How to send photos and videos on WhatsApp without losing quality

WhatsApp can do much more than sending text or voice messages. This app also lets you send and receive all kinds of files and documents. This is very useful for exchanging documents, photos or videos. The problem is that doing this frequently will consume your mobile data and storage space. But that is another story.

When you send a photo or video, WhatsApp optimizes the file to consume less data and storage space. In other words, it compresses the files you send, which reduces the quality of multimedia files, allowing them to be sent faster and use less storage. However, for some time now, you can change this option from WhatsApp settings to send a photo or video without losing quality.

Why is the quality of a photo or video important? On a personal level, you may want to post that multimedia content on social networks, and you do not want it to look pixelated or blurry on large screens. On a professional level, an image or video must have a high resolution or quality to be edited and/or used in large formats, such as magazines, posters, and billboards, or if you want to print a picture and make it look professional.

How to send all images and videos on WhatsApp in their original quality

There are two ways to bypass WhatsApp limits for sending pictures and videos. The first consists of changing the application's settings for sending multimedia content and deactivating the default option to compress that content (as this impairs its resolution or quality). The second solution is to send images or videos as if they were documents as this option has bigger limits.

How to send photos and videos via WhatsApp in HD

WhatsApp lets you choose between Standard and HD Quality when sending a video or photo through a group or chat. In this way, you will decide whether to prioritize the quality or resolution of the content above its size.

To send pictures and videos in HD quality on WhatsApp:

1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Enter any individual or group chat.
3. Tap the Camera icon if you are going to take a photo or video.
4. Or tap the Attach icon to choose a saved picture or video.
5. Tap the HD icon once you have selected the pictures and/or videos.
6. Select Standard Quality or HD Quality.
7. Tap the Send icon to send this content to the chat or group.

If you want to always send your photos and videos in HD quality, you can set this option as default in WhatsApp Settings. To do so:

1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Go to Storage and Data.
4. Look for the Media file upload quality option.
5. Select HD Quality.
6. Tap Save.

However, if your internet connection is not good, “this will affect the quality of the multimedia files you send and receive, even if you choose the HD quality option”. In other words, you should use a WiFi connection to send high-quality photos and videos. However, if this is impossible, check you have good smartphone coverage. If possible, with 5G connectivity.

How to send photos and videos as documents via WhatsApp to avoid quality loss

Another way to send photos and videos without losing quality in WhatsApp is to send them as if they were documents. Even if you choose the HD Quality option, the image or video might lose some quality or resolution. If you do not want to risk this, you can opt for the traditional method of sending multimedia content as a document. WhatsApp lets you send files up to 2 GB in size. This ensures that good quality is maintained.

To send pictures and videos as documents in WhatsApp:

1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Enter any individual or group chat.
3. Tap the Attach icon to choose a saved photo or video.
4. But, instead of choosing Camera or Gallery, select Document.
5. Then select the images or videos.
6. Tap the Send button to send the uncompressed content.

What are the limits for sending photos and videos via WhatsApp?

WhatsApp explains in its Help Center some numbers you should know before sending pictures and videos through this application. To begin with, the size limit for sending videos is 100 MB with a resolution of 720p, and if your internet connection is bad, that limit can be lowered to 64 MB and 480p resolution. In other words, the video quality will be reduced if the internet connection is not ideal.

On the other hand, WhatsApp says it allows you to send documents up to 2 GB, but this is valid for any file. This can be an advantage if you want to send photos or videos without losing quality.

Finally, we tested sending a picture to see how WhatsApp compressed the file. The original image was 5.3 MB and had a resolution of 6,240 x 3,512. When we sent it to another user via WhatsApp choosing the Standard Quality option, the image was compressed to 256 KB and a resolution of 1,560 x 878. Then, we sent it using the HD Quality option, and the received image had a 2.14 MB size and a resolution of 5,120 x 2,881.