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Make Smaller guide

Make MP4 video and audio files smaller on Windows

Reduce supported MP4, MOV, MP3 and other media files, then check size, picture, sound and required tracks.

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Short answer

Right-click a supported video or audio file in File Explorer and choose Make Smaller. Start with Preserve quality. Try Balanced or Smallest size if some loss of picture or sound quality is acceptable. The copy keeps its format, so an MP4 stays an MP4.

This guide covers Make Smaller. Check requirements and download options before you begin.

Before you start

  • Make Smaller on Windows 11 24H2 or later, x64, with an active license.
  • Locally available media in a supported family: MP3, FLAC, M4A, WAV/W64, WavPack, MP4, MOV, MKV or WebM. The file's actual codecs and tracks must also be supported.
  • A player that can check the original and output.

Start here

  1. Choose the recording and check its size

    Start with a file that includes the speech, music, motion or tracks you need. Right-click it in File Explorer, choose Properties and note Size. Keep the original for later editing.

  2. Choose a quality profile

    Right-click the file, choose Make Smaller and select Preserve quality first. Try Balanced or Smallest size from the original when some quality change is acceptable.

  3. Read the result

    Check any note about picture size, sound quality or the method used. Some encodings or track combinations cannot use a quality-reducing method, even with a stronger profile.

  4. Play the saved copy

    Use Show in folder and play the beginning, middle and end. Check sound, picture, duration, seeking and whether sound stays in time with the video. Check alternate audio or subtitles when present. Watch or listen all the way through when the whole recording matters.

  5. Check the limit before sending

    Right-click the output, choose Properties and compare Size with the destination limit. There is no target-MB setting. If it is still too large, try another acceptable profile from the original; do not assume the filename means it will fit.

Check your result

  • The output plays in the intended player with the required tracks.
  • Speech, music, movement and picture detail remain acceptable.
  • Seeking and audio/video synchronization work, and the original remains available.

A smaller copy keeps the file format

Make Smaller keeps the file format. If the receiving site needs a different format, use the relevant Just Converter guide and check its supported input and output types.

MP4, MOV and other extensions describe a container. The video encoding and tracks inside it can vary, so a familiar extension can still have an unsupported feature.

When the result is unchanged

Already compact media may offer little reduction. The app can preserve encoded content when a quality-reducing method is unsuitable, or create no copy when the saving is too small.

Avoid repeatedly processing reduced outputs. Go back to the original when comparing profiles, and read the stated reason before retrying a failed file.

The app used in this guide

Make Smaller

View app details

Related guides

Sources and further reading