How “no visible loss” works
Strictly speaking, every compression throws away some information. But a phone recording at 20–50 Mbit/s carries far more data than the eye can see. HEVC (H.265) needs roughly a third less bitrate than H.264 for the same picture, so this mode re-encodes at a level where the difference is invisible at normal viewing — typically 2–4× smaller.
It never goes above the source bitrate, so already-compressed videos are not made bigger. Press ▶ next to a video to compare 5 seconds side by side before you commit.
Freeing up space on a whole archive
- Drop the whole folder — subfolders are recreated in the destination.
- Keep “Keep capture date and location” ticked so your photo apps still sort the videos correctly.
- Choose a new destination folder, check a few results, then delete the originals yourself.
Compatibility
HEVC plays on iPhone, Mac, Windows 10/11, Android and TVs from about 2016 on. For very old devices choose “Plays anywhere” (H.264) instead — files will be about a third bigger.
“Without losing quality” — what is actually possible
Strictly speaking, every re-encode loses some information. What matters is whether you can see it. Modern encoders throw away detail your eyes don’t notice first, so at a sensible bitrate the compressed file is visually identical to the original on a phone, laptop or TV — at a fraction of the size. This preset is tuned for that: it keeps the original resolution and frame rate, and uses a quality-based setting instead of a fixed size.
Where the savings come from
- Real-time vs. careful encoding. A phone has milliseconds to encode each frame while recording. Re-encoding with more time finds far more redundancy.
- Better codecs. HEVC and AV1 need 35–50% fewer bits than H.264 for the same picture — use them for archiving if your devices play them.
- Removing what you don’t need. Extra audio tracks, 60 fps for a talking head, 4K for something you will only watch on a phone.
Archiving family videos and phone backups
Phone videos are the biggest consumers of iCloud and Google Photos storage. Compressing a year of 4K clips to high-quality 1080p HEVC typically frees 70–85% of the space. Drop the whole folder — subfolders are recreated, and the original capture date and location are kept so your library stays in order. Keep the originals until you have checked a few results.
Constant quality vs. target size
“Target size” spreads a fixed number of megabytes over the video — good for limits. “Constant quality” gives every scene as many bits as it needs: calm scenes get few, action gets many. For archiving, constant quality is better: the same visual quality across your whole library, with each file as small as it can be.
Questions
How much smaller will my videos be?
Usually 2–4× for phone and camera recordings. Screen recordings and already-compressed downloads shrink less.
Will the date of the video change?
No — the capture date and location are copied to the new file, so galleries keep the right order.
Is HEVC supported everywhere?
On all current devices, yes. For old TVs and players use the “Plays anywhere” preset (H.264).
Which codec is best for archiving?
HEVC (H.265) is the best balance of size and compatibility. AV1 is smaller still but slower to encode and not every device plays it.
Can I compress 4K without losing quality?
Yes — keep 4K and use the “Free up space” preset; it typically halves the size with no visible difference.
Last updated: 2026-10-30