Compress video for Discord
Discord lets free accounts upload files up to 20 MB, a limit it raised from 10 MB on 13 August 2026. Nitro Basic allows 50 MB and Nitro 500 MB. Drop a clip here and Wave is already set to 20 MB: it picks the bitrate the clip's length allows, steps the resolution down if it has to, and writes an H.264 MP4 that plays inline in the chat. Everything happens in your browser. For Nitro Basic, type 50 in the Custom size box instead.
What actually changes
What a file size buys the picture
- Video
- Audio 128 kbps
- 5% kept in reserve
Pick a size and a length to see the resolution Wave would choose.
Discord's limits have moved several times, which is why tutorials disagree. The free limit was 8 MB for years, rose to 25 MB in April 2023, was cut to 10 MB in September 2024, and went up to 20 MB on 13 August 2026. Nitro Basic is 50 MB and Nitro 500 MB per file. Boosted servers raise the limit for everyone posting in that server: 50 MB at boost Level 2 and 100 MB at Level 3. Discord video size limits has the full history.
What fits in 20 MB, with Wave's 5% safety margin: a 30-second clip gets about 5,000 kbps in total, enough for crisp 1080p. A 1-minute clip gets about 2,500 kbps: Wave keeps 1080p with tight compression, and for fast gaming footage, choosing 720p under Resolution looks cleaner. A 3-minute clip gets about 840 kbps, which is 480p. Past 5 minutes the picture gets small and soft; trimming to the moment that matters works better. At 50 MB (Nitro Basic), multiply every figure by two and a half.
Inline playback is the other half of the problem. Discord plays MP4 files with H.264 video right in the chat, but shows MOV files as attachments to download, and doesn't preview HEVC or AV1 video even inside an MP4. That catches out iPhone clips and recordings from newer capture apps. Wave's output is always H.264 + AAC in MP4 with the index at the front of the file, so a compressed clip previews and starts playing straight away.
Game captures are hard to compress: fast camera movement and detailed textures need far more bits than a talking head. If a 1-minute capture looks smeared at 20 MB, cut it to the 20 seconds that matter (Trim, in the same panel) rather than squeezing it further. Wave also handles OBS's MKV recordings and Xbox or Windows Game Bar clips directly; see OBS recording to MP4.
Three steps.
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01
Step 1
Drop the clip onto Wave above. On this page the size target is already set to 20 MB, Discord's free limit.
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02
Step 2
With Nitro Basic, open Options, choose Custom and type 50. Trim the clip in the same panel if you only need part of it.
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03
Step 3
Select Convert to MP4, save the file, and drag it into Discord.
Answers, specifically.
What is Discord's free upload limit now?
20 MB per file, since 13 August 2026. It was 10 MB from September 2024, and 25 MB before that; guides that mention 8 MB date from before April 2023.
Why won't my video play inline on Discord?
Usually because it's a MOV file, or HEVC or AV1 video, which Discord shows as a download instead of a player. Converting with Wave gives you H.264 in MP4, which previews in the chat on desktop and mobile.
How much can I fit in 20 MB?
About 30 seconds of sharp 1080p, a minute of good 720p, or three minutes of 480p. Wave picks the resolution from the clip's length when it compresses, and shows it in the plan before you start.
Do server boosts raise my limit?
Only in that server: Level 2 allows 50 MB and Level 3 allows 100 MB for everyone posting there. In DMs and other servers, your own account's limit applies.
Is a GIF smaller than a video?
Almost never. A GIF stores every frame as a separate image with 256 colours, so a few seconds can run to several megabytes; the same clip as an H.264 MP4 is often a tenth of the size and looks better. Wave converts GIFs to MP4 as well.
What about sharing a link instead?
For anything long, it's often the better choice. Discord embeds YouTube links with a player, and a Google Drive or OneDrive link lets people download the full-quality file.