What's the Discord file size limit?

10 MB for free accounts, 50 MB with Nitro Basic and 500 MB with Nitro.

Why won't my video play in Discord?

It's probably MKV, AVI or HEVC. Convert it to MP4 with H.264 so it plays inline.

How do I make a 1-minute clip fit?

Use 480p or 720p at about 1.2 Mbps. The compressor's 10 MB target calculates this for you.

Does Videozify upload my clip?

No. Compression runs locally in your browser.

Can I compress on my phone?

Yes. The compressor works in mobile Chrome and Safari for short clips.

Will compressing remove the sound?

No. Audio is kept as AAC unless you mute it.

Is 1080p worth it at 10 MB?

Only for clips of about 15 seconds or less. Otherwise 720p looks better.

Can I send a GIF instead?

GIFs are larger than MP4 for the same clip. Use MP4 unless you need a looping reaction image.

Can I compress a clip on a Chromebook?

Yes. The compressor runs in Chrome on ChromeOS, so Chromebook users can prepare clips for Discord without installing anything.

Does Discord compress videos itself?

No. Discord uploads the file as-is and rejects it if it's over your limit, so compression has to happen before you upload.

Guide

How to compress a video for Discord

By Mohamed Laghbar · Updated 10 October 2026

Discord lets free accounts upload files up to 10 MB, and larger limits come with Nitro. To get a clip under 10 MB, trim it to the moment that matters, scale it to 720p (or 480p for longer clips), and encode H.264 at a bitrate calculated from the duration. A 30-second 720p clip at about 2.5 Mbps comes in just under 10 MB.

Fastest route: drop the clip into the video compressor and choose the Discord (10 MB) target. It works out the bitrate for you and checks the result, so the upload doesn't fail at 10.2 MB.

How to compress a clip for Discord with Videozify

Trim the clip to the highlight in the video trimmer first. Shorter clips look much better at 10 MB.
Open the video compressor and drop in the trimmed clip.
Pick the 10 MB target. If you have Nitro, choose a larger target instead.
Leave the height on Auto, or set 720p for clips under 40 seconds and 480p for longer ones.
Press Compress, wait for the progress bar, and check the final size shown under the preview.
Download the MP4 and drag it into the Discord message box. It will play inline.

Open the video compressor →

Discord's upload limits

Since 2024 the free limit has been 10 MB per file. Nitro Basic raises it to 50 MB and full Nitro to 500 MB, and some server boost levels raise it for everyone in that server. The limit is checked against the exact file size, so 10.1 MB fails. Aim for 9.5 MB to be safe.

Discord plays MP4 (H.264 + AAC) and WebM inline in the desktop app, web app and mobile apps. Other formats, such as MKV, AVI and some MOV files, upload as a downloadable file with no preview, which most people won't open. Always deliver MP4.

The bitrate maths

File size is bitrate multiplied by duration, so the bitrate you can afford depends on clip length. 10 MB is 80 megabits. Subtract about 0.1 Mbps for audio and container overhead, then divide by the seconds:

15 s clip: about 5 Mbps, enough for crisp 1080p
30 s clip: about 2.5 Mbps, clean 720p
60 s clip: about 1.2 Mbps, 720p with some softness or clean 480p
2 min clip: about 0.55 Mbps, 480p, best for talking or slow content

Game clips need special care

Fast-moving game footage, such as shooters, racing games and particle effects, is the hardest content to compress, because every frame changes. At low bitrates it turns to blocky smears during fast turns. Two things help most: lower the resolution so each pixel gets more bits, and cut the frame rate from 60 to 30 fps if your capture tool recorded at 60.

Capture tools often record at very high bitrates. NVIDIA ShadowPlay, AMD ReLive and the Xbox Game Bar can write 50 Mbps or more, so a 30-second clip may be 200 MB before compression. Lowering the recording quality in the capture app saves a step next time.

Built-in alternatives

Windows: the Xbox Game Bar (Win+G) records clips, and the Clipchamp editor can export them at 480p or 720p. It has no size target, so you may need to export twice. The Photos app can trim but can't change the bitrate.

Mac: QuickTime Player's File > Export As > 720p uses Apple's hardware encoder and is very fast, but it doesn't target a size, so a 1-minute clip often comes out at 30–60 MB. Handbrake, a free open-source app, gives full control if you're comfortable with encoder settings.

Phone: Discord's mobile app doesn't compress video for you. Trim the clip in your gallery app and run it through a compressor before sharing.

Other ways to share bigger clips

If a clip needs to stay long and sharp, upload it to a cloud drive or your own video host and paste the link. Discord shows a preview for many video hosts. For recurring clip sharing in a community, server boosts raise the limit for every member.

Splitting is another option. The split video tool cuts a long recording into equal parts without re-encoding, and each part can then be compressed to 10 MB.

Resolution and frame rate choices

Discord's inline player is small. Even fullscreen on a 1080p monitor, most people watch clips at a fraction of the screen. That makes 720p a sweet spot: it looks sharp in the chat and leaves enough bitrate per pixel to avoid smearing. 1080p only makes sense for very short clips, around 15 seconds or less.

Frame rate matters more for games than for real-life footage. 60 fps looks smooth but gives each frame only half the bits of 30 fps at the same file size. For a 30-second clip at 10 MB, 720p30 usually looks better than 720p60. Keep 60 fps only for very short clips where smoothness is the point, like a flick shot or a trick.

Audio settings

Discord plays AAC audio in MP4. A 128 kbps stereo track uses about 1 MB per minute, 10% of your budget in a 1-minute clip. For voice chat captures or commentary, 96 kbps is fine. If the clip is mostly game sound with no talking, you can mute it entirely to give video every byte, though most people want to hear the moment.

Troubleshooting failed uploads

"Your files are too powerful" means the file is over your current limit. Check the exact size in your file manager: Windows Explorer rounds sizes, so look at Properties for the byte count. The limit is 10 MB, and 10,485,760 bytes is the safe ceiling.

If a clip uploads but shows as a file instead of a player, it's the wrong format or codec. Re-export as MP4 with H.264. If it plays without sound, the audio is probably in a format Discord doesn't decode, such as PCM in MOV; re-encode with AAC audio.

Checklist for a good-looking 10 MB clip

Trim to the essential seconds
Use 720p or lower
Reduce 60 fps to 30 fps for long clips
Keep stereo AAC audio at 96–128 kbps
Export as MP4 (H.264)
Target 9.5 MB, not exactly 10

Frequently asked questions

What's the Discord file size limit?: 10 MB for free accounts, 50 MB with Nitro Basic and 500 MB with Nitro.
Why won't my video play in Discord?: It's probably MKV, AVI or HEVC. Convert it to MP4 with H.264 so it plays inline.
How do I make a 1-minute clip fit?: Use 480p or 720p at about 1.2 Mbps. The compressor's 10 MB target calculates this for you.
Does Videozify upload my clip?: No. Compression runs locally in your browser.
Can I compress on my phone?: Yes. The compressor works in mobile Chrome and Safari for short clips.
Will compressing remove the sound?: No. Audio is kept as AAC unless you mute it.
Is 1080p worth it at 10 MB?: Only for clips of about 15 seconds or less. Otherwise 720p looks better.
Can I send a GIF instead?: GIFs are larger than MP4 for the same clip. Use MP4 unless you need a looping reaction image.
Can I compress a clip on a Chromebook?: Yes. The compressor runs in Chrome on ChromeOS, so Chromebook users can prepare clips for Discord without installing anything.
Does Discord compress videos itself?: No. Discord uploads the file as-is and rejects it if it's over your limit, so compression has to happen before you upload.