Discord File Size Limit in 2026: 20 MB, and How to Fit Under It
Updated November 5, 2026
Discord's free upload limit rose from 10 MB to 20 MB in August 2026. Nitro Basic allows 50 MB, and Nitro allows 500 MB. If your clip is over the limit, compressing it to the right size is usually enough, with no need to pay.
Limits by plan
Free accounts can upload 20 MB per file. Nitro Basic raises that to 50 MB, and Nitro to 500 MB. Discord has said it's testing other limits, so some people may see different numbers.
Discord's mobile apps now check the file size before compressing it, as desktop does, so a file that's slightly over may be refused on a phone when it once would have gone through.
How to fit a video under 20 MB
The length of the video decides how good it can look at 20 MB.
- 1Trim to the moment that matters. Half the length means twice the quality at the same size.
- 2Compress to 20 MB, using a tool that works out the bitrate from the length.
- 3Check the result, then drop it into Discord.
Would a GIF be better?
Usually not. GIFs are very inefficient, so a few seconds can take more space than a much longer MP4. Use a GIF only for short loops, and an MP4 for everything else.