Discord's free tier caps file uploads at 8 MB — a tight limit for any video longer than about 30 seconds. Nitro Basic raises this to 50 MB and Nitro to 500 MB. If you are on a free account, compressing your video to H.264 MP4 at 720p is the most effective way to squeeze into the limit while keeping the video watchable. A 30-second clip at 720p H.264 typically comes in under 7 MB.
Try a Discord-ready H264 MP4 encode at 720p. Create a free account for up to 8K/120fps and production workflows.
Free accounts: 8 MB. Nitro Basic: 50 MB. Nitro: 500 MB. If your video is over 8 MB and you do not have Nitro, compress it to H.264 MP4 at 720p to fit within the free limit.
Use the public encoder above with H.264, MP4, and 720p. For clips under 30 seconds this often produces a file under 8 MB. For longer clips, try 480p. Audio contributes roughly 1–2 MB per minute at standard settings.
Discord plays MP4, WebM, and MOV inline in chat. MP4 with H.264 is the most reliable choice across all platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android). WebM with VP9/AV1 also works but has less broad support on older devices.
Discord does not re-compress video files — it delivers them as-is. This means a pre-compressed H.264 MP4 you upload is exactly what recipients download, preserving your encoding work.
There is no explicit duration limit — only the file size limit applies. At 720p H.264 (~2 Mbps), 8 MB fits approximately 30 seconds. Reduce to 480p (~0.8 Mbps) to fit about 80 seconds within 8 MB.
The public encoder is useful for quick previews. For larger files, up to 8K/120fps output, bulk jobs, API access, storage outputs, and webhooks, create an account and run production workflows with predictable NEU estimates.