Storage arithmetic
How much storage does 4K video take?
Start with bitrate and duration.
At 100 Mbps, a minute of video is approximately 750 MB and an hour is 45 GB. Resolution alone does not determine file size: use the file’s average bitrate and running time.
Video hosting for filmmakers · 5 GB free · Paid plans from USD 9/month
By uncompressed.io · Updated 17 September 2026
The direct answer
File size is bitrate × duration,
not a fixed number per resolution.
For decimal units, GB = average Mbps × seconds ÷ 8,000. A ten-minute film at 100 Mbps is approximately 7.5 GB.
Use total bitrate, including audio, for the closest estimate. If you only know video bitrate, add audio and container overhead. Variable-bitrate files may average above or below their export target; the finished file’s actual size is the best input for a storage plan.
Here, MB, GB and TB mean decimal units. Some software and storage quotas use binary units: 1 GiB is 1,073,741,824 bytes and 1 TiB is 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. Check the byte count when comparing capacities.
Illustrative average total bitrates; arithmetic estimates, not measured codec benchmarks or export recommendations.
Why files differ
Two 4K files
can have very different sizes.
A delivery export and an editing master serve different purposes. Apple describes ProRes data rates as varying with codec type, image content, frame size and frame rate. Its published ProRes 422 HQ target of about 220 Mbps applies to 1920×1080 at 29.97 fps; it is not a universal 4K rate.
Use your camera or encoder’s exact format and frame-rate settings, or measure a representative export. Avoid assuming that a higher frame rate always changes file size by a fixed multiple: a fixed-bitrate delivery export can hold bitrate constant while changing frame rate.
Playback is a separate check
Budget the whole library
Count every retained copy,
then leave room to work.
For example, twenty ten-minute films at 100 Mbps require approximately 150 GB for one version of each film. Keeping two complete versions doubles that to 300 GB before posters, captions or other assets. Source footage, project files, audio, masters and backups are additional copies; do not assume they are all replaceable.
Keep current portfolio and review files ready to stream. Archive files that can wait for restoration. A RAID is not an independent backup: plan a separate copy for material you cannot replace.
Restoring needs space
Current plan capacity
Estimate playable hours
separately from archive space.
Calculated from current configured hot-storage byte allowances, which use binary units despite the GB/TB labels. Assumes an empty account and the stated average total bitrate; archive capacity is excluded.
Lite: 200 GB total (100 GB ready to stream + 100 GB archive), USD 9/month or USD 99/year. Pro: 1 TB total (250 GB ready to stream + 750 GB archive), USD 39/month or USD 429/year. Max: 3 TB total (500 GB ready to stream + 2.5 TB archive), USD 99/month or USD 1089/year. Existing subscriptions may have different allowances; use the amounts shown in your account.
Direct uploads accept up to 5 TB per file, within available account storage. Starter includes 5 GB and one film at a time. Archive transfers have separate limits.
Use the pricing calculator with your current library, expected growth and storage split before choosing a plan.
Questions
Frequently asked
How much storage does one minute of 4K video take?
At 20 Mbps it is about 150 MB; at 100 Mbps, 750 MB; at 150 Mbps, 1.125 GB. These are illustrative bitrates, not recommended export settings or limits for 4K.
How many hours of 4K fit on 1 TB?
Using a decimal 1 TB (1,000 GB), approximately 111 hours at 20 Mbps, 22.2 hours at 100 Mbps or 14.8 hours at 150 Mbps. Allow for audio, container overhead and other files. A binary tebibyte holds about 10% more bytes.
Does 4K take four times as much space as 1080p?
Not necessarily. At the same total average bitrate and duration, the file sizes are approximately equal. Resolution, frame rate, codec and content affect how much bitrate is needed for the quality you want.
How much storage do I need for a library of 4K films?
Add the actual sizes of every film and version you intend to keep. Separate files that need immediate playback from archives, then allow space for new uploads and restoring archived films. Keep independent backups.
How big can a single upload be?
Direct uploads accept up to 5 TB per file, within available account storage. Starter includes 5 GB and one film at a time. Archive transfers have separate limits.
Can archive capacity be used for immediate playback?
Hot capacity is released after the archive copy is verified and the library change is saved. Archived films must be restored before streaming, embedding or review. Restoring requires available hot capacity and uses a monthly allowance of twice your archive capacity. Transfer time depends on file size and the transfer path; no fixed completion time is guaranteed.
Choose storage for the films you need online
Lite includes 200 GB total: 100 GB ready to stream and 100 GB archive, from USD 9/month. Restore archived films before playback.
Sources
- 1.Apple: About Apple ProRes (Checked 17 September 2026. Data rates vary with codec, content, frame size and frame rate.)
- 2.Current Uncompressed plans and storage