Deprecated: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in /home/zhenxiangba/zhenxiangba.com/public_html/phproxy-improved-master/index.php on line 456
iPhone 13 Pro: Cannot play or transfer la… - Apple Community
[go: Go Back, main page]

iPhone 13 Pro: Cannot play or transfer large 4K video

Unable to upload or transfer a very large 4K video from iPhone 13 Pro.

I accidentally recorded a video in 4K on Tuesday June 2, and now I'm having trouble accessing or transferring it.


Device: iPhone 13 Pro

Storage: 128 GB (126.65 GB currently used)

iCloud Plan: 2 TB

Video details:

  • Duration: 1 hour, 7 minutes, 23 seconds
  • Size: 30.94 GB
  • Resolution: 2160 × 3840 (4K)
  • Frame rate: 59.97 FPS
  • Camera: Wide Camera (26 mm, f/1.5)


The main issue is that the video will not even load or play on my iPhone. It appears in Photos, but I cannot open it.


I've already tried:

  • Compressing the video (the compression app won't successfully import/upload the file)
  • Uploading to Google Drive (I upgraded to 100 GB storage, but the upload remains stuck on "Waiting...")
  • Waiting for iCloud Photos to sync (all photos and videos taken around the same time have uploaded to iCloud, but this particular video has not)
  • Accessing my iCloud Photos library from my Mac (the video does not appear there)


At this point, I'm mainly trying to:

  1. Transfer the video to my Mac or cloud storage.
  2. Compress the video so I can send it through Gmail.


Has anyone successfully recovered or transferred a video of this size when the iPhone storage is nearly full? Are there any Apple-recommended methods for forcing a large video to upload to iCloud or transfer directly to a Mac when the file won't properly load in Photos?


Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

iPhone 13 Pro

Posted on Jun 5, 2026 12:17 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 5, 2026 1:55 PM

You can try to use Image Capture on your Mac.


  1. Connect your iPhone 13 Pro to your Mac using a transfer capable cable.
  2. Open Image Capture on your Mac
  3. Select your iPhone under the "Devices" list on the left.
  4. Unlock your iPhone and tap Trust This Computer if prompted.
  5. Sort the list of media by Size to easily locate your 30.94 GB 4K video.
  6. At the bottom of the window, choose a destination folder on your Mac.
  7. Select the video and click Import.


See this article for more information.

Image Capture User Guide for Mac - Apple Support


3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 5, 2026 1:55 PM in response to tanyas_apple

You can try to use Image Capture on your Mac.


  1. Connect your iPhone 13 Pro to your Mac using a transfer capable cable.
  2. Open Image Capture on your Mac
  3. Select your iPhone under the "Devices" list on the left.
  4. Unlock your iPhone and tap Trust This Computer if prompted.
  5. Sort the list of media by Size to easily locate your 30.94 GB 4K video.
  6. At the bottom of the window, choose a destination folder on your Mac.
  7. Select the video and click Import.


See this article for more information.

Image Capture User Guide for Mac - Apple Support


Jun 5, 2026 12:43 PM in response to tanyas_apple

Compress the video so I can send it through Gmail.


The video is already compressed, you might be able to compress it slightly more but not by much. Most email providers will let you send files in the 5 to 10 megabyte range, there is absolutely no way you're going to compress a 30 gig file down to 10 megabytes.


You could try to use an online file sharing program such as Dropbox or share it through iCloud once you have figured out how to upload it.

iPhone 13 Pro: Cannot play or transfer large 4K video

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.