Your iPhone sends a video as an iCloud link for one of two reasons: the share sheet in Photos is set to send a link instead of the file, or the video is too large to attach, so Mail offers to send it through iCloud instead. Change the share option, or make the video smaller so it fits as a normal attachment, and the person gets the actual file.
Check the share options in Photos
When you share from the Photos app, iOS can send your selection either as the files themselves or as an iCloud link that the other person opens in a browser. A link is more likely when you share several items at once.
- Open the video in Photos and tap the Share button.
- Tap Options at the top of the share sheet.
- Change the setting from iCloud Link to Individual Photos (or Automatic, which lets iOS decide), then tap Done.
- Pick Messages, Mail or another app and send.
If the option was already set to send files and the video still arrives as a link, size is the likely cause.
Why big videos turn into links
A minute of iPhone video, especially at 4K, can easily be hundreds of megabytes. Most email services cap attachments at around 20–25 MB, so when a video is over the limit, Mail offers Mail Drop, which uploads the file to iCloud and sends a download link in its place. For more on that route, see Mail won't send a large video from iPhone.
The fix is to shrink the video before you share it. A smaller copy can go as a regular attachment, and the original stays in your library untouched.
Make the video smaller on iPhone
The easiest route on iPhone is the free Filevale for iPhone app from the App Store. It includes a video compressor that works straight from your Photos library (HEVC), so you don't need to export the file first.
Compress the video in your browser
Compress VideoMake videos smaller (up to 1280p, H.264) without uploading them anywhere.Open toolIf you'd rather not install anything, Compress Video works in Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and Chromebook. It takes MP4, MOV, WEBM, MKV, AVI or M4V files and makes them smaller, up to 1280p in H.264.
- Open Compress Video, then drop your video on the page or tap to browse. You can add several at once.
- Adjust the quality if you like, then click Compress.
- Download the MP4 file. If it is still too big, change the options and run it again on the same file.
The work happens on your device, so the video is not uploaded anywhere. Speed depends on your device and the length of the clip; a short phone clip usually takes seconds. The first time, the converter engine (about 30 MB) downloads once and is then cached.
Sending to someone without an iPhone
iPhone videos are usually MOV files, and many Windows apps and websites prefer MP4. If the person on the other end can't play your video, MOV to MP4 turns it into MP4. Video Converter can also save a clip as MP4, WebM, GIF or audio only (MP3, M4A or WAV). Compress Video already outputs MP4, so if you compressed the clip, you can skip this step.
Remove the location before you send
Remove Metadata from Video & AudioRemove GPS location, device, dates, title and other metadata from MP4, MOV, MKV, MP3 and M4A files. Streams are copied, not re-encoded, so quality is identical.Open tooliPhone videos usually store the GPS position where they were filmed, the phone model and the date. Remove Metadata from Video & Audio deletes these without re-encoding, so quality and size stay the same. Drop the file, click Remove metadata, check the list of what was removed, then download the clean copy. If you do share by link, read Is an iCloud link private? first.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stop my iPhone from ever sending videos as iCloud links?
In Photos, set the share Options to send individual items instead of an iCloud link each time you share. That only controls the format, though. If a video is bigger than the app or email service allows, you will still need to send a smaller copy or use a link.
Will compressing the video lower the quality?
Some detail is lost, because a smaller file holds less data. Compress Video lets you adjust the quality, and you can run it again with different options if the first result is too soft or still too large. The original video on your phone is not changed.
Does Compress Video upload my video to a server?
No. It runs entirely in your browser using a WebAssembly build of FFmpeg, so your video never leaves your device. That makes it safe for private recordings you'd rather not hand to a cloud service.