Discord video size limit
Quick answer
Discord’s current free upload limit is 20 MB per file, raised from 10 MB in August 2026; Nitro Basic allows 50 MB and Nitro up to 1 GB. If your video is larger, trim it, compress it or share a link, because removing the audio only saves a little space.
Current upload limits
- Free accounts: 20 MB per file (it was 10 MB before August 2026).
- Nitro Basic: 50 MB per file.
- Nitro: up to 1 GB per file.
Discord now checks file size before any compression, on both desktop and mobile, so the number you see is the one that counts. Discord notes that this makes uploads easier on desktop and iPhone, but Android users may hit the limit more often because phone recordings there tend to be larger files.
Discord says it’s experimenting with upload limits and some users may see larger ones. Check the File Attachments FAQ in Discord’s help center for the latest numbers.
Which video files Discord plays
Discord lists MOV and MP4 among the most common file types, with MP4 video encoded as H.264, HEVC (H.265) or AV1. These play inline in the chat. On mobile, the Video Uploads setting under Chat lets you pick a Data Saver option so videos upload faster and use less data.
Discord’s help center doesn’t list other video formats. For the most reliable inline playback, especially for friends on phones, send an MP4 with H.264 video. Phone recordings in HEVC are listed as supported, but older devices can struggle to play them.
How to get a video under 20 MB
File size is roughly bitrate multiplied by duration. As a rule of thumb, size in MB ≈ bitrate in Mbps × seconds ÷ 8, so a 60-second clip has to average under about 2.6 Mbps to fit in 20 MB. That gives you three levers: make it shorter, lower the bitrate, or both.
- Trim it. Cutting the clip to the moment that matters is the most effective fix and keeps full quality if your trimmer doesn’t re-encode.
- Compress it. Re-encode the video at a lower bitrate in an editor or converter such as Clipchamp or HandBrake. This costs some quality.
- Lower the resolution or frame rate. Exporting at 720p instead of 1080p or 4K shrinks the file a lot, and most chats are watched in a small window.
- Split it. Send a long clip as several parts under 20 MB each.
- Share a link. Upload the full file to a cloud drive and paste the link in Discord.
When removing the audio helps
Audio is usually a small share of a video file. A typical 128 kbps audio track takes about 1 MB per minute, so a 30-second clip saves roughly half a megabyte when muted. That won’t rescue a 60 MB recording, but it can tip a 20.4 MB clip under the limit, and it’s worth doing anyway if the sound is wind, chatter or something you don’t want to share. MuteVideo removes the audio without re-encoding and tells you whether the result fits under 20 MB.
Questions and answers
What is the Discord video size limit without Nitro?
20 MB per file, since August 2026. Before that it was 10 MB. Nitro Basic raises it to 50 MB and Nitro to up to 1 GB.
Why do my phone videos keep hitting the limit?
Discord checks the original file size before any compression, and phone recordings at 1080p or 4K often take tens of megabytes per minute. Trim the clip or export it at a lower resolution before sending.
Does Discord compress videos I upload?
On mobile you can choose a Data Saver option for video uploads, which uploads faster with lower quality. The size limit is checked before that compression happens, so the original file still has to fit.