What is the biggest video I can send?

Over a direct transfer, as big as the free space on the receiving device. We moved 22 GB in one session.

Does WhatsApp reduce video quality?

Sent as media, yes, visibly. Sent as a document, the file is untouched up to 2 GB.

Can I send a whole folder of videos?

From the computer, yes: drop the folder and every video in it goes at once, with the original names, into one folder on the other side, videos in subfolders included; the folder tree is not recreated. On the phone, select all the videos in one go.

What is the best app for this — and is it free?

Depends on what “best” means to you. For casual sharing, LocalSend (free, open source, and since version 1.18 with a SHA-256 check on every file) is honest and good. For a camera roll, a client’s footage or anything you cannot afford to lose, ZiggSend: originals only, no size limit, resume, a check of the whole file already on disk, and each file’s fingerprint in the history for you to check. The phone app is free; the computer app is free with one phone, and Pro (several phones, full history, automatic folders, up to 3 computers) is optional — see pricing. Side by side: ZiggSend vs LocalSend.

any phone · large files

How to send a large video from your phone without shrinking it

A minute of 4K runs to hundreds of megabytes (the iPhone shows the figure in Settings → Camera → Record Video). Most paths either refuse it, recompress it, or make you wait for an upload. Here is what each one actually does with a heavy video.

The limits, side by side

Path	Limit	What happens to the video
Email (Gmail, Outlook)	≈ 25 MB	Refused; Gmail offers a Drive link instead
WhatsApp as media	—	Recompressed: lower resolution and bitrate
WhatsApp as document	2 GB per file	Original kept
Telegram	2 GB (4 GB Premium)	Original only if sent as file
Google Drive / iCloud	15 GB / 5 GB free	Original kept; upload then download
WeTransfer free	3 GB per 30 days, account required	Original kept; link expires in 3 days
Direct over Wi-Fi or cable	none	Original, verified, no upload

To another person, on another network

Use WhatsApp as a document (up to 2 GB) or a cloud link. Accept the wait: the upload runs at your home connection’s upload speed, usually a fraction of the download speed.

To your own computer

There is no reason to go through a server. ZiggSend sends the file from the phone straight to the computer over your Wi-Fi (or, from Android to a Mac, a cable): no size limit, no recompression, and a SHA-256 check that proves the copy is identical. An 806 MB video took 46 s on home Wi-Fi in our measurement; from Android to a Mac, a USB 2 charging cable moved 22 GB at about 28 MB/s.

Phone to phone

Most Android phones cannot AirDrop to an iPhone (only a few recent ones, Pixels first, can, through Quick Share). ZiggSend connects the two phones by QR code on the same Wi-Fi and moves the original — no server, no 2 GB cap.

Measured, not promised. 22 GB in 184 files with 0 failures from an Android to a Mac over a USB 2 cable (about 28 MB/s); an 806 MB video over home Wi-Fi in 46 s; up to 49.7 MB/s over Wi-Fi from a Mac to an iPhone. Every file is checked against the original on arrival. How we measure.

What people ask before they trust a transfer app

“I don’t trust my private photos to a site I don’t know.”

Neither do we. ZiggSend has no site in the middle: the file goes from one device to the other over your home Wi-Fi (or, from Android to a Mac, a cable), and no file is stored anywhere else. The computer app only contacts ZiggSend to check for updates, to register a random install ID when it opens and, if you go Pro, to activate the license and check its status once a day; the privacy policy lists exactly what goes out.

“Mine fails at 64% every time.”

A transfer that breaks resumes where it stopped. Every file is written as a temporary part and only gets its final name after the SHA-256 check passes — you never end up with a half file that looks whole.

“I’m out of space and need to empty the phone.”

Move everything to the computer first: only files that pass the SHA-256 check get their final name, and History shows each fingerprint (today’s on Free, all of them on Pro). Then delete on the phone. Originals, no size limit.

How to send a large video from your phone without shrinking it

The limits, side by side

To another person, on another network

To your own computer

Phone to phone

What people ask before they trust a transfer app

Free forever with 1 phone. Pro when you need it.

Questions people actually ask

Related guides

Compared with