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How to shrink a screen recording that is too large on a Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
To shrink a Mac screen recording, trim the parts you do not need, then run FileDial's Compress › Compress to 1080p or Compress to 720p. For a size target use Compress under 25 MB. Each saves a new copy offline and keeps the original recording.
Why recordings get big
A screen recording captures every pixel of a large, often high-density display for as long as you record. Wikipedia's bit rate entry explains the maths: file size is roughly bit rate times duration divided by eight, so a longer recording or a higher bit rate means a bigger file. Minutes of recording can add up to gigabytes.
Apple's guide to recording in QuickTime Player describes the steps and options such as save location, pointer and clicks, but does not list quality settings, so shrinking after the fact is the practical route.
Trim first
Most recordings have a fumbled start and a long tail where you reach for the stop button. Cut › Trim… removes them and every second removed is size saved before any compression. If a recording has long pauses, Cut › Remove silences… cuts the picture along with the sound.
- Select the recording in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key to open the dial.
- Choose Cut › Trim… and set the start and end.
- Use the trimmed copy as the input for the next step.
Then compress
Compress to 1080p suits tutorials and demos, where text must stay readable. Compress to 720p is smaller still, but small text can become hard to read, so test one clip. For a hard ceiling, such as an email or a ticket system, use Compress under 25 MB or Compress under 10 MB. FileDial measured a 366 MB 1080p video compressed to 720p in 23 seconds, giving 117 MB, but screen content compresses differently from camera footage, so check the result card.
Convert › Convert to HEVC (smaller) is the choice when you want to keep the resolution and shrink the file, if everyone who needs to watch it can play HEVC.
Recording smaller in the first place
You can avoid huge files by recording only what you need. In QuickTime Player's screen recording you can record a selected portion of the screen rather than the entire display, which shrinks the pixel count, and Apple's guide notes that you can choose the recording area. Close extra windows and keep recordings short and focused.
A smaller capture area also makes viewers focus on the content that matters, which suits tutorials better than a full 5K desktop.
Sharing the result
Once the recording is small enough, share it by the route that fits: email for under 25 MB with the email guide, a chat app for short clips, or a shared link for long tutorials. For a looping demo on a web page, Convert › Make a GIF makes a GIF, though a GIF is usually far bigger than the same video.
Keep the original recording until the compressed copy has been confirmed good.
Settings and common mistakes
For tutorials, 1080p is usually a good target because on-screen text stays readable. 720p saves more space but small interface text can blur. A size target like Compress under 25 MB suits email or tickets, but a long recording will look rough at that size.
Common mistakes: compressing before trimming, which wastes effort on footage you will discard; recording the whole display when one window would do; recording at a long length when several short clips would be easier to share; and compressing a recording that includes sensitive information and then sharing it without checking. Always watch the output before sending.
If sound matters, tools such as Audio › Clean up voice leave the picture copied while they treat the sound, according to the tool's note. If you want to remove the sound, Audio › Remove audio does so without re-encoding.
FileDial is the right tool for the clean-up after you record. It is not the right tool for changing what the recorder captures. For that, change the capture area in QuickTime Player or the macOS screenshot tools before you start.
Checklist before sharing
Run through these quick checks before you send the recording on.
- Watch it once to confirm no private windows or notifications appear.
- Check that small text is still readable at the new size.
- Confirm the file size is under the limit of the place you are sending it to.
Built-in options
QuickTime Player can record the screen with File > New Screen Recording and can export at a lower resolution using File > Export As, with 4K, 1080p, 720p and 480p listed on Apple's help page. It offers no size target, and the export is a .mov file.
If your recordings include a customer's data or unreleased work, avoid web compressors that need the file uploaded first. Compressing locally means the only copy that leaves is the small one you share.
Questions
Why is my Mac screen recording so large?
It records many pixels for as long as you run it, and size scales with bit rate and duration. Trimming and lowering the resolution are the simplest ways to cut it down. Length matters as much as resolution, so a short, focused recording stays small even at high resolution.
What is the best way to shrink it?
Trim with Cut › Trim…, then run Compress › Compress to 1080p or Compress to 720p. For a hard limit, use Compress under 25 MB. Each saves a new copy and keeps the original. Both steps change the output, but trimming costs no quality at all, so do it first.
Will text stay readable after compression?
At 1080p usually, at 720p small text can blur. Test one clip first, and keep the original recording so you can try another setting. Test one short clip at 720p before processing a batch, and keep the originals until you are sure.
Can QuickTime Player do this?
It can export at a lower resolution through File > Export As, with 1080p, 720p and 480p available. It cannot target a file size, so you may need more than one try. Apple's help page lists the options, and you may need to try more than one export to reach your target.