How to Compress Video for Discord
Walkthrough
- 01
Open FastEdit
Go to fastedit.net. No installation, no account, no upload. Everything runs locally in your browser.
- 02
Drop your video file
Drag and drop your MP4, MOV, or WebM video onto the editor. FastEdit loads it locally on your device.
- 03
Pick the right codec for your tier
For free tier (10MB), use VP9 or AV1 in a WebM container: these codecs squeeze the most quality out of tight limits. For Nitro Basic (50MB) or Nitro (500MB), H.264 in MP4 is fine and plays embedded in Discord on all devices.
- 04
Set resolution based on content type
For game clips and screen recordings, 1080p is worth keeping if your size budget allows. For camera footage under 10MB, drop to 720p or 480p. Discord's video player is small, so lower resolution is less noticeable than on a full screen.
- 05
Set bitrate for your limit
Set bitrate based on clip length and your limit: 10MB for free tier, 50MB for Nitro Basic, or your preferred size for Nitro. Export once, check the output size, then lower bitrate or trim if needed.
- 06
Trim, preview, and export
Trim out dead air or loading screens using the timeline. Preview the output, then click Export. The compressed file downloads to your device, ready to drop into Discord.
Small things worth checking
- VP9 and AV1 deliver roughly 30-50% better compression than H.264 at the same quality. For 10MB limits, this difference is dramatic: it can mean watchable vs. unwatchable.
- A 30-second 720p clip at 10MB works out to roughly 2.7 Mbps, which looks good with VP9. With H.264, the same bitrate produces noticeably more artifacts.
- For Nitro Basic (50MB), you can fit a 2-minute 1080p clip at roughly 3.3 Mbps with H.264, perfectly sharp for game clips and screen recordings.
- AV1 produces the smallest files but encodes slower. If you have a short clip and can wait, AV1 at 10MB will look significantly better than any other codec.
- Discord embeds MP4 (H.264) and WebM (VP8/VP9) inline. Other formats may require the viewer to download. Stick to these for the best experience.