How to Send a Large Video From iPhone

Apple says some long video files are too large to send in a standard text message, and notes elsewhere that the size limit for attachments is set by your service provider. For a large video, use AirDrop, Mail Drop or iCloud instead, or send a smaller copy.

Send a large video with AirDrop

Apple calls AirDrop the simplest way to send a large video to a nearby iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Vision Pro. It uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so both of you need them turned on in Control Center.

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   Step 1: If they’re not in your contacts

   Ask the other person to go to Settings › General › AirDrop and tap Everyone for 10 Minutes (on a Mac, they choose Everyone in AirDrop & Handoff settings).

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   Step 2: Share the video

   In Photos, tap the video, then tap the Share button.

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   Step 3: Send the original (optional)

   To send it in its original format with metadata, location and edit history, tap Options and turn on All Photos Data.

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   Step 4: Send

   Tap AirDrop, then the person or device. They get an alert to accept or decline.

Email a large video with Mail Drop

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   Step 1: Open Mail

   In Photos, tap the video, tap the Share button, then Mail.

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   Step 2: Address it

   Enter the recipient in the To field and add a subject or message if you like.

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   Step 3: Send

   Tap the Send button. If the message is larger than your email provider allows, Mail asks whether to send the attachment with Mail Drop.

• Up to 5 GB: Apple says a message with its attachments can be up to 5 GB with Mail Drop.
• No iCloud storage used: Mail Drop attachments don’t count against your iCloud storage.
• 30 days: recipients have 30 days to download the attachment.
• The recipient’s email app might have a smaller size limit that stops the attachment from arriving.

Share an iCloud Drive link

With iCloud Drive, you can send a link to the video instead of the file itself.

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   Step 1: Save it to Files

   In Photos, open the video, tap the Share button, tap Save to Files and choose a folder in iCloud Drive.

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   Step 2: Find the file

   Open the Files app, go to that folder and touch and hold the video.

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   Step 3: Create the link

   Tap the Share button, tap the menu under the file’s name, then Share a Link. To let anyone with the link open it, tap the access option and choose Anyone with the link. Under New Participants Can, choose view and download only.

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   Step 4: Send

   Choose how to send the link, such as Messages or Mail.

Make a smaller copy to send

If the video has to go by text message or an app with a size limit, send a smaller copy. In iMovie, add the video to a new Movie project, tap Share › Save or Share Video › Options and choose a lower resolution. Apple suggests 540p for social media and 360p for text messages, and puts one minute of 360p video at about 6–9 MB. See how to compress a video on iPhone for the full steps (Apple’s iMovie steps are for iOS 26 or later).

CleanX

Keep big videos on your iPhone at a smaller size with CleanX

CleanX doesn’t send videos. It’s for when you want to keep a large video on your iPhone but smaller: it shows an estimated new size for each quality, saves the smaller copy with the original date and location, then deletes the original after iOS asks you to confirm. To send a smaller copy and keep the original as it is, use iMovie instead.

• Videos listed largest first
• Choose High (1080p), Medium (720p) or Low
• Viewing sizes is free; compressing needs CleanX Pro

See everything CleanX does →

Before you send

• Metadata goes with it. Apple says sharing a photo or video includes its metadata, such as date and time, location, device and captions.
• Large uploads take time. For Mail Drop, Apple notes that upload and download times depend on your internet connection and the size of the attachment.