Compressing a .mov File from 262MB to 14MB with FFmpeg

Needed to shrink a .mov file fast — it was 262MB and way too big to share. Ended up compressing it down to just 14MB using FFmpeg. Here’s the command I used and what it does.

Why Compress?

.mov files are high quality, but huge. If you’re sharing videos online or via chat, smaller .mp4 files are much more practical.

FFmpeg Command

ffmpeg -i tiktok_demo.mov -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 28 -c:a aac -b:a 96k -movflags +faststart demo.mp4

What Each Flag Does:

-i tiktok_demo.mov: input file
-c:v libx264: H.264 video codec
-preset slow: better compression (use “medium” if you’re in a rush)
-crf 28: controls quality/size — lower = better quality, bigger size
-c:a aac: audio codec
-b:a 96k: audio bitrate
-movflags +faststart: makes video stream faster online
demo.mp4: output file

Result

From 262MB → 14MB
Quality drop was minimal for casual viewing
Took about 2 minutes to run

Tips

Want better quality? Try -crf 23
Need it faster? Use -preset medium
For better audio: -b:a 128k

Bottom Line

Quick, easy, and works well. FFmpeg is a solid tool for compressing video without a GUI.