How to Send Large Files and Videos on WhatsApp

WhatsApp treats a file differently depending on how you send it:

Compression is why a sharp video looks soft or blocky after it arrives: WhatsApp lowers the resolution and bitrate to save data. That is fine for a quick clip, but not for footage you want to keep, edit or print stills from. WhatsApp's help pages have the current limits.

Sending the video as a document skips compression, as long as it is under 2 GB:

• iPhone: open the chat, tap +, then Document. Choose Choose Photo or Video to pick from your library, or browse the Files app.
• Android: open the chat, tap the paperclip, then Document, and browse to the video, usually in the DCIM or Movies folder.
• WhatsApp on a computer: click the attach button, choose Document and select the file.

The recipient gets a file to download rather than a video that plays in the chat, and it uses their mobile data and storage at full size. Large documents can also take a long time to send on a weak connection.

Long 4K clips, screen recordings and whole folders of videos quickly go past 2 GB. Instead of trimming or compressing them, send a link:

1. Open Share Large Video Files in Safari, Chrome or any browser. No app or account is needed.
2. Add your videos or files, up to 1000 files, totalling up to 20 GB.
3. Choose Link and keep the tab open while the upload finishes.
4. Tap share and pick WhatsApp from your phone's share sheet, or copy the link and paste it into the chat. On a computer you can also show a QR code for someone to scan.

Your contact taps the link and downloads the original file, byte for byte, with no compression. The link works for 1 day, and you can add a password or choose delete after first download. The same link also works in group chats, so everyone gets the full-quality version without it being re-sent to each member.

For the best quality, make sure you upload the original, not a copy that has already been shrunk:

• iPhone: save the video from Photos to the Files app first, then choose it from Files in Safari. If you use iCloud Photos with Optimise iPhone Storage, let the full-size video download first. Our iPhone guide shows each step.
• Android: choose the video through the file browser rather than a gallery app that might hand over a smaller copy. See the Android guide.
• Videos you received on WhatsApp were probably compressed already. Ask the sender for the original, or for a link.

• Use Wi-Fi for big uploads, and keep the browser tab open until the upload completes.
• Need a smaller video on purpose? For a status update or a quick preview, a lower-resolution copy is perfectly fine. We are building a free video compressor for this site; in the meantime, the gallery send in WhatsApp does the shrinking for you.
• Private videos: add a password and send it in a separate message, or tell the recipient in person.
• Check delivery on the Transfers page, which shows how many times the files have been downloaded.

Sending to Telegram too? See how to send large files on Telegram.