How to Compress a Video for Discord Without Nitro

The limit, and why your clip is over it

According to Discord's File Attachments FAQ, you can upload files up to 20 MB without Nitro. For years it was 8 MB, then 25, then 10, so if an upload fails with a different number, trust the error message and type that number into the compressor instead.

A phone records 1080p at around 15-20 megabits per second. That's roughly 2 MB for every second, so a 30-second clip is already about 60 MB. Zipping it won't help, because video is already compressed. The only ways down are a lower bitrate, a lower resolution or less video.

The order that keeps the most quality

1. Cut it first. Every second you remove leaves more bits for the rest. If only the last 15 seconds matter, run the clip through Trim Video before compressing.
2. Let the resolution drop. Below about 2 Mbps, 1080p turns muddy while 720p still looks clean, and most people watch Discord embeds in a small window anyway. The compressor lowers the resolution by itself when that will look sharper.
3. Drop the sound if nobody needs it. Audio is small, but on a tight budget every bit helps.

How much quality 19 MB buys

Rough video bitrates for a 19 MB file:

• 15 seconds: about 10 Mbps - full 1080p, hard to tell from the original
• 30 seconds: about 5 Mbps - 1080p still looks good
• 1 minute: about 2.5 Mbps - 720p looks good
• 2 minutes: about 1.2 Mbps - 540p to 720p
• 5 minutes: about 0.5 Mbps - share a link instead

Past a few minutes, no compressor will make it look good at this size. Post the highlight and put the full video on a site built for long uploads.

When a GIF is the better answer

For a short reaction loop with no sound, a GIF made from the video autoplays in the chat with no play button. Keep it under five seconds and narrow, or it will end up bigger than the MP4.