How to Compress a Screen Recording on Mac (5 Free and Easy Ways)

To compress a screen recording on a Mac, Control-click the .mov file in Finder, choose Encode Selected Video Files, and pick a smaller resolution. For more control, open it in QuickTime Player and choose File > Export As, or use iMovie or the free HandBrake. The three things that shrink a recording are a lower resolution, a more efficient codec (HEVC instead of H.264) and fewer frames per second, and trimming dead time helps every time.

All of these are free. Which one fits depends on how much control you want and where the video is going.

Why Mac screen recordings are so big

A few minutes of ⇧⌘5 recording can be too large to email or drop in Slack. Three things add up:

• Every pixel of your display. The recorder captures your screen at its full pixel resolution. On a Retina display that's far more pixels than the "looks like" size in System Settings > Displays, and far more than most viewers watch at.
• Real-time encoding. The video is compressed while you record, so the encoder has to keep up with the screen. That favors speed and quality over the smallest possible file.
• Length. Size grows with every second, including the pause while you found the right tab.

On macOS 26 Tahoe and later, supported Macs also show Capture Format in the ⇧⌘5 Options menu: SDR (Most Compatible) records H.264 and HDR records HEVC. So the codec you get may depend on that setting, too.

The quick comparison

Method 1: Finder's Encode Selected Video Files

This is built into macOS and takes seconds. Apple's QuickTime Player guide describes it: Control-click a media file and choose Encode Selected Video Files.

1. In Finder, find your recording. ⇧⌘5 saves to the Desktop by default.
2. Control-click (or right-click) it and choose Encode Selected Video Files. On some Macs it sits under Quick Actions or Services in the menu.
3. In the dialog, choose a smaller resolution. Apple notes you can also choose between higher quality and compatibility with more devices.
4. Pick where to save it and confirm.

The original stays untouched, and the new file appears beside it. You can select several recordings at once and encode them in one go.

Method 2: QuickTime Player's Export As

QuickTime gives you the same idea with clearer choices, and it's where you can trim first. Apple's guide to exporting lists the options:

1. Open the recording in QuickTime Player.
2. Optional: choose Edit > Trim (⌘T) and drag the yellow handles to cut the start and end.
3. Choose File > Export As and pick a resolution. Sizes larger than your video are dimmed.
4. For 4K or 1080p, open the Format menu: Smaller File Size exports HEVC, and Greater Compatibility exports H.264.
5. Name the file and click Save. Window > Show Export Progress shows how far along it is.

For most screen recordings, 1080p with Smaller File Size is a good first try. If small text gets blurry, step back up a resolution rather than going lower.

Method 3: iMovie

iMovie is free from Apple and is a good choice when you also want to cut out mistakes in the middle, not just the ends.

1. Create a new movie and drag your recording into the timeline.
2. Trim and split out anything you don't need. Every second you cut is a second you don't have to compress.
3. Choose File > Share > File.
4. Set a lower Resolution, and set Quality to Medium or Low. Choose Custom to set a bit rate yourself; Apple notes that the estimated file size below the preview updates as you drag.
5. Set Compress, click Next, name the file and save it.

Apple's sharing guide suggests a lower resolution such as 720p or 540p when a movie is too large for email or needs to upload faster.

Method 4: HandBrake (free, open source)

HandBrake is a free, open-source video transcoder for Mac, Windows and Linux. It takes more clicks than Finder, but it can make the smallest files and it exports MP4.

1. Download HandBrake from handbrake.fr and open your recording.
2. Choose a Preset. HandBrake's documentation recommends Fast 1080p30 to start: it's fast and plays on a wide range of devices. Fast 720p30 makes a smaller file.
3. For speed on a Mac, try a hardware preset such as H.265 Apple VideoToolbox 1080p60, which uses your Mac's media engine.
4. In the Video tab, the Constant Quality slider trades size for quality. With the x264 and x265 encoders, a higher RF number means a smaller file and lower quality.
5. Pick a destination at the bottom and click Start.

HandBrake can also crop and remove audio tracks. If you narrated nothing, dropping the audio track saves a little more.

Method 5: Export it smaller from the start

The easiest file to compress is one that's exported at the right size in the first place. If you record with Smooth Recorder, its export sheet shows the choices that matter and an estimate of the file size before you click Export:

• Format: MP4 (plays everywhere: browsers, Windows, Slack), MOV (best for Apple apps like Keynote and Final Cut), or GIF.
• Quality: Small, Balanced or Best.
• Size: Original, 1440p, 1080p, 720p or 480p. It never offers a size larger than your recording.
• Include sound: turn it off for a silent clip.
• More: the codec (H.264 or HEVC) and the frame rate (30 or 60 fps).

Studio can also cut the parts that make a file long: trim and split, Trim Silences to cut pauses, and cutting the video by deleting words from its transcript. If only one section matters, choose Select Part (or press I and O) and export just that, which gives you a smaller file. Exports in version 1.4 are about twice as fast as before. Smooth Recorder is a native app for macOS 15 and later, $19 once during early access (pricing). It exports recordings made with it; for a .mov you already have, use one of the methods above.

HEVC vs H.264: which should you pick?

Both are standard video codecs, and your Mac encodes both in hardware.

HEVC is newer and packs the same picture into less data, so the file is smaller. The catch is playback: some older hardware and software can't decode it, and the viewer sees an error or a black window. When in doubt, send H.264. Apple uses the same trade-off in its menus: "Greater Compatibility" is H.264, and "Smaller File Size" is HEVC.

What shrinks a file the most

In rough order of effect:

1. Cut it shorter. Trim the start and end, and cut pauses in the middle.
2. Lower the resolution. Going from the full Retina size to 1080p, or from 1080p to 720p, removes a lot of pixels. Check that text is still readable.
3. Switch to HEVC, if the viewer can play it.
4. Lower the frame rate from 60 to 30 fps for slow-moving screens.
5. Lower the quality setting last, because it's the one viewers notice most.

Prevention helps too. Record only the area or window you need instead of a full Retina screen, and close what you don't want on camera. See how to record a bug report video for a tight recording routine.

If what you're sending is a short, silent loop, a GIF is sometimes the better format: see how to record a GIF on Mac.

Troubleshooting

Encode Selected Video Files is missing. Look under Quick Actions or Services in the Control-click menu. If it isn't there, use QuickTime's File > Export As instead.

QuickTime's Export As menu is dimmed. Sizes larger than your recording are always dimmed. If every option is unavailable, Apple says the video may be copy-protected.

The compressed file won't play for someone else. It's probably HEVC. Export again with H.264 (Greater Compatibility in QuickTime, or an H.264 preset in HandBrake), and as MP4 if they're on Windows.

Text looks blurry. The resolution is too low for the size of your UI. Go back up one step, or record a smaller area so the text fills more of the frame.

The file is still too big. Trim it, then try 720p. For email, a shared link (iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox) avoids attachment limits entirely.

The sound is gone after compressing. In HandBrake, check the Audio tab has a track selected. In Smooth Recorder, check Include sound is on. And if the original was silent, see how to screen record on Mac with audio.