Video file size calculator
Size is bitrate times length, divided by eight. Ten minutes of 4K at YouTube's recommended bitrate comes to about 2.6 to 3.4 GB.
Work out the video's size
About 2.6 to 3.4 GB
10 min at 35 to 45 Mbps, YouTube’s recommendation for 4K, 24 to 30 fps.
Too big for email (25 MB), Discord without Nitro (20 MB), WhatsApp, as a document (2 GB).
When SendTheStuff launches, 2.6 to 3.4 GB will fit in one free transfer, up to 5 GB.
Launching soon
Free when it launches: 5 GB per transfer, 10 transfers or 20 GB a month, and links that last 14 days.
A video's file size in megabytes is its bitrate in Mbps times its length in seconds, divided by eight. At YouTube's recommended 8 Mbps for 1080p at 24 to 30 fps, every minute adds about 60 MB. So a 1-hour video lands near 3.6 GB.
Once you know the size, you know whether an app will take it. When a video is too big for email or chat, SendTheStuff, launching soon, will send it as a free link without shrinking it. SendTheStuff's free version will take files up to 5 GB. Until then, this calculator tells you which apps it fits.
How to use the video size calculator
The calculator works in two directions. Choose one under "Work out".
File size, from a length and a quality.
- Enter the video's length in hours, minutes and seconds. Your phone or editor shows it on the clip.
- Pick a quality. The presets are YouTube's recommended upload bitrates, by resolution and frame rate.
- If you know your own bitrate, choose "Another bitrate" and type it in Mbps.
Bitrate, from a size and a length. Enter the length and the file's size in MB or GB. The calculator gives the average bitrate the file was recorded or exported at. That number is handy for estimating the rest of a shoot.
A worked example. You filmed 10 minutes of 4K at 30 frames a second. YouTube recommends 35 to 45 Mbps for that. The calculator multiplies the bitrate by 600 seconds and divides by eight: about 2.6 to 3.4 GB. That's a range, because YouTube gives a range for 4K.
The video file size formula
Size in megabytes = bitrate in Mbps × length in seconds ÷ 8
Bitrate is how much data each second of video uses. It's measured in megabits per second, while file sizes are in megabytes. A byte is 8 bits, which is where the eight comes from.
Then convert to the unit you need. A gigabyte is 1,000 MB in the decimal units phones and Macs use, and a megabyte is 1,000,000 bytes.
Run it backwards for the bitrate: bitrate in Mbps = size in megabytes × 8 ÷ length in seconds. A 1.2 GB file that lasts 10 minutes averages 16 Mbps.
Video sizes per minute and per hour
These use YouTube's recommended upload bitrates, the same presets as the calculator. Sizes are rounded.
| Quality | YouTube's bitrate | Per minute | Per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4K, 24 to 30 fps | 35 to 45 Mbps | 263 to 338 MB | 15.8 to 20.3 GB |
| 4K, 48 to 60 fps | 53 to 68 Mbps | 398 to 510 MB | 23.9 to 30.6 GB |
| 1440p, 24 to 30 fps | 16 Mbps | 120 MB | 7.2 GB |
| 1440p, 48 to 60 fps | 24 Mbps | 180 MB | 10.8 GB |
| 1080p, 24 to 30 fps | 8 Mbps | 60 MB | 3.6 GB |
| 1080p, 48 to 60 fps | 12 Mbps | 90 MB | 5.4 GB |
| 720p, 24 to 30 fps | 5 Mbps | 38 MB | 2.3 GB |
| 720p, 48 to 60 fps | 7.5 Mbps | 56 MB | 3.4 GB |
Doubling the frame rate doesn't double the size. YouTube's recommended figures rise by only about half.
Why the same length of video varies in size
The table is a guide, not a promise. Two clips of the same length can differ several times over in size:
- The camera's own bitrate. Phones, action cameras and pro cameras each record at their own rate. YouTube's figures are its advice for uploads, not what any device records.
- The format. Apple says HEVC uses less storage than H.264 while keeping the same visual quality. An iPhone set to "High Efficiency" records HEVC.
- What's in the shot. Water, leaves, confetti and fast pans take more data than a still talking head.
- Editing and export. An editor re-encodes the whole clip at whatever bitrate you export at, which can shrink it or grow it.
So for a video you've already got, the bitrate mode is more reliable. Enter its real size and length, read off its bitrate, and use that bitrate for the next clip from the same camera.
The iPhone settings that change a video's size
On an iPhone, two settings decide most of a clip's size before you press record:
- Settings > Camera > Record Video sets the resolution and frame rate. Moving from 1080p to 4K, or from 30 to 60 frames a second, makes every minute bigger.
- Settings > Camera > Formats sets the format. "High Efficiency" records HEVC, and "Most Compatible" records H.264, which takes more space for the same picture.
Apple doesn't publish a size per minute for each setting, so the calculator doesn't guess one. Film a short test clip, then use the bitrate mode on it.
Will your video fit the app you're sending it with?
The calculator checks your result against three common limits. This is how much video each one holds at two of the presets:
| Limit | At 1080p, 8 Mbps | At 4K, 35 to 45 Mbps |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook.com email: 25 MB | 25 seconds | 4 to 6 seconds |
| Discord without Nitro: 20 MB | 20 seconds | 3.6 to 4.6 seconds |
| WhatsApp, as a document: 2 GB | 33 min 20 s | 6 to 7.5 minutes |
Email and Discord hold seconds, not minutes. Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook.com all stop at 25 MB. For the details of each app, see why a video is too large to email and the Discord file size limit.
SendTheStuff will take a far bigger file. SendTheStuff's free version will send up to 5 GB in one transfer. At the 1080p preset, that's about 1 hour 23 minutes of video. SendTheStuff won't compress it, so your recipient will get the clip exactly as you shot it.
Before you send a long video, check the wait too. The upload time calculator turns its size and your upload speed into minutes.
Until SendTheStuff launches
If the calculator says your video is too big for the app, you have three options today:
- Send it as a link from a cloud drive you already use, at full quality.
- Trim it to the part that matters, and check the new length here.
- Export it at a lower bitrate, using the bitrate mode to pick one that fits.
Sending from a phone? The guides for iPhone and Android walk through each option.
Frequently asked questions
How big is a 1-hour video?
At YouTube's recommended 1080p bitrate for 24 to 30 fps, about 3.6 GB. At its 4K bitrate for 24 to 30 fps, about 15.8 to 20.3 GB. A phone's own recording can be bigger or smaller, so enter your clip's details for a closer figure.
How many GB is a 4K video?
It depends on the length and bitrate. With YouTube's 4K recommendation of 35 to 45 Mbps, each minute is about 263 to 338 MB. That's roughly 2.6 to 3.4 GB for 10 minutes.
How do I calculate video file size?
Multiply the bitrate in Mbps by the length in seconds, then divide by eight. The answer is in megabytes. Divide by a thousand for gigabytes.
How much space does a minute of 4K video take?
At YouTube's recommended bitrates, 263 to 338 MB at 24 to 30 fps, and 398 to 510 MB at 48 to 60 fps. Cameras that record at higher bitrates use more.
What bitrate should I use?
For uploads, YouTube's recommendations are a sound default: 8 Mbps for 1080p and 35 to 45 Mbps for 4K at standard frame rates. For sending a file to someone, keep the original. A link carries it at full quality.
How big is a 1080p video per minute?
About 60 MB at YouTube's 8 Mbps, or 90 MB at its 12 Mbps for 48 to 60 fps. An hour comes to roughly 3.6 to 5.4 GB.
Why is my video bigger than the calculator says?
Your camera may record at a different bitrate from YouTube's presets. Switch to "Bitrate" mode, enter the real size and length, and you'll see the rate it actually used.
Send it when we launch
Free when it launches: 5 GB per transfer, 10 transfers or 20 GB a month, and links that last 14 days.