How to Compress Video for Discord
Steps
Open FastEdit
Go to fastedit.net. No installation, no account, no upload. Everything runs locally in your browser.
Drop your video file
Drag and drop your video (MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, or any supported format) onto the editor. FastEdit loads it locally on your device.
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 Classic (50MB) or Nitro (500MB), H.264 in MP4 is fine and plays embedded in Discord on all devices.
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.
Use fit-to-size to hit your limit
Enable fit-to-size and set your target: 9.5MB for free tier, 49MB for Nitro Classic, or your preferred size for Nitro. FastEdit calculates the optimal bitrate automatically.
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.
Tips
- 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 Classic (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.