How to compress files without uploading them
Compress the file on your Mac. Online compressors require the file to be uploaded before they can process it, and the result downloaded again. FileMate compresses PDFs, images, videos and audio locally: right-click the file in Finder, choose FileMate, then Compress PDF, Compress Image, Compress Video or Compress Audio, and a smaller copy is saved next to the original.
No file upload. No browser compressor. The file stays on your Mac.
Compress a file locally with FileMate
- Right-click the file in Finder: a PDF, an image, a video or an audio file.
- Choose FileMate › Compress PDF, Compress Image, Compress Video or Compress Audio.
- The smaller copy is saved next to the original, with the saving shown in the result.
What FileMate compresses
| File | Formats | How it gets smaller |
|---|---|---|
| Reduces and recompresses images; text, links and forms stay at Safe and Stronger | ||
| Images | JPEG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF | Lower quality for JPEG and HEIC; fewer pixels at stronger levels |
| Video | MP4, MOV, M4V | Re-encoded as MP4: up to 4K, 1080p or 720p |
| Audio | MP3, M4A, WAV, AIFF, CAF | Re-encoded as AAC: 160, 112 or 80 kbps |
Why upload time matters
To compress a 1 GB video online, the service has to receive all 1 GB first. At an upload speed of 20 Mbit/s, that alone takes about seven minutes, before any compression starts, and then the result has to come back down. FileMate starts immediately, because the video is already on your Mac.
The privacy part, plainly
An online compressor has a copy of your file for as long as it keeps it, under its own rules. Many say they delete files after an hour or a day, and for a holiday video that may be fine. For a signed contract, a scan of your passport or a client’s documents, there is no reason to make that copy in the first place.
Built-in local options
macOS can compress some files itself: Preview’s Reduce File Size filter for PDFs, Preview’s export quality slider for images, and QuickTime’s Export As for video. They run on the Mac too, one file at a time, with fewer choices. FileMate puts compression for all four kinds of file in Finder’s right-click menu, with three levels and a report for every file.
Get FileMate
Online tools have to receive the whole file before they start. FileMate starts with the file already on your Mac and never sends it anywhere.
Normal price €9.99, now €4.99 incl. VAT
One payment, no subscription. macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.