4. Compress it first
On the Mac, open the video in QuickTime Player and go to File › Export As › 1080p or 720p. It's much smaller and a screen recording stays readable.
5. Record it with Hilo and send the link
- Record with ⌘ ⇧ H: screen, camera and mic.
- When you stop, the link is already on your clipboard. Paste it into the email, WhatsApp or Slack.
- Whoever opens it watches in the browser right away, with no download and no account.
You see who opened it, how far they watched and from where. And if you add their name when sharing, you know when that person watches.
The ways to send it, compared
| Drive · iCloud | Hilo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Up to 25 MB on Gmail | Up to 2 GB as a document | Whatever fits your storage | Unlimited on Pro; 5 min on Free |
| Quality | Intact | Compressed if sent as video | Intact | Up to 4K |
| Plays without downloading | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Know if they watched | No | Only whether they read the message | No | Who, how far and from where |