Quick answer: A 1-hour 1440p video is about 7 GB at YouTube's recommended upload bitrate: 16 Mbps × 3,600 s ÷ 8 = 7,200 MB. At YouTube's recommended 60 fps upload bitrate (24 Mbps) it is about 11 GB. Uploading the file takes about 48 min at 20 Mbps. It is too big for email; send it with a download link (Share Large Video Files takes up to 20 GB, free).
Size of 1 hour of 1440p, by camera and codec
| Recording | Type | Bitrate | Per minute | 1 hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube recommended upload, 1440p | Web upload | 16 Mbps | 120 MB | 7 GB |
| YouTube recommended upload, 1440p 60 fps | Web upload | 24 Mbps | 180 MB | 11 GB |
Worked out: size = bitrate × length. For the YouTube recommended upload, 1440p row: 16 megabits per second × 3,600 seconds = 57,600 megabits. Divide by 8 to get megabytes: 7,200 MB, which is about 7 GB (1 GB = 1,024 MB). The same 1 hour in YouTube recommended upload, 1440p 60 fps is 11 GB: its bitrate is 1.5 times higher, so the file is 1.5 times bigger.
Real files vary by a few percent either way: busy scenes, low light and grain need more data, a static talking head less. Sources: YouTube's recommended upload bitrates (SDR, standard frame rate).
How long 1 hour of 1440p takes to upload
| Upload speed | YouTube recommended upload, 1440p (7 GB) | YouTube recommended upload, 1440p 60 fps (11 GB) |
|---|---|---|
| 4G mobile, typical (10 Mbps) | 1 h 36 min | 2 h 24 min |
| Home broadband (20 Mbps) | 48 min | 1 h 12 min |
| Fast broadband (50 Mbps) | 19 min | 29 min |
| Fibre (100 Mbps) | 10 min | 14 min |
| Fast fibre (500 Mbps) | 2 min | 3 min |
Time = size in megabits ÷ upload speed, with the full speed available the whole time. Allow 10 to 25% more on Wi-Fi or a busy connection. Try your own numbers in the upload time calculator.
Will it fit? Email and chat apps
| App | Limit | 1 hour at 16 Mbps fits? | Longest clip that fits | Bitrate needed for 1 hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail | 25 MB per email | No | 13 s | Under 0.5 Mbps: not watchable |
| Outlook.com | 20 to 25 MB per email | No | 13 s | Under 0.5 Mbps: not watchable |
| WhatsApp (document) | 2 GB per file | No | 17 min | 4.6 Mbps or less |
| Telegram | 2 GB per file | No | 17 min | 4.6 Mbps or less |
| Facebook Messenger | 100 MB per file | No | 50 s | Under 0.5 Mbps: not watchable |
| Discord (free) | 20 MB per file | No | 10 s | Under 0.5 Mbps: not watchable |
| Slack | 1 GB per file | No | 9 min | 2.3 Mbps or less |
| WeTransfer (free) | 3 GB per transfer | No | 26 min | 6.8 Mbps or less |
| Share Large Video Files | 20 GB per transfer | Send the original with a link, any length that fits the limit | ||
Email limits apply to the encoded message, which is about a third larger than the file, so leave a margin. Limits from our file size limits by app table.
How to make it smaller, or send it as it is
- Export at 1080p: 1 hour of 1080p at 8 Mbps (iPhone 1080p 30 fps (HEVC)) is about 3.5 GB instead of 7 GB. Fine for phones and most laptops; keep 1440p for big screens and editing.
- Trim first: each minute you cut saves about 120 MB at 16 Mbps.
- Re-encode at a lower bitrate: halving the bitrate halves the file (3.5 GB at 8 Mbps), but it is a lossy step, so detail drops. Do it once, from the original, not from a copy a chat app already compressed.
- Or do not shrink it: at 7 GB it is over every chat app's limit, so a download link is the practical way to send the original.
Frequently asked questions
How many GB is a 1-hour 1440p video?
About 7 GB at YouTube's recommended upload bitrate (16 Mbps) and about 11 GB at YouTube's recommended 60 fps upload bitrate (24 Mbps).
How long does a 1-hour 1440p video take to upload?
At 7 GB: about 48 min at 20 Mbps upload, 10 min at 100 Mbps and 58 s on 1 Gbps fibre, if the connection holds its full speed.
Can I email a 1-hour 1440p video?
Not as an attachment. At about 7 GB it is over the 20 to 36 MB email limits; only about 9 s of 1440p at 16 Mbps fits in a 25 MB email. Send a download link instead: Share Large Video Files takes up to 20 GB, free.
Can I send it on WhatsApp in full quality?
No. About 7 GB is over WhatsApp's 2 GB document limit, and videos sent from the gallery are compressed. Send a download link in the chat instead.
Why is my 1440p file a different size?
Size follows the bitrate, not the resolution alone. Frame rate (60 fps needs more data), codec (H.264 files are larger than HEVC) and the scene itself all change it. Check yours with the video bitrate calculator: divide the file size by the length.
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