WhatsApp's file size limit, and the way past it

What SendTheStuff will do with a file WhatsApp won't take

A link is a single line of chat text, so none of WhatsApp's size rules will touch it. SendTheStuff will handle the file; WhatsApp will only carry the link.

• No squeeze. SendTheStuff will deliver the exact file you picked. A 4K video will stay 4K, not drop to 720p.
• Past the document cap. SendTheStuff will take up to 5 GB per transfer, more than WhatsApp's 2 GB for a document.
• A whole album at once. SendTheStuff will hold up to 1,000 files in one transfer, so a trip's worth of clips goes as one link.
• Straight into the chat. After the upload, SendTheStuff will show the link with Copy, Email, Messages and Share buttons. On a phone, Share will open the share sheet, where you pick WhatsApp and the chat.
• One link for a group. SendTheStuff's link will work for 14 days, so everyone in a group chat can download it when they get round to it.

WhatsApp's help says: "Messages with just one link create a preview." The person will tap it and download the file in their browser.

WhatsApp's limits at a glance

These come from WhatsApp's own help article on sending media, which gives the same video and document limits for Android, iPhone and the web.

The video formats WhatsApp lists are 3GP, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4.

Why WhatsApp videos come out blurry

WhatsApp's help puts it plainly: media files are usually compressed when shared. So a photo or video picked from your gallery gets compressed when you share it.

How hard it squeezes depends on your connection. On a faster one, the default is 720p and 100 MB. On a slower one, it drops to 480p and 64 MB. Your phone may have recorded in 4K, but that isn't what the chat receives.

Before you tap send, WhatsApp offers Standard quality or HD quality. HD gives a sharper copy than Standard, but it's still sent as media, and it isn't available for status updates or profile pictures.

Send a big file as a WhatsApp document

WhatsApp's Document option sends any file, video included, as a file rather than as media. It's the app's own way past the video limit, up to 2 GB. News reports from when WhatsApp added photo and video picking to it say files sent this way keep their original quality.

On Android:

1. Open the chat and tap the attach icon in the message bar.
2. Tap Document and pick the file from your phone.
3. Tap send.

On iPhone:

1. Open the chat and tap the attach icon beside the message box.
2. Tap Document. WhatsApp's help says it picks files from iCloud Drive or other sources such as your Google Account or Dropbox.
3. Pick the file and tap send.

On a computer, WhatsApp Web has the same Document option in its attach menu, with the same 2 GB cap. You can also drag a file onto the message box there.

What the person on the other end gets

The same video lands very differently depending on how you sent it.

• Sent as media, it plays right in the chat, but it's WhatsApp's compressed copy, capped at 720p by default, or 480p on a slower connection.
• Sent as a document, it arrives as a file to download and open. News reports say it's the original, so it takes up its full size on their phone.
• Sent as a link, they see the link with a preview, as long as it's the only link in the message. One tap opens the download in their browser.

For a group chat, forwarding helps. When you forward media or documents, WhatsApp says you don't have to upload them again. So passing a file on to a second chat is quick.

Why the usual workarounds fall short

Each of these gets a big file to someone on WhatsApp. Each one also leaves a gap.

• HD quality still isn't the original. It's sharper than Standard, but WhatsApp's help still says media are usually compressed when shared.
• The Document option stops at 2 GB. A long 4K recording or a folder of raw clips can pass that quickly.
• Cutting a video into clips gets each piece under 100 MB, but every piece is compressed, and the person has to watch them in order.
• A cloud storage link works, but the file sits in your Drive or iCloud until you delete it. If its sharing isn't set to anyone with the link, the person gets an access request instead.
• Zipping a video barely shrinks it, because video is already compressed.

Until SendTheStuff launches

Here's what works today, picked by the file's size:

1. Under 2 GB: send it with Document, using the steps above. Reports say it then isn't compressed.
2. Over 2 GB: upload it to cloud storage you already use, such as Google Drive, iCloud Drive or OneDrive.
3. Set its sharing so anyone with the link can open it, and copy the link.
4. Paste the link into the WhatsApp chat and send it.
5. Once everyone has it, delete the file from your storage to get the space back.

When it doesn't work

• The video won't attach. Check its format: WhatsApp lists 3GP, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4. WhatsApp also warns that "High audio sample rate or professional cameras may be unsupported". Send footage like that as a document or a link.
• The video arrives soft and small. It went as media. Send it again with Document, or as a link.
• The file is over 2 GB. No WhatsApp option will take it. Send a link instead.
• A big batch of photos fails partway. WhatsApp's help says sending many photos at once can cause trouble. Send fewer at a time, or put them all behind one link.
• Your Status video was cut short. Status videos run 90 seconds at most. Post the full video in a chat instead.