Send large files on Discord without Nitro
Discord stops free uploads at 20 MB. A link doesn't.
Launching soon
Free when it launches: 5 GB per transfer, 10 transfers or 20 GB a month, and links that last 14 days.
Without Nitro, Discord won't upload a file bigger than 20 MB. To share something larger, put it in cloud storage, copy a share link, and paste the link into the channel or DM instead.
Discord's free limit changed, and so did how it's measured
In August 2026, Discord raised the free upload limit from 10 MB to 20 MB. At the same time it started checking a file's size before compression, on desktop and on phones alike.
That second change matters more than it sounds. The mobile app used to shrink a video first and only then check whether it fit. So a clip slightly over the limit often squeaked through. Now the size of the file on your phone is the number that counts.
Discord itself says Android users may hit the limit more often than before, even though the stated number went up. Android phones tend to save bigger source files.
Discord also says it's experimenting with various file upload size limits, and some users can upload bigger files. If a friend can post a file that you can't, that's probably why.
Nitro Basic, Nitro, or a link
| Way to share | Largest file | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Discord without Nitro | 20 MB | Nothing |
| Discord with Nitro Basic | 50 MB | A monthly subscription |
| Discord with Nitro | 500 MB | A monthly subscription |
| A cloud storage link pasted into Discord | Whatever your storage has room for | Nothing, while it fits your free space |
Nitro makes sense if you post big files every day and want them to play right inside the chat. For the occasional long clip, a zip of screenshots or a recording of last night's session, a link does the job without a subscription. The trade-off: a link only works while the file stays in your storage, shared the same way. A file uploaded to Discord stays in the channel.
Post a big file in a channel or DM
- Upload the file to a cloud storage service such as Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive. For several clips, upload a folder.
- Share it so anyone with the link can view it. You rarely know server members' email addresses, so "specific people" sharing locks them out.
- Copy the link.
- In Discord, click into the message box where you'd normally tap the plus sign and Upload a File. Paste the link instead, add a line saying what it is, and send.
If the file is only a little over 20 MB, trimming the start and end of a clip can get it under. Remember that Discord now measures the file as it is on your device, so check its size after trimming. SendTheStuff's own upload tool, launching soon, will let you send the whole, untrimmed file as a link instead.
Sharing gameplay recordings and long clips
Recordings are where the free limit bites first. A few minutes of gameplay captured on a PC, or a two-hour session recorded from a console, is usually far past Discord's free limit. Trimming or squeezing it down costs you the detail people wanted to see.
With a link, each friend can download the original file, frame for frame. Sharing several angles or parts of one session? Put them in one folder and share the folder, so the server gets one link, not five. Tell people to download rather than watch the preview: storage services often play a lower-resolution preview in the browser.
What people in the server see when they click
Your message shows the link, usually with a small preview card. Clicking it opens the storage service's page in the browser, with the file's name and a download button.
If the link isn't open to anyone who has it, each person gets a sign-in screen or an access request instead. In a busy server, that means a pile of requests in your inbox. Sharing a mod installer or a script? Say what it is and where it came from. A file that runs on a computer deserves a word of context.
Links in pinned messages
A Discord upload stays in the channel. A cloud link lasts only as long as the file does. Delete it, move it or change its sharing, and the pinned link breaks without warning.
So for something your server needs for months, like a modpack or a rules PDF, keep it in a folder you won't tidy away. Edit the pinned message whenever the link changes. For a one-off clip, delete the file once people have it, so it stops using your storage.
When it doesn't work
- Discord still says your file is too big. You attached the file rather than pasting the link. Delete the attachment and paste the link as text.
- A clip that used to post from Android now fails. That's the size check moving to before compression. Use a link, or send it from a computer if the file there is smaller.
- Friends see the preview card but can't download. The file is shared with specific people only. Change it to anyone with the link.
- An old pinned link stopped working. The file was moved, deleted or unshared. Share it again and edit the pin.
Frequently asked questions
How do I send large files on Discord without Nitro?
Upload the file to cloud storage or a transfer service, copy the link and paste it into the chat. Discord treats it like any other link, so the 20 MB limit doesn't apply. Make sure anyone with the link can open it.
How do I send long videos on Discord?
A long video is almost always over the free limit, so send it as a link rather than an attachment. Put it in cloud storage, copy the link, and paste it into the channel. Your friends download the full-quality file instead of a squeezed copy.
What is Discord's file size limit without Nitro?
20 MB per file, since August 2026. Before that it was 10 MB. Discord now measures the file before compressing it, so the file's size on your device is what counts.
Why did Discord's upload limit change?
Discord says it revisits its limits to match how people use the app, and it made desktop and mobile check files the same way. The limit went up, but because mobile files are now measured before compression, some Android users hit it more often than they did before.
How big a file can Nitro Basic send?
Nitro Basic raises the limit to 50 MB, and full Nitro to up to 500 MB. If your file is bigger than that, or you'd rather not subscribe, a link has no Discord limit at all.
Do my friends need an account to download it?
Not if you share it as "anyone with the link". Shared with specific people only, the storage service makes them sign in first, and anyone without an account there is stuck.
Does the video lose quality?
Not if they download it: the file comes down as you uploaded it. Watching it in the browser can be a different story, since the preview may be a lower-resolution copy.