Discord file size limit
It depends on your Nitro and the server's boosts. Past it, share a link.
Launching soon
Free when it launches: 5 GB per transfer, 10 transfers or 20 GB a month, and links that last 14 days.
Discord's file size limit is 20 MB per file without Nitro, 50 MB with Nitro Basic, and up to 1 GB with Nitro. Servers at Boost Level 2 or 3 raise it inside that server. A file over your limit usually has to go as a link, or be trimmed.
SendTheStuff, launching soon, will make that link for up to 5 GB per transfer, free, at full quality. Until then, the table below shows exactly where your limit sits, and a cloud storage link covers the rest.
What SendTheStuff will do past Discord's limit
SendTheStuff will turn a file that's over your Discord limit into a short link. You'll paste it into a channel, a DM or a group chat like any other message. To Discord it's a line of text, so your Nitro tier and the server's boost level won't matter.
- Size: SendTheStuff will carry up to 5 GB per transfer, free, with no Nitro and no boosts.
- Quality: SendTheStuff will pass on the original file. Friends won't get a 480p copy squeezed by the phone app.
- Where it works: the link will open the same way in DMs and in every server, boosted or not.
- How long: a SendTheStuff link will work for 14 days.
Discord's upload limit by Nitro tier and boost level
Your limit depends on two things: your own subscription, and the boost level of the server you're posting in.
| What you have, or where you post | Largest file you can upload | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| No Nitro | 20 MB | DMs and every server |
| Nitro Basic | 50 MB | DMs and every server |
| Nitro | Up to 1 GB | DMs and every server |
| Server at Boost Level 1 (2 Boosts) | Your own limit (no upload increase) | That server |
| Server at Boost Level 2 (7 Boosts) | 50 MB for every member | That server only |
| Server at Boost Level 3 (14 Boosts) | 100 MB for every member | That server only |
| Server in the Larger File Uploads test (5 Boosts) | 250 MB | Only servers Discord includes |
| A SendTheStuff link, launching soon | 5 GB per transfer, launching soon | Anywhere you can paste a link |
In a server, you get the higher of the two: your own Nitro limit or the server's boost limit. A few examples:
- No Nitro, Level 2 server: 50 MB in that server, and 20 MB in your DMs.
- Nitro Basic, Level 3 server: 100 MB in that server, and 50 MB in DMs and servers below Level 2.
- Nitro, any server: your own limit of up to 1 GB is already above every boost level, so boosts add nothing for you.
What changed in Discord's limits
In August 2026, the free limit went from 10 MB to 20 MB. A guide that still says 10 MB was written before the change.
Nitro's figure has moved as well. Discord's help pages now list uploads of up to 1 GB with Nitro. Older pages may still show an older Nitro figure.
Discord also says it's experimenting with various file upload size limits. Select users may be able to post bigger files than this table shows. So when a friend uploads something your app refuses, an experiment is one possible reason.
What the limit counts
Four rules decide whether a file gets through:
- Each file on its own. The limit applies to each file, not to the total of a message. Several photos, videos or GIFs in one message are sent together and shown as a mosaic.
- The file as it sits on your device. Discord measures size before compression, on desktop and on phones. What the app might shrink it to afterwards doesn't count.
- Big images still post, but differently. If your limit allows it, an image over 20 MB shows up as a file to download, not as a picture in the chat.
- A link isn't an upload. Discord treats a pasted link as message text, which holds up to 2,000 characters.
How server boosts change the limit
Boosts belong to a server, not to you. Members boost a server, and at set counts it moves up a level.
Level 1 takes 2 Boosts and brings no upload increase. The upload limit first rises at Level 2, which takes 7 Boosts. Level 3 takes 14 Boosts.
The higher limit applies only in that server. It doesn't follow members into DMs, group DMs or other servers. Every Nitro subscription comes with 2 Server Boosts to give away, while Nitro Basic includes none.
Some servers can also try Discord's Larger File Uploads perk. It costs 5 Boosts and lifts that server's limit to 250 MB. It's an experiment, so most servers won't see it.
Video from the Discord phone app
The Discord mobile app is set to compress the videos you upload. You pick how hard at User Settings > App Settings > Text & Media > Video Uploads.
- Standard, the default: 480p without Nitro, higher with it.
- Best Quality: 720p without Nitro, or 1080p with it.
- Data Saver: 360p. Data Saving Mode uses it on cellular data, whatever you picked.
There's no original resolution option, so even Best Quality re-encodes the clip. And because the size check comes first, a lower setting can't squeeze an oversized video under your limit. The file on your phone has to fit as it is.
Why the usual ways around the limit fall short
- Nitro: it's a monthly subscription, and it still stops at 1 GB per file. Phone videos still get re-encoded, to 1080p at best.
- Boosting a server: it needs 7 Boosts before uploads grow at all, outside Discord's Larger File Uploads test on some servers. Even Level 3 tops out at 100 MB, and only in that one server.
- Compressing or trimming: Discord measures the original file, so you have to cut it down before attaching it. Every pass costs detail your friends wanted to see.
- A cloud storage link: it gets past every limit, but only while the file stays in your storage. It has to be shared with anyone who has the link, and it eats into your free space.
Until SendTheStuff launches
A cloud storage link is the free way past any Discord limit for now:
- Upload the file to a service such as Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive.
- Set its sharing to anyone with the link, so server members don't hit a sign-in screen.
- Copy the link, paste it into the chat as text, and add a line saying what it is.
The full walkthrough, with pinned links and gameplay recordings, is in how to send large files on Discord without Nitro. If a file is only just over your limit, trimming it can work. Check its size on your device afterwards, since that's the number Discord reads.
When Discord still won't take the file
- It posts in one server but not in a DM. That server is boosted, and its higher limit applies only in that server. In DMs your own limit applies.
- The server boosted, but nothing changed. Level 1 brings no upload increase. Outside Discord's Larger File Uploads test on some servers, uploads grow only from Level 2, at 7 Boosts.
- A phone video fails even on Best Quality. The size check runs before compression, so the quality setting can't make it fit. Trim the clip or share a link.
- A friend can post bigger files than you. They may have Nitro, or they may be in one of Discord's upload experiments. Neither carries over to you.
- Your picture arrived as a download. It's over 20 MB, so Discord offers it as a file instead of showing it. Resize it if people should see it in the chat.
- Several files together seem too big. The total doesn't matter, since each file is measured alone. Look for the single file that's over your limit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Discord file size limit?
20 MB for each file if you don't have Nitro. Nitro Basic raises it to 50 MB, and Nitro to up to 1 GB. A server at Boost Level 2 or 3 gives everyone more, but only inside that server.
What is the Discord upload limit without Nitro?
It's 20 MB a file in DMs and in any server below Boost Level 2, unless it's in Discord's Larger File Uploads test. In a Level 2 server you get 50 MB there, and in a Level 3 server 100 MB. Until August 2026, the free figure was 10 MB.
What is the Discord file size limit with Nitro?
Up to 1 GB a file with Nitro, and 50 MB with Nitro Basic. Both follow you everywhere, in DMs and in every server. Phone videos are still compressed, to 1080p at most with Nitro.
Did Discord change the file size limit?
Yes. The free limit rose from 10 MB to 20 MB in August 2026, and Nitro now reaches up to 1 GB. Discord also started measuring files before compression, so a phone clip that used to squeak through may now be refused.
Do server boosts raise the upload limit?
Yes, from Level 2, outside Discord's Larger File Uploads test on some servers. Level 2 gives every member 50 MB, and Level 3 gives 100 MB, in that server only. Level 1 brings no upload increase.
Why won't Discord upload my file?
Check each file against your limit, since it applies to each file, not the message's total. Discord measures size before compression, so the file as it sits on your device is what counts. A boosted server's higher limit applies only in that server, so a file that fits there can be too big for a DM.
Does Discord compress files to fit the limit?
No. Discord checks a file's size before compression, so compression can't help an oversized file get in. The phone app still compresses videos that do fit, based on your Video Uploads setting.
Does the limit count each file or the whole message?
Each file. The limit applies to each file, not to the total of what you attach. Several images or videos in one message are shown together as a mosaic.
How do I share a file over the Discord limit?
Send it as a link instead of an attachment. SendTheStuff, launching soon, will make that link for up to 5 GB per transfer. For now, share the file from cloud storage with anyone who has the link, and paste that into the chat.