WhatsApp sends documents up to 2 GB

WhatsApp doesn't publish what happens when a file is too big. What it does say is that photos and videos are usually compressed when you share them, so a video sent the normal way can arrive smaller and softer than you shot it.

Phone video adds up fast. An iPhone shooting 4K at 30 fps uses more than 175 MB a minute even in its compact HEVC format, so a one-minute clip is already past the 100 MB default. More in how to send 4K video.

Send it as a document. Tap the attachment icon, choose Document and pick the file. A document is sent as the file itself rather than as a photo or video, and it can be up to 2 GB.

Over 2 GB, WhatsApp has no option. You'd have to trim the video or split the file into parts.

For anything over 2 GB, or a whole shoot at full quality, send a download.fyi link in the chat. It's three short words, so it's easy to paste or read out. The file streams from your phone or computer straight to theirs, untouched.

Keep the page open until they've downloaded it. If they're busy, a pass keeps the file online for 14 days (up to 100 GB, $5) or 30 days (up to 500 GB, $9), paid once.