iCloud Mail attachment size limit
iCloud Mail limit: 20 MB per message
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- No upload to the cloud
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Compress a video
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Compress
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- Frame rate
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- Bitrate
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- Expected size
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This browser can’t compress video yet. It needs WebCodecs, which recent Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on a computer have. Firefox on Android doesn’t. Try another browser, or use the photo compressor.
Short answer
The iCloud Mail attachment size is capped at 20 MB for each message, sent or received, so most videos filmed on a phone are too large to attach. Drop your video above, keep the iCloud Mail preset and download an MP4 of about 19 MB. It attaches to your email like any other file.
How to fit a video under the iCloud email attachment size limit
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Choose the video
Pick the video you want to email, from your iPhone, iPad, Mac or any other device. On an iPhone, Safari lets you choose it from your photo library. The file stays on your device while it is compressed.
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Keep the iCloud Mail preset
The size is already set to iCloud’s message size limit of 20 MB. The tool aims for about 19 MB, so the message has a little room left once the email is put together.
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Compress
Press Compress video. Your browser re-encodes the video as H.264 with AAC sound. If the result comes out over the target, the tool lowers the bitrate, then the resolution or frame rate, and tries again until the file fits.
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Send it from iCloud Mail
Download the MP4 and attach it on iCloud.com or in Mail on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. A video that was too large now goes out as a regular attachment.
iCloud Mail size limit: messages and storage
Apple measures the iCloud Mail maximum attachment size per message, not per file, so a message with two 12 MB clips is already over. Apple gives one figure for iCloud Mail as a whole and does not list separate numbers for the website, the Mail app or the iPhone. For the other providers, see the email attachment size limits on one page.
| Limit | Figure | What counts |
|---|---|---|
| iCloud Mail message size | 20 MB | The iCloud Mail file size limit covers the whole message, for messages you send and messages you receive |
Source: Apple Support, checked 8 October 2026. Limits change, so the date shows when we last checked.
Questions about iCloud Mail and video
What is the iCloud email attachment size limit?
Apple’s limit is 20 MB for the size of a message, and it applies to incoming and outgoing mail. The attachments are part of that message, so a video, a few photos and your text all count towards the same 20 MB.
How to send a video through iCloud email?
Make a copy that fits first. Choose your video above, keep the iCloud Mail preset and download the result. It comes out at about 19 MB, so it goes out as a normal attachment. If the video is too long for 20 MB, the plan warns you before you start and the result shows how far over it is.
What is the iPhone Mail attachment size limit?
The Mail app on an iPhone is only the app. The limit comes from the email account you send with. For an iCloud Mail address it is 20 MB. Gmail and Yahoo accounts in the same app allow 25 MB, so see compress video for Gmail or the Yahoo Mail attachment limit if you use them too.
Is the Apple Mail attachment size limit the same on a Mac?
Apple lists one figure for iCloud Mail, 20 MB, and does not give a different one by device. Whether you send from Mail on a Mac, from an iPhone or from iCloud.com, an iCloud Mail address has the same limit.
Is the iCloud Mail storage limit the same as the size limit?
No, they are two separate things. The 20 MB limit is the size of one message. Storage is how much room your whole iCloud account has, shared by backups, Mail, photos and more.
Does the limit apply to emails I receive?
Yes. Apple’s page covers the size of incoming and outgoing messages with the same 20 MB figure, so it applies in both directions.
Is my video uploaded when I compress it?
No. Your browser re-encodes the video on your own device. It never reaches a server, so there is no upload step. It runs in current Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox, and on an iPhone in Safari.
Will the video look worse after compression?
Some, yes: every compression gives up a little detail. At 20 MB a short clip still looks clean on a phone, and a longer one is scaled down to fit. HDR clips from an iPhone are saved as standard video, so colors can look a little different. Play the result before you download it.
On iPhone
Video Compressor: Metras
Our iPhone app makes smaller copies of the videos in your library, right on the device. Choose 20 MB for iCloud Mail or enter a size of your own, see the estimate before you start, and compare the copy with the original afterwards. Nothing is uploaded to a server, large batches run in the background with Premium, and your originals stay in Photos until you decide.
Coming soon to the App Store
