# How to compress large videos with NotchStar > Compress finds photos over 2 MB and videos over 50 MB, recompresses them, and keeps the result only if it is under 90 percent of the original size. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/compress-large-videos-notchstar/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. To shrink big videos in NotchStar, open the Disk tab, pick **Compress** and press **Find large media**. It lists photos over 2 MB and videos over 50 MB, you choose which to shrink, and the original goes to the Trash. A result that is not clearly smaller is discarded. ## What it finds - Folders: Downloads, Desktop, Documents, Pictures and Movies. - Photos: JPEG and HEIC files of 2 MB or more. - Videos: MOV, MP4 and M4V files of 50 MB or more. - Hidden files and package contents are skipped, and the list is sorted largest first. ## What it does to each file 1. Builds a smaller version next to the original, in a hidden temporary file. 2. For a photo, recompresses at 70 percent quality and keeps metadata such as EXIF, location and orientation. For a video, exports as HEVC at the highest quality preset for HEVC. 3. If the new file is not under 90 percent of the original size, it deletes the new one and leaves your file alone. 4. Otherwise it moves the original to the Trash and puts the new file in its place, with the same name. A progress line shows how many are done and how much is saved. **Stop after this one** ends the run after the current file. ## Limits - It is lossy. Compare the result before you empty the Trash. - It only works on files in your home folder, through the same safety check as the rest of Disk. - Compression can take a long time on long videos. See [why a scan is slow](https://www.notchstar.com/help/why-notchstar-disk-scan-is-slow/). - Other formats are not listed. For where the original ends up, read [the Trash step](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-disk-trash-not-permanent-delete/). The [Disk feature page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/disk/) has the rest. ## Quick answers. ### Is the quality the same afterwards? No. Compression is lossy. Photos are recompressed at a lower quality setting and videos are exported as HEVC. Keep the original in the Trash until you have checked the result. ### What if the file does not get smaller? The new file is thrown away and the original is left exactly where it was. ## Keep reading. - [Disk space, duplicates, apps and cleanup](https://www.notchstar.com/features/disk/): See free space, find big folders, duplicates and app leftovers, compress media and clean caches from your Mac notch. Everything goes to the Trash. - [How the NotchStar Disk Trash step works](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-disk-trash-not-permanent-delete/): Disk moves items to the Trash and never deletes for good. Space only comes back when you empty the Trash yourself in Finder. - [Why a NotchStar Disk scan can be slow](https://www.notchstar.com/help/why-notchstar-disk-scan-is-slow/): Scans read real files: sizing folders, hashing duplicates and recompressing media all take time on big libraries. Here is what each one does. - [How to find what is filling your Mac, and free space safely](https://www.notchstar.com/blog/free-up-space-on-your-mac-without-a-cleaner/): Find what fills your Mac with Finder and Terminal, learn which folders are safe to clear, and what to leave alone. Commands tested, with a 20 minute routine. ## More in Disk and storage. - [What the NotchStar Disk scan finds](https://www.notchstar.com/help/what-notchstar-disk-scan-finds/): The Overview scan finds app caches, logs, Xcode build data and downloads untouched for 90 days. It lists them and removes nothing until you choose. - [Is NotchStar Disk cleanup safe?](https://www.notchstar.com/help/is-notchstar-disk-cleanup-safe/): Disk only moves things to the Trash, only inside your home folder and app bundles in /Applications. It refuses the home folder itself and system paths. - [How the NotchStar Disk Trash step works](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-disk-trash-not-permanent-delete/): Disk moves items to the Trash and never deletes for good. Space only comes back when you empty the Trash yourself in Finder. - [How NotchStar finds duplicate files](https://www.notchstar.com/help/find-duplicate-files-notchstar/): Duplicates compares file contents, not names, across six folders. It skips files under 1 MB and hard links, and keeps the oldest copy of each set. - [How to remove an app and its leftovers in NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/remove-app-leftovers-notchstar/): The Apps section lists apps with the caches, preferences and logs they leave in Library. Remove sends the app and those files to the Trash. - [Why a NotchStar Disk scan can be slow](https://www.notchstar.com/help/why-notchstar-disk-scan-is-slow/): Scans read real files: sizing folders, hashing duplicates and recompressing media all take time on big libraries. Here is what each one does.