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Discord says your file is too large: get it under 10 MB

Discord's File Attachments FAQ says that as of August 2026 the free upload limit is 20 MB, up from 10 MB. Other Discord help pages, such as the Account Caps table, still show the old 10 MB, and older app versions may still enforce it.

  • Nothing is uploaded. Your browser does the compression, so the file stays on your device.
  • Lands under the real limit. We aim a little below it, so the upload goes through first time.
  • Fast. A 30 second 1080p clip fits into 10 MB in about two seconds on a desktop.
Where are you sending it?

Custom size 10.00 MB. We aim for 9.70 MB, a small safety margin so the file never lands just over.

Sent to our servers: 0 bytes. It all happens in this tab.

When you need 10.00 MB

This page targets the safer 10 MB size. If your account accepts 20 MB, use the Discord page instead, which has the larger preset.

What to expect

Thirty seconds of gameplay at 720p fits in 10 MB. A full minute lands near 480p.

How much video fits in 10 MB

Worked out with the same maths the compressor uses, for a typical 1080p phone or screen clip with sound. Fast motion needs more room, still scenes and screen recordings need less.

Clip lengthResolution we pickHow it looks
10 seconds1080pSharp
30 seconds720pSharp
1 minute540pGood on a phone
2 minutes360pWatchable, small
5 minutes270pWatchable, small
10 minutes240pWatchable, small

How we hit the number

We work out how many bits each second of video can use: the target size, minus a safety margin, divided by the length, minus the audio. Then we pick the largest resolution that still looks clean at that rate and encode with your browser's built-in video encoder. If the result is still over, we automatically try once more at a lower rate.

The target we aim for is 9.70 MB, which is 300 KB under 10.00 MB, so the file is not turned away over a few bytes.

Questions people ask

Why does my friend upload more than I can?

Nitro Basic allows 50 MB and Nitro 500 MB per Discord's Account Caps page, and Discord runs size tests on some accounts.

Can I just send a link instead?

Yes, but a file you shrank plays inline in the chat, which is nicer.

Related

Limits change. We link the official page wherever there is one, and the safety margin means a small change is unlikely to matter. Last updated 2026-11-09.