Compress video for Discord free
Discord says your file is too big? Shrink the clip so it fits the free upload limit and plays right in the chat.
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Discord's upload limit
On a free Discord account, uploads are capped at a small size (10 MB at the time of writing); Nitro raises the limit. A minute of 1080p gameplay or phone video is easily 100 MB or more, so most clips need compressing before they'll post. Discord also plays MP4 with H.264 right in the chat, and that's exactly what you get here.
How to compress a video for Discord
- Drop your clip: MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV, up to 2 GB.
- Choose Strong under How much to compress.
- Pick the frame size: 720p for short clips, 480p for longer ones.
- If the sound doesn't matter, tick Remove audio.
- Click Compress, check the size, and download the MP4.
Settings that fit the limit
The final size depends on length and on how much moves on screen. Fast games, sports and shaky footage need more data than a talking head or a slow screen recording. As a rough guide:
| Clip | Try first |
|---|---|
| highlight up to 15 s | Medium, 1080p or 720p |
| clip around 30 s | Strong, 720p |
| a minute or more | Strong, 480p |
If it's still over the limit, compress again at a smaller frame size, or trim the clip to the moment that matters. Shorter is almost always better for chat anyway.
Why not just lower the quality everywhere?
Frame size is the most effective lever. Dropping from 1080p to 720p cuts the pixel count by more than half, so the encoder can spend the bits on what's on screen instead of fine detail nobody sees in a small chat window. The result usually looks better than an over-compressed 1080p file of the same size.
Gameplay and screen recordings
Recordings from capture software can be very heavy, sometimes at high frame rates. Our output tops out at 1080p, and for fast games 720p on Strong is the usual sweet spot for a short highlight. Screen recordings of menus or code compress extremely well, so you can often keep 1080p.
Other formats
- For a short silent loop, video to GIF works, but a compressed MP4 is usually far smaller than a GIF.
- For a clip from an iPhone that won't play, MOV to MP4 fixes the format first.
- For sharing outside Discord, see compress video for email.
No upload, no watermark
Compression runs on your computer using the browser's GPU acceleration, so your clip isn't uploaded anywhere first. Free: 10 videos a day, up to 1080p, no logo on top. Pro Video removes the daily limit, from $1.99 a day.
FAQ
What is Discord's file size limit?
Free accounts have a small upload cap (10 MB at the time of writing). Nitro plans allow larger files. Check Discord's help pages for the current numbers.
Which settings should I use?
Strong and 720p for a 30-second clip; 480p for a minute or longer.
Will the video play in the Discord chat?
Yes, the output is MP4 with H.264, which Discord plays inline.
Is there a watermark?
No.