Discord Sticker & Emoji GIF Size Limits (512KB and 256KB)

The limits Discord actually enforces

• Animated emoji: 256KB maximum, typically 128×128.
• Sticker: 512KB maximum, typically 320×320.
• Chat GIF / file upload: 20MB for most accounts—not the same pipeline as emoji.

That is why a GIF that plays fine in a Discord channel still fails when you try to upload it as a custom emoji. Chat uploads and emoji uploads are different size budgets.

How to compress a sticker or emoji GIF

Open the Discord emoji & sticker compressor, pick 256KB for emojis or 512KB for stickers, and drop the GIF in. Processing stays in your browser.

For a normal chat GIF that is simply “too big to send,” use the Discord GIF compressor with a 20MB target instead.

Why 256KB is so aggressive

256KB is about 80× smaller than a 20MB chat GIF. To get there, the compressor has to reduce frames, resolution, and palette together. A 3-second, 128×128 loop with a limited palette is realistic; a 12-second full-color clip is not.

• Keep the subject centered and crop extra background.
• Prefer short loops. Emoji that repeat every 1–2 seconds compress much better.
• Avoid tiny text. At 128px, letters fall apart before the file even hits 256KB.