WhatsApp sends documents up to 2 GB each. Photos and videos picked from the gallery follow different rules: WhatsApp treats them as media and compresses them before sending. That is why a photo arrives smaller and softer than the one on your phone, and why "send as document" is the trick to keep originals.
Which limit applies?
| What you send | Limit | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Document (any file type) | 2 GB per file | Original, untouched |
| Photo or video as media | Up to 2 GB, recompressed by WhatsApp | Compressed |
| Photo or video with HD on | Same media path | Less compression, still not the original |
| Status video | Short clips, longer ones are split or trimmed | Compressed |
Sources: WhatsApp's 2 GB file sharing announcement, How to send media and About status, checked on 2026-10-14. WhatsApp has changed media handling several times, and in practice the app often compresses longer videos to fit rather than refusing them, so treat the 16 MB figure as the point where compression gets heavy.
Why do photos and videos arrive smaller?
WhatsApp is built for mobile data. When you send a photo from the gallery, it resizes and recompresses it, typically to a few hundred kilobytes, and strips most of the metadata. Videos get a lower resolution and bitrate. The recipient sees something that looks fine on a phone and falls apart on a laptop screen or in print.
The HD option (the HD button that appears after you pick a photo or video) keeps more resolution, but it is still a compressed copy. If someone needs the file itself, HD is not enough.
How to keep the original: send as document
- Open the chat and tap the attachment icon (the paperclip on Android, the plus on iPhone).
- Choose Document, not Gallery or Photos & Videos.
- Pick the photo or video. On iPhone, choose it from Files or tap Choose Photo or Video in the document picker.
- Send. WhatsApp uploads the exact file, up to 2 GB.
The recipient gets a file with its name and size instead of an inline preview. That is the point: nothing was changed.
When a transfer link is the better path
WhatsApp's 2 GB document limit is generous, but a few situations still call for a link:
- The file is over 2 GB, such as raw footage or a full photo shoot.
- You are sending many files. Twenty RAW files sent one by one clutter the chat and are hard to download together.
- The recipient will open it on a computer. A download link on a laptop is easier than WhatsApp Web's file handling.
- You need control. A link can have a password and an expiry date; a WhatsApp message cannot.
Brault Transfer uploads the files once and gives you a link to paste into the chat.
| Plan | Per transfer | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 2 GB (5 transfers a month) | $0 |
| Lite | 50 GB | $4/mo, billed annually |
| Pro | 50 GB, unlimited, plus 100 GB transfers | $12/mo, billed annually |
| Growth | 250 GB | $70/mo, billed annually |
Every plan gets a branded download page, Lite and above can add a password, and Pro and above can set expiry from 7 to 180 days. The plans and limits page lists every cap. For the email side of the same problem, see the email attachment size limit.