Discord rejects a video that is over your upload limit with the message “Your files are too powerful”. The limit changed twice in two years, so many guides still quote the wrong number. This page lists the current limits, works out how much video actually fits in them, and shows how to shrink a clip without uploading it anywhere using the free Discord Video Compressor.
Discord file size limit in 2026
| Plan | Upload limit per file |
|---|---|
| Free | 20 MB |
| Nitro Basic | 50 MB |
| Nitro | Up to 1 GB |
Checked on 5 November 2026. The free limit was 25 MB until 2024, when Discord cut it to 10 MB. On 13 August 2026 Discord announced it was raising it to 20 MB for free accounts, as reported by Neowin. Nitro's figure in Discord's plan comparison moved from 500 MB to 1 GB in September 2026, according to the PricingSaaS change log. We could not confirm that last number on Discord's own help pages, so check your app if you are close to it. Some servers and bots still enforce 10 MB, which is why the compressor keeps a 10 MB option.
How to compress a video for Discord in 3 steps
- Open the Discord Video Compressor and pick your limit: 20 MB for a free account, 50 MB for Nitro Basic, or a custom size.
- Drop in the video (MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV or AVI). The tool reads its length, resolution and frame rate, then shows the plan: the output size, the bitrate and an expected-quality badge. Trim the start and end first if the badge says Low.
- Press Compress for Discord, play the result, and download the MP4. The file is checked against the limit before you get it; if it came out over, it is encoded again at a lower bitrate or resolution automatically.
It all happens in your browser's built-in video encoder (usually your graphics hardware), so it runs faster than the video plays and nothing is uploaded. In our test a 60-second, 65 MB 1080p60 clip became a 17.6 MB 720p30 MP4 in 35 seconds.
How long a video can I send in 20 MB?
A file's size is its bitrate multiplied by its length, so the longer the clip, the fewer bits each second gets. This table shows what the compressor plans for a 1080p, 30 fps clip with sound, aiming 3% under the limit:
| Clip length | 20 MB (Free) | 50 MB (Nitro Basic) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds | 1080p, 10,250 kbps (great) | 1080p, 25,770 kbps (great) |
| 30 seconds | 1080p, 5,077 kbps (great) | 1080p, 12,837 kbps (great) |
| 1 minute | 720p, 2,490 kbps (great) | 1080p, 6,370 kbps (great) |
| 2 minutes | 720p, 1,197 kbps (low) | 1080p, 3,137 kbps (good) |
| 3 minutes | 480p, 766 kbps (good) | 720p, 2,059 kbps (good) |
| 5 minutes | 360p, 421 kbps (good) | 720p, 1,197 kbps (low) |
“Great”, “good” and “low” are rough guides based on bits per pixel. Busy footage, such as gameplay with lots of motion or grainy low-light video, needs more bits than a talking head at the same size, and browser encoders won't go below a certain quality at each resolution. When that happens the compressor drops to the next size down rather than hand you a file that Discord will reject.
Why Discord says “Your files are too powerful”
That is Discord's friendly way of saying the file is over your account's upload limit. Two things catch people out:
- MB versus MiB. Your computer may call a 20,500,000-byte file “19.6 MB” because it counts in mebibytes (1,048,576 bytes). To be safe whichever way Discord counts, the compressor treats 20 MB as 20,000,000 bytes and aims 3% below that.
- Server and DM rules differ. A server's boost level can raise the limit for everyone in it, and some communities use bots that remove files above a lower size. If a file posts in one place and not another, that is usually why.
Tips for the best quality
- Trim first. Halving the length doubles the bits for every second that is left. Use the trim box in the compressor or the Video Trimmer.
- 30 fps is enough for most clips. The compressor drops 60 fps to 30 when the budget is tight, unless you tick “Keep 60 fps”. Gameplay is the main exception worth keeping smooth.
- 720p beats a blurry 1080p. On a phone or in a Discord chat window, a clean 720p looks better than an over-compressed 1080p. The video compression guide explains why.
- Remove the audio if nobody needs it: that frees 96 kbps for the picture.
- MP4 with H.264 and AAC plays inline in Discord on every device, which is what the compressor outputs.
Other ways to share big videos on Discord
- Share a link. Upload to a cloud drive or a video site and paste the link. Many links show a preview, and quality is untouched.
- Nitro or server boosts raise the limit, if you share large files often enough to justify the cost.
- Make a GIF of a short moment with Video to GIF, for reactions and loops where sound doesn't matter.
