You land a perfect clutch, clip it, and Discord refuses the upload because the file is too big. A recording from a game or a phone is often far larger than a free account accepts. This Discord video compressor shrinks it to a size you choose, so it posts first time.
The page opens the compressor in Target size mode with the slider on 18 MB, just under the 20 MB free limit, so a clip posts first time with as much picture as a free account allows. Drop in your clip and press Compress, or drag the slider lower first for a file that loads faster.
It all runs in your browser. Your clip is not uploaded to us, so your footage stays private until you choose to post it.
How to compress video for Discord
The shortcut opens the tool in Target size mode with the slider already set to 18 MB. There is little left to decide.
- Drop your clip onto the tool, or choose it from your computer.
- Check the Target size slider. It starts at 18 MB; drag it down if you want a smaller file.
- Glance at the before and after bars to see the new size.
- Press Compress.
- Save the finished file and drag it into Discord.
You get an MP4 named after your clip with _compressed added. The original is left alone.
Drag the saved file into a channel or a direct message as normal. It is an ordinary MP4, so it plays in the chat for the people who see it.
Discord file size limit: the size to aim for
Discord's own help page on file attachments says the largest upload for accounts without Nitro is 20 MB. It went up from 10 MB in August 2026, and paid Nitro plans allow bigger files. There is no separate Discord video size limit: a clip is an attachment like any other file. Our guide sets Discord's upload limit beside those of email, WhatsApp and Slack.
Discord also says it is trying out different limits with some users, so the number your own app shows is the one that counts. On phones, it now checks the size before it compresses anything, so a clip over the limit is refused straight away.
This page opens at 18 MB. That leaves room for a result that lands a little over its target, and for the different limits Discord is trying out, while keeping close to the best picture a free account allows. If you came for an 8 MB video compressor, drag the slider down to 8 MB: the file posts with plenty of room to spare and loads quickly for everyone in the channel.
Used as a Discord video compressor, the slider is not tied to either number. To compress video to 10 MB, 19 MB or any other size above the shaded floor, drag it there. It runs from zero up to the size of your clip, in half-megabyte steps on files up to 60 MB.
| Target | With sound | Without sound |
|---|---|---|
| 8 MB | About 4 minutes 20 seconds | About 7 minutes |
| 10 MB | About 5 minutes 25 seconds | About 8 minutes 50 seconds |
| 18 MB, where this page starts | About 9 minutes 45 seconds | About 16 minutes |
Near those lengths the picture is at its smallest and softest. A clip well inside them looks far better, which is why a ten-second highlight at 8 MB often looks cleaner than a three-minute clip at 18 MB.
Getting a gameplay clip down to size without wrecking it
Gameplay is demanding. Fast camera moves and busy scenes need lots of data, so they fight a small size target harder than a calm video does. Knowing what you are up against saves a lot of trial and error.
Cut the clip down to the moment
Most clips have a slow start and a long tail around the real moment. Those seconds cost size and add nothing for the viewer, so they are the first thing to go.
The most effective trick is to keep only the action. Use Trim video to lose the run-up, then compress. Ten seconds at 8 MB looks far better than a minute at 8 MB.
Let the picture shrink
When the target is tight for the length, the tool also makes the picture smaller so that it stays clean. It steps down through common widths, as far as 320 pixels for the tightest targets. A slightly smaller picture is better than a blocky large one, and you can also reduce it yourself with Resize video before compressing.
Understand the floor
The shaded area on the slider is the smallest size your clip can be, worked out from its length. With sound kept it is about 1.85 MB for every minute (150 kbps for the picture plus 96 kbps for the sound), and about 1.1 MB without the sound. A two-minute clip with sound needs at least 3.7 MB, and the line under the slider tells you the figure for your own clip.
The size chips under the slider, such as Discord · 18 MB, appear only when your clip is bigger than that size and can reach it. Use the Discord chip rather than Email · 20 MB, which sits right on the free Discord limit. If the floor is above the size you need, shorten the clip or switch off Keep the sound.
More ways to make a video fit Discord
Still have a video too big for Discord after trimming? These help:
- Turn the clip into a short looping picture with video to GIF when sound does not matter. Keep it short, because a GIF can weigh more than the video it came from.
- Compress only once, from your original recording. Re-compressing a copy loses detail again.
- Split a long recording into parts and post them one by one.
- Remove the sound from a clip that does not need it, to give the picture more of the size.
In a busy server, a small file is also friendlier to everyone scrolling past it. Short, tight clips get watched, and a heavy, rambling one gets skipped, whatever the limit allows.
For other size limits, see Compress video for WhatsApp and Compress video for email. If you would rather pick a quality level than a size, use the general Compress video tool.
Free, private and ready in your browser
You do not need an account, and no watermark is placed on your clip. Video tools do not count towards the free daily limit that applies to document conversions. The video is never uploaded, as explained on the privacy page.
Most videos have no size limit. A file that cannot be read quickly takes longer and can be up to 2 GB. The tool works in current Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
Post your clip on Discord
This Discord video compressor does one job: it gets a clip under the upload limit with as much picture as the size allows. To compress video for Discord, trim it to the best moment, keep 18 MB or drag the slider lower for a smaller file, and press Compress. Keep the original safe.
It is free, it adds no watermark, and your footage stays on your device. Scroll up to the tool and get your clip ready to post.
Source: Discord: File Attachments FAQ, checked 23 October 2026.
