The Discord file size limit is 20 MB per file on a free account, 50 MB with Nitro Basic and up to 1 GB with Nitro, according to Discord's help centre (checked 31 October 2026). The free limit rose from 10 MB in August 2026, so anything quoting 8, 10 or 25 MB, or 500 MB for Nitro, is out of date. Boosted servers lift the limit to 50 or 100 MB for everyone, but only inside that server.
The short answer
- Free, without Nitro: 20 MB per file since August 2026 (it was 10 MB).
- Nitro Basic: 50 MB. Nitro: up to 1 GB.
- Boosted servers: 50 MB at Level 2 and 100 MB at Level 3, for every member, in that server only.
- The Android catch: phones now check the size before compressing, so some videos that used to send now get rejected.
- Bigger file? Trim it, post a cloud link in a server, or send it straight to one friend while you're both online.
The Discord file size limit right now
Without Nitro, the Discord file size limit is 20 MB per file. Discord's File Attachments FAQ says: “For non-Nitro subscribers, the maximum file upload is 20MB.” Its Nitro page lists 50 MB for Nitro Basic and up to 1 GB for Nitro. Other apps' numbers are in our table of file size limits by app.
| Plan or server | Limit per file | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Free account | 20 MB | File Attachments FAQ |
| Nitro Basic | 50 MB | Nitro and Nitro Basic |
| Nitro | Up to 1 GB | Nitro and Nitro Basic |
| Nitro Classic (older plan, no longer sold) | 50 MB | Nitro and Nitro Basic |
| Server at boost Level 2 (7 boosts) | 50 MB for every member, in that server | Server Boosting FAQ |
| Server at boost Level 3 (14 boosts) | 100 MB for every member, in that server | Server Boosting FAQ |
Discord also says it's “currently experimenting with various file upload size limits” and that “select users may have the ability to upload larger file sizes”. If a friend on a free account can send bigger files than you, that may be why.
Discord upload limit history: every change since 2023
The free limit has moved three times since 2023, most recently in August 2026, which is why search results disagree. Nitro has moved too: coverage of the August 2026 change still gave Nitro 500 MB (Dexerto), and Discord's help centre now says up to 1 GB.
| When | Free limit | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Until April 2023 | 8 MB | The long-standing free limit |
| April 2023 | 25 MB | Discord raised it for all users (Trusted Reviews) |
| September 2024 | 10 MB | Discord cut it, saying 99% of users stick to files under 10 MB (Dexerto) |
| 13 August 2026 | 20 MB | “Starting today, the free upload limit is increasing from 10MB to 20MB” (Discord on X) |
The 10 MB era still lingers on Discord's own site: its Nitro page keeps an FAQ headed “Why do I need Nitro to upload more than 10MB of files?”, explaining that “storage management is expensive”. The File Attachments FAQ gives the current 20 MB.
Over 20 MB? Send it straight to one friend
If you're both online, open this page on both devices. Pick the file on one, type the code on the other. Nothing is uploaded or stored, and it's one sender to one receiver.
Click the code to copy it
Code lasts 30 minutes · keep this screen on until they connect
Scan to receive
Files stay on this device until the other side accepts.
Type the code shown on the sending device.
↑ This is the whole app — no install, no signup
Nitro, Nitro Basic and server boosts
Nitro raises your limit everywhere
The Discord file size limit with Nitro is up to 1 GB, and Nitro Basic gives you 50 MB. Both are tied to your account, so they apply in DMs and in every server you post in. Discord's Nitro page lists Nitro Classic, an older plan, at 50 MB.
Boosts raise it for one server
Server boosts lift the limit for every member, but only in that server: 50 MB at Level 2 (7 boosts) and 100 MB at Level 3 (14 boosts). They don't change what anyone can send in DMs. Discord is also testing a Larger File Uploads perk, 250 MB for 5 boosts, but as an experiment it's only offered to some servers (Discord).
Why Android uploads fail more since August 2026
Until August 2026, Discord's phone apps compressed a file first and checked the size afterwards. Now they check the original before compressing, the way desktop always has, so “the number you see is the number that counts” (Discord).
Discord says the effect varies by platform. Desktop and iOS users should generally find uploads easier than before, but “on Android, where source files tend to be larger, you may hit the size limit more often than you did previously, even though the stated number is higher.”
Because the size check now comes first, Discord's own compression, including the Data Saver choice under Video Uploads in the mobile app's Chat settings, no longer squeezes an oversized original under the limit. Get the original under 20 MB before you attach it.
Sending a bigger file without Nitro
Make it smaller first
For a video, trimming is the surest fix: cut it to the bit that matters. Recording at 1080p rather than 4K, or exporting a smaller copy from your editor, also helps. Zipping a video barely changes its size, because video is already compressed. If quality matters more than size, our guide to sending large video files covers the alternatives.
Post a link in a server or channel
For a channel, a group, or anyone who'll look later, upload the file to Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox and paste the link. Everyone can open it and Discord's limit doesn't apply. The trade-offs: you wait for the upload, the file stays on that service until you delete it, and an anyone-with-the-link setting means exactly that.
Send it straight to one friend
For a DM with someone who's online now, you can skip uploading. Open beamaroo.com, drop the file in, tap Get a code and paste the code or link into the DM, not a channel, because a code works for whoever uses it first. Your friend opens the link, taps Receive and then Accept, and the file goes device to device, encrypted, never uploaded or stored, with a receipt once it's verified on their side.
The limits are real. You both stay online until it finishes, it's one sender to one receiver, and a phone receiving is comfortable to a few hundred MB, a computer about 1–2 GB. For a multi-gigabyte recording, a cloud link is the better tool. More on how this works in share files without uploading.
Questions
How big a file can you send on Discord without Nitro?
20 MB per file, since August 2026. It was 10 MB from September 2024 and 25 MB before that. In a server boosted to Level 2 or 3, everyone can upload 50 MB or 100 MB there.
When did Discord change its upload limit?
April 2023 (8 MB up to 25 MB), September 2024 (25 MB down to 10 MB) and 13 August 2026 (10 MB up to 20 MB). Nitro has changed too: it was quoted at 500 MB as recently as August 2026, and Discord now lists up to 1 GB.
Is Discord Nitro's upload limit 500 MB or 1 GB?
Discord's help centre now says up to 1 GB for Nitro and 50 MB for Nitro Basic. The 500 MB figure is the older Nitro limit and still turns up in guides that haven't been updated.
How do I send a video over 20 MB on Discord without Nitro?
Trim it or export a smaller copy so the original is under 20 MB, since phones now check the size before compressing. Otherwise share a Google Drive or similar link, or, for one friend in a DM who's online now, send it directly with a browser tool such as Beamaroo.
Does boosting a server raise the upload limit?
Yes, for everyone in that server only: 50 MB at Level 2 (7 boosts) and 100 MB at Level 3 (14 boosts). Some servers are being offered 250 MB for 5 boosts as an experiment. Boosts don't change limits in DMs.
Why does Discord reject files on Android that used to send?
Since August 2026 the mobile apps check a file's size before compressing it, not after. Discord says Android users may hit the limit more often because Android source files tend to be larger, even though the limit itself went up.