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Make Smaller guide

Make MP4 video and audio files smaller on Windows

Right-click the recording and choose Make Smaller → Preserve quality. Try Balanced or Smallest size only if quality changes are acceptable. Play the saved copy and check its file size.

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Before you start

  • Make Smaller on Windows 11 24H2 or later, x64, with a full Microsoft Store license or trial access with uses remaining.
  • 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.

Using the free trial? Each saved copy at least 1% smaller uses one of your five trial uses. How the free trial works.

Follow these steps

  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.

    Make Smaller shows a smaller blackbird recording saved with Balanced and an AAC bitrate change.
    Open the smaller recording and check its playback. Enlarge image.

  4. Play the saved copy

    If a smaller copy was saved, choose 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

    If a smaller copy was saved, right-click it, choose Properties and compare Size with the destination limit. If it is still too large, try another acceptable profile from the original. Check its actual size before sending it.

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.
If you need more help

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.

Need the app?

Make Smaller. Check requirements and download options.

Make Smaller on Microsoft Store

Next steps