Guide
Compress a video for Discord: under the cap in one tap
Drop a video above and it is set to land just under Discord's 20 MB free cap. Nitro caps are one tap away.
In short
- Discord refuses a video over 20 MB on a free account. This tool gets yours under.
- Nitro Basic raises that cap to 50 MB, and Nitro raises it to 500 MB.
- The tool aims at 19.5 MB, 49 MB and 490 MB, a little under each cap.
- A 1-minute clip under 19.5 MB still keeps 2,472 kbps for the picture.
- Your file is not uploaded. The whole thing runs inside this browser tab.
Discord compressor
Runs in your browser · files never leave this page
Drop a video here
or
How to shrink it
Where it is going
Your file never leaves this page. The engine downloads once, the work happens in this tab, and there is no upload, no account and no storage. Close the tab and the file is gone unless you downloaded it.
More free tools: Video compressor · Video resizer · Video to MP4 · Video to MP3 · Video clipper · all tools
- Discord's cap on a free account
- 20 MB
- What the tool aims for
- 19.5 MB
- Longest clip that fits 19.5 MB
- 7:55
Discord's upload limits
Discord checks the file size before it sends anything, so the file itself has to be under the cap.
- A file even one byte over the cap is refused, which is why the tool aims lower.
- These caps come from Discord's File Attachments FAQ, read in September 2026.
Discord caps and the tool's targets
| Your plan | Discord's cap | Target in the tool |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 20 MB | 19.5 MB |
| Nitro Basic | 50 MB | 49 MB |
| Nitro | 500 MB | 490 MB |
Your plan: Free
- Discord's cap
- 20 MB
- Target in the tool
- 19.5 MB
Your plan: Nitro Basic
- Discord's cap
- 50 MB
- Target in the tool
- 49 MB
Your plan: Nitro
- Discord's cap
- 500 MB
- Target in the tool
- 490 MB
How long a clip fits under 19.5 MB
The shorter the clip, the more detail every second gets.
- The tool divides your target size by how long the clip is.
- It sets aside 128 kbps for the sound.
- The picture gets whatever is left, so a longer clip gets less.
- Below 200 kbps the picture turns to blocks, so the tool refuses and asks you to trim the clip.
Picture bitrate under 19.5 MB (free account)
| Clip length | Picture gets | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 5,072 kbps | Sharp, even at 1080p |
| 1 minute | 2,472 kbps | Good on a phone screen |
| 2 minutes | 1,172 kbps | Soft on big screens |
| 5 minutes | 392 kbps | Trim it if you can |
| Over 7 min 55 s | Refused | Trim, or pick a Nitro target |
Clip length: 30 seconds
- Picture gets
- 5,072 kbps
- Tip
- Sharp, even at 1080p
Clip length: 1 minute
- Picture gets
- 2,472 kbps
- Tip
- Good on a phone screen
Clip length: 2 minutes
- Picture gets
- 1,172 kbps
- Tip
- Soft on big screens
Clip length: 5 minutes
- Picture gets
- 392 kbps
- Tip
- Trim it if you can
Clip length: Over 7 min 55 s
- Picture gets
- Refused
- Tip
- Trim, or pick a Nitro target
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How to compress a video for Discord
Four steps, all in this tab.
Compress a video for Discord
Drop your video
In the box at the top
Check the size
Already set for you
Press Compress
The size is worked out first
Download the MP4
Then send it
Limits of a browser tool
Everything runs on your own device, so your device sets the limits.
- File size: up to 500 MB runs comfortably. Bigger files may run out of memory.
- Speed: the engine uses one processor core, so a long re-encode takes minutes.
- First run: the engine downloads once, about 32 MB. After that it starts fast.
- Phones: it works, but a laptop is faster and has more memory.
Questions people ask
- What is Discord's file size limit?
- 20 MB on a free account, 50 MB with Nitro Basic and 500 MB with Nitro, per Discord's help page in September 2026. The tool aims just under each one.
- Why does the tool aim for 19.5 MB and not 20 MB?
- A file one byte over the cap is refused, and the MP4 box adds a little of its own. Aiming half a megabyte lower keeps you safe.
- My clip is too long to fit. What now?
- Trim it to the part that matters with the free video clipper, then compress the shorter clip. Past 7 minutes 55 seconds, 19.5 MB cannot hold a watchable picture.
- Will the video still look good?
- Under a minute, yes: it keeps about 2,500 kbps or more for the picture. Longer clips get softer, because the same 19.5 MB is spread over more seconds.
- Is my video uploaded anywhere?
- No. The tool runs inside this browser tab, so your video never leaves your device. Only the engine itself is downloaded, about 32 MB, once per visit.
Want a finished video with captions, not just a smaller file? Cutroom edits your clip for you. Your first video is free.