File too large to upload on Mac? Here’s what to do
Make a smaller copy before uploading. The right method depends on the file: compress a PDF, compress or resize a photo, and compress a video to a lower resolution. FileMate adds these to Finder’s right-click menu: right-click the file, choose FileMate and the Compress item for its type, and a smaller copy appears next to the original with its new size. The file stays on your Mac until you upload the finished version yourself.
The website sets the limit. FileMate makes the smaller copy first, on your Mac.
Shrink the file with FileMate
- Right-click the file in Finder.
- Choose FileMate › Compress PDF, Compress Image, Compress Video or Compress Audio.
- Compare the new size in the result with the website’s limit.
- Still too big? Click Want a smaller file? and try Stronger, then Maximum.
Which fix for which file
| File | What to do | FileMate action |
|---|---|---|
| PDF, especially scans | Reduce the images inside | Compress PDF |
| JPEG, HEIC photo | Lower the quality, then the dimensions | Compress Image |
| PNG screenshot or graphic | Reduce the dimensions; for photos, convert to JPEG | Compress Image, or Convert Image › JPEG |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Convert to PDF, then compress the PDF if needed | Convert to PDF, then Compress PDF |
| Video | Lower the resolution: 1080p or 720p | Compress Video |
| Audio recording | Re-encode as AAC at a lower bitrate | Compress Audio |
| Several files | Compress each, or combine documents into one PDF | Compress, or Merge into PDF… |
Check the limit and your file
- Select the file and press Command-I to see its size in Finder.
- Read the limit precisely: per file or in total, and whether “10 MB” might mean 10,485,760 bytes. Aim a little under.
- Some sites say “too large” when they mean the format. If the file is small and still refused, check which formats the site accepts. See website only accepts JPG or website only accepts PDF.
Don’t go further than you need
Every compression step trades detail for size. If the limit is 5 MB, a 4.5 MB file is as good as a 400 KB one, and it looks better. FileMate goes one level at a time and shows the size after each, so you can stop as soon as it fits.
Why not use an online compressor?
Because you’d be uploading the file to one website to make it small enough to upload to another. That’s an extra upload, an extra download, and one more copy of your document somewhere else. For large files on a slow connection, the extra upload alone can take longer than compressing on the Mac.
Get FileMate
Right-click, Compress, upload the smaller copy. FileMate makes it on your Mac, so the only upload is the one you came to do.
Normal price €9.99, now €4.99 incl. VAT
One payment, no subscription. macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.