How to Compress a Video for Discord
Discord limits how big a file you can upload. Here's how to fit gameplay clips and recordings under that limit while keeping them sharp enough to enjoy.
Discord's upload limits
| Account | Maximum upload size |
|---|---|
| Free | 20 MB |
| Nitro Basic | 50 MB |
| Nitro | 500 MB |
Discord raised the free limit from 10 MB to 20 MB in August 2026. Discord sometimes tests different limits with some users, so if an upload fails, the error message tells you your exact limit.
Step by step: compress a clip for Discord
- Open the Discord video compressor. The Discord preset (20 MB) is already selected.
- Drag your clip onto the page. MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM recordings all work.
- For long clips, open Advanced settings and set Frame rate to 30 fps.
- Click Compress video.
- Download the MP4 and drag it into your Discord channel.
The result is an H.264 MP4, which Discord plays inline on desktop, web and mobile. If you have Nitro, choose Target file size and enter 50 or 500 instead.
How long can a clip be?
At 20 MB, a typical 1080p, 30 fps recording comes out like this:
| Clip length | Result |
|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 1080p, very sharp |
| 1 minute | 720p, sharp |
| 2 minutes | 480p, good on phones |
| 5 minutes | 360p, soft |
The compressor chooses the resolution automatically, so the picture stays clean instead of turning blocky.
Settings that make clips look better
- Trim to the highlight. The best moment of a match is rarely more than 30–60 seconds. Shorter clips stay sharp at 20 MB.
- 30 fps for longer clips. 60 fps looks smoother in fast games, but each frame gets half the data. Above 30 seconds, 30 fps usually looks better overall.
- Lower the game audio if you don't need it. In Advanced settings → Audio, choose 64 kbps or remove it, and the video gets the extra data.
- Compress the original recording. Compressing a clip that was already compressed makes artefacts worse.
Recording smaller clips in the first place
If you record with OBS, a GPU's built-in recorder or a console capture feature, lower the recording bitrate or resolution for clips you mainly share on Discord. A 1080p recording at a moderate bitrate is easier to compress than a 4K recording at a very high one, and takes less disk space too.
Why Discord videos look blurry
Usually it's simply too little data for too long a video: 20 MB spread over 5 minutes gives each second very little. The fixes, in order of effect:
- Trim the clip.
- Lower the frame rate to 30.
- Lower the resolution to 720p.
- Upload a link instead, for example to a video platform, for long recordings.
Clips that others will re-share
If you have Nitro but post clips in a server where friends might download and re-post them, compressing to 20 MB anyway means everyone can pass them on, whatever their account.
Summary
- Free accounts can upload up to 20 MB; Nitro Basic 50 MB; Nitro 500 MB.
- Use the Discord preset, trim to the highlight and use 30 fps for longer clips.
- For long recordings, share a link.