Ijharul Islam
A one-minute 1080p video is usually 40 to 130 MB, and about 61 MB at the 8 Mbps YouTube recommends for 1080p uploads. A minute of 4K at YouTube's 35 to 45 Mbps is 263 to 338 MB. The size depends on bitrate, not resolution: file size is the bitrate times the length, divided by 8 to turn bits into bytes.
More on this topic: Video formats, codecs and numbers, every guide in one place.
Here's a chart of MB per minute and GB per hour at common bitrates, phone and screen recording ranges, uncompressed and audio-only sizes, and how to shrink a file that's too big.
The short answer
Size (MB per minute) = (video bitrate + audio bitrate in Mbps) × 60 ÷ 8. At YouTube's recommended upload rates, with 128 kbps audio: 1080p30 (8 Mbps) is about 61 MB a minute and 3.7 GB an hour; 1080p60 (12 Mbps) about 91 MB a minute; 4K30 (35-45 Mbps) about 263-338 MB a minute. A compressed 720p web video at 1.5 Mbps is about 12 MB a minute.
Key takeaways
- File size = total bitrate × seconds ÷ 8. Resolution only matters through the bitrate you choose.
- 1080p at 8 Mbps: about 61 MB per minute, 3.7 GB per hour.
- 4K at 35-45 Mbps: about 263-338 MB per minute, 16-20 GB per hour.
- Uncompressed 1080p30 is about 5.6 GB per minute; that's why every delivery format is compressed.
- Audio alone is small: WAV about 10.6 MB per minute, MP3 at 128 kbps under 1 MB.
How big is a 1-minute video?
A 1-minute video is about 8 MB at 1 Mbps, 61 MB at 8 Mbps and 263 MB at 35 Mbps, with 128 kbps of audio. Here's the full chart (MB = 1,000,000 bytes, GB = 1,000 MB):
| Typical use | Video bitrate | MB per minute | GB per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small web or chat video, 480p | 0.7 Mbps | 6.2 | 0.37 |
| Compressed 720p for email or WhatsApp | 1.5 Mbps | 12.2 | 0.73 |
| Compressed 1080p for sharing | 3 Mbps | 23.5 | 1.41 |
| 720p at a good quality | 5 Mbps | 38.5 | 2.31 |
| 1080p at 24-30 fps (YouTube's recommendation) | 8 Mbps | 61.0 | 3.66 |
| 1080p at 48-60 fps (YouTube's recommendation) | 12 Mbps | 91.0 | 5.46 |
| Phone recording, 1080p | about 16 Mbps | 121 | 7.26 |
| 4K at 24-30 fps (YouTube's recommendation) | 35-45 Mbps | 263-338 | 15.8-20.3 |
| 4K at 48-60 fps (YouTube's recommendation) | 53-68 Mbps | 398-511 | 23.9-30.7 |
YouTube's figures come from its recommended upload encoding page. Phone bitrates depend on the model, frame rate and whether it records H.264 or HEVC, so treat that row as an example; the file's properties show the real bitrate. The free video bitrate calculator does this sum for any bitrate and length, and works backwards from a target size.
How do you calculate video file size?
You calculate video file size by adding the video and audio bitrates, multiplying by the length in seconds, and dividing by 8. In formula form: size in bytes = (video bits per second + audio bits per second) × seconds ÷ 8. Containers such as MP4 add about 1 to 2% on top.
| Example | Sum | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 3 minutes at 8 Mbps + 128 kbps | 8,128,000 × 180 ÷ 8 | 182.9 MB (about 185 MB with overhead) |
| 10 minutes at 3 Mbps + 128 kbps | 3,128,000 × 600 ÷ 8 | 234.6 MB |
| 1 hour at 12 Mbps + 192 kbps | 12,192,000 × 3,600 ÷ 8 | 5.49 GB |
Working backwards tells you the bitrate for a size limit: bitrate = size in bits ÷ seconds. To fit 25 MB (Gmail) in 2 minutes: 25,000,000 × 8 ÷ 120 = 1.67 Mbps total, so about 1.5 Mbps of video and 128 kbps of audio.
Why does Windows show a smaller number? Windows reports sizes in binary units (1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes) but labels them MB, so a 100,000,000-byte file shows as 95.3 MB.
Why are two 1080p videos different sizes?
Two 1080p videos are different sizes because they were encoded at different bitrates, or with different codecs, frame rates or content. Resolution sets how many pixels each frame has; bitrate decides how much data is spent describing them.
| Factor | Effect on size |
|---|---|
| Bitrate setting | Directly proportional: double the bitrate, double the size |
| Codec | H.265 (HEVC) and AV1 reach similar quality at a lower bitrate than H.264 |
| Frame rate | 60 fps needs more bitrate than 30 for the same look; YouTube recommends about 50% more |
| Content | Fast motion, confetti, water and grain need more data than a talking head or a slide |
| Constant vs variable bitrate | Variable bitrate saves space on easy scenes |
Our test (October 2026): we re-encoded three of our own short clips. At the same VMAF, AV1 needed 72% and H.265 84% of H.264's size on average, but on a talking-head clip AV1 saved only 6% and H.265 none. That 540×982 talking head was 4.77 MB a minute at H.264 CRF 23 without audio and 5.71 MB with 128 kbps AAC. Full results: H.264 vs H.265 vs AV1, our test.
This is also why a 10-minute screen recording can be smaller than a 1-minute phone video: mostly static screens compress extremely well. More on choosing bitrates in the video bitrate guide, and on codecs in H.264 vs H.265.
How big is uncompressed video?
Uncompressed 1080p video at 30 fps is about 5.6 GB per minute with 8-bit 4:2:0 colour, and about 11.2 GB per minute as 8-bit RGB. The arithmetic: 1920 × 1080 pixels × 1.5 bytes (4:2:0) = 3.1 MB per frame, × 30 frames = 93.3 MB per second.
| Format (8-bit) | Per frame | Per second at 30 fps | Per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p, 4:2:0 | 3.1 MB | 93.3 MB | 5.6 GB |
| 1080p, RGB (4:4:4) | 6.2 MB | 186.6 MB | 11.2 GB |
| 4K (3840×2160), 4:2:0 | 12.4 MB | 373.2 MB | 22.4 GB |
That's 90 times more than the same minute at YouTube's 8 Mbps, which is why cameras, phones and platforms all compress. Editing codecs such as ProRes sit in between; they're large but much smaller than uncompressed.
How big is audio per minute?
Audio is small next to video: an uncompressed WAV is about 10.6 MB per minute at 44.1 kHz and 11.5 MB at 48 kHz (16-bit stereo), while AAC or MP3 at 128 kbps is under 1 MB per minute.
| Audio format | Per minute | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| WAV, 16-bit stereo, 48 kHz | 11.5 MB | 691 MB |
| WAV, 16-bit stereo, 44.1 kHz | 10.6 MB | 635 MB |
| WAV, 16-bit mono, 48 kHz | 5.8 MB | 346 MB |
| AAC or MP3, 256 kbps | 1.9 MB | 115 MB |
| AAC or MP3, 128 kbps | 0.96 MB | 58 MB |
That's why a WAV you pull out of a video can be bigger than the video itself. The free audio extractor saves 16-bit WAV, about 10 MB per stereo minute, and halves it in mono. 44.1 kHz vs 48 kHz explains the two sample rates.
How do you make a video file smaller?
You make a video file smaller by cutting its length, lowering its bitrate, or lowering its resolution (which lets a lower bitrate look clean). In that order:
- Trim what you don't need with the free video trimmer. Every second removed is a saving with no quality cost.
- Re-encode at a lower bitrate. The free video compressor has three presets: Light (up to 1080p, about 23 MB a minute), Smaller (up to 720p, about 12 MB a minute) and Smallest (up to 480p, about 6 MB a minute). It shows the estimate before you start and is free, runs in your browser and never uploads your file.
- Drop to 720p if the video will mostly be watched on phones.
| Limit | Longest video at 720p (12 MB/min) | At 480p (6 MB/min) |
|---|---|---|
| Discord, 20 MB (free) | about 1 min 40 s | about 3 min 15 s |
| Gmail, 25 MB | about 2 min | about 4 min |
| Bluesky, 300 MB | about 25 min (limit is 10 min) | — |
| WhatsApp, 2 GB | about 2 h 45 min | about 5 h 20 min |
Guides for each: compress a video for email, Discord and WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
How many MB is a 1-minute 1080p video?
About 61 MB at YouTube's recommended 8 Mbps; phone recordings are often 100 MB or more, and compressed sharing copies 20-40 MB.
How many GB is 1 hour of 1080p video?
About 3.7 GB at 8 Mbps and 5.5 GB at 12 Mbps.
How big is a 1-minute 4K video?
About 263-338 MB at YouTube's 35-45 Mbps recommendation; phone 4K often runs higher.
How many minutes of video is 1 GB?
About 16 minutes at 8 Mbps (1080p), 82 minutes at 1.5 Mbps (720p compressed) and 3 minutes at 45 Mbps (4K).
Does a higher resolution always mean a bigger file?
No. Size follows bitrate; a 4K file at a low bitrate can be smaller than a 1080p file at a high one, though it will look worse.
How big is a 1-minute screen recording?
Usually much smaller than camera footage: QuickVeed's free screen recorder records 1080p at about 4 Mbps, roughly 30 MB a minute.
Try it with your own video
Make videos for every platform from one account: AI clips, captions and voiceovers. Upload a video, add captions, and download a copy ready to post. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 250 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.
Sources
Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.
