How to Bypass the Discord File Size Limit

Discord users are very familiar with the difficulty of sending files and getting error messages regarding file sizes. Without a Nitro subscription, you cannot send large files to your friends or other server members. However, it's not the end of the world.

The community has discovered many ways to send large files to everyone. This way, you don't need Nitro to post funny cat videos. Keep reading to learn more.

Nitro or no nitro

Discord users who have a free account can only send files up to eight MB. However, this limitation does not include GIFs from the Discord text box. If you're uploading an image, video, or other file format, only the smallest files make it through.

However, Nitro users have the privilege of uploading 100MB files, which means they can easily upload longer videos. But even so, if you want to send your friend a large document to read, Discord won't let you do that natively.

This is where workarounds and cheats come in handy.

Bypassing Discord's File Size Limit

Here are the many ways to bypass the Discord upload file size limit. You can use one or even several methods at once.

Uploading Videos and Images to Imgur

Imgur is a free image and video sharing website that lets you share your own media files. The best part is that its file size limit is 200MB, double what Discord offers with Nitro. With an Imgur account, you don't even need Nitro if you're just sharing large files.

You can create an Imgur account for free. As of 2015, free accounts no longer have an image upload limit, which means you can post as many funny videos as you want.

However, there are still advertisements included with the free account, but users can pay to remove them. They do not affect your videos at all.

Here is the process to use Imgur and bypass the Discord limit:

1. Create an Imgur account and get the mobile app if you want.
2. Go to Imgur.
   
3. Select the new post option.
   
4. Download the media file you prefer.
   
5. Give the post a title.
   
6. Set the privacy of the post to "Public".
   
7. Go to your profile on Imgur.
   
8. Look for the new message.
9. Select the “Share” option.
   
10. Copy the link.
    
11. Go to Discord.
    
12. Head to a server or DM.
    
13. Paste the link and send the message.
    

With Imgur, your friends can still see the video you uploaded. The best part is that Imgur videos can still be played in Discord indefinitely. The only condition is that the link is valid, but otherwise you don't have to worry about file sizes on Discord.

Other users can also download and share the video or image with their friends, making Imgur the perfect tool for sharing videos. With these features, it's no wonder that many Discord users appreciate the benefits of Imgur.

Use a video compressor

Although not a real workaround, you can download a video compressor app on mobile or use a website on your PC to reduce the size of your videos. This will make your files smaller than the limit you have.

One downside is that compressing a video can take some time, sometimes around 10 minutes. Even so, you can still send it to Discord natively without using a third-party site other than Compressor.

Here are some general guidelines for using a compressor:

1. On a PC or mobile device, go to a video compression site like TinyWow.
   
2. Upload a video.
3. Pass it through the compressor.
4. Wait for the website to complete the process.
5. Download the compressed file.
6. Rename it if necessary.
7. Go to Discord.
   
8. Download the compressed file.
   

If it's compressed enough, you won't encounter any errors.

If you're using a mobile device, follow these steps instead.

1. Download a video compression app from the App Store.
   
2. Launch the app.
   
3. Choose a video to compress.
   
4. Make sure it's the right size before continuing.
   
5. Start compression.
   
6. When done, switch to Discord for mobile.
   
7. Locate the compressed video.
8. Upload it to Discord.
   

As you can see here, a compressor can come in handy if your video's file size is too large. Moreover, you can significantly reduce the size of a file with the right settings.

Overall, although the video compressor is a great idea, it doesn't work for images. You'll also end up with a lot of extra videos that you'll have to delete to save space.

Send Google Drive links

This method isn't the best for videos, but there are times when you want to send an entire book or other large files that exceed Discord's limits by at least 10 times. This is when Google Drive comes in handy.

Unlike other services, the single upload limit of Google Drive is 5TB. But if you want to upload all this limit, you will need several days before the upload is finished because the daily limit is 750GB.

So, Google Drive or another cloud service is the best choice if you have gigantic files. However, since many people online have a Google Account, we'll use the company's signature cloud product as an example.

The process goes like this on PC:

1. Launch your favorite browser and navigate to Google Drive.
   
2. Upload any large file of your choice.
   
3. Make sure your privacy settings are set to "Public".
4. Get the link to the file.
   
5. Go to Discord.
   
6. Paste the link as a message.
   
7. Send the message.
   

You can also use this trick on mobile devices.

1. Go to the Google Drive app on your mobile device.
   
2. Download a large file.
   
3. Set privacy to "Public".
   
4. Copy the link.
   
5. Switch to Discord for mobile.
   
6. Paste the link.
   
7. Send the message.
   

Although not the most convenient option, it is the best choice for files larger than 1 GB.

Ultimately, there is no native workaround to circumvent Discord's file size limit. These are just alternative ways to send files to other users, and Discord can work with that. But be aware that tampering with Discord's code is illegal, as it violates the Terms of Service.

Even so, you will find alternative services that can be used instead of Imgur or Google Drive. There are many image hosting services that you can use for free. Some cloud storage services such as Mega or MediaFire also work.

For a GIF you created, you can also upload it to Tenor, which Discord actively supports. When your GIF is on Tenor, you can send it to anyone, as it doesn't upload your file via Discord.

Tenor works via links, which is why you can use it without worries.

Size doesn't matter

Discord imposes upload file size limits to promote Nitro, but even Nitro can't handle some large video files. This is why these bypasses are essential to know, especially Imgur. Google Drive is also a great choice, especially for files the former can't handle.

Do you have a favorite way to send large files over Discord? How often do you use Imgur this way? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.