Question 1

What bitrate do I need for a 20MB Discord video?

Accepted Answer

The formula is: video bitrate ≈ (target bytes × 0.95 × 8 ÷ duration in seconds) − audio bitrate. For a 3-minute clip at 20MB that works out to roughly 800 kbps of video plus 96 kbps of audio. You don't need to run the math yourself — BitSized computes it from your video's actual duration and adds a 5% safety margin so container overhead never pushes the file over the cap.

Question 2

Is 720p or 1080p better for Discord?

Accepted Answer

For targets of 20MB and below, 720p almost always looks better than 1080p, because the bitrate per pixel matters more than the pixel count — a 1080p encode squeezed into a 20MB budget shows blockiness in fast motion, while the same budget at 720p stays clean. Use 1080p for 50MB and larger targets, or for slow-motion, low-motion content like slide recordings.

Question 3

Should I mute the audio when compressing for Discord?

Accepted Answer

Mute it when the audio doesn't matter — audio at 96 kbps consumes about 12 KB every second, which is budget that could go to pixels. On a 60-second clip that's roughly 0.7MB, a meaningful slice of a 10MB target. When the audio does matter (voice, reactions), keeping it at 96 kbps AAC is the right call: it's transparent for voice and acceptable for game sound at Discord's playback quality.

Question 4

Why does my compressed video still exceed the limit?

Accepted Answer

Three usual culprits: the encoder's bitrate is an average, not a hard ceiling, so tools without a safety margin overshoot on high-motion scenes; container overhead (metadata, indexes) adds hundreds of kilobytes; and some platforms measure MB as 1,000,000 bytes while others use 1,048,576. BitSized handles all three with an exact-fit calculation, a 5% margin, and conservative byte math.

Question 5

Do these settings also work for Nitro Basic's 50MB limit?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the same logic scales with the cap. At 50MB the per-second bitrate budget is generous enough for 1080p with audio kept, and a five-minute clip looks sharp. The only difference is the target you pick in the compressor (the Nitro Basic preset) — the codec, container, and audio choices stay identical. Remember that upload limits follow the uploader's plan, so a 50MB file needs Nitro Basic or Nitro on the sending account.

Target	Good for	Resolution	Audio	Typical length
10MB	Universal safe target — bots, slow connections	480p–720p	96 kbps AAC, or muted for long clips	≈ 60–90 seconds at 480p
20MB (free limit)	Most servers and DMs — every free account	720p	96 kbps AAC	≈ 2–4 minutes
50MB (Nitro Basic)	Longer clips when you or the recipient has Nitro Basic	1080p	96 kbps AAC	≈ 5–8 minutes
Custom (8–25MB)	Bots, forums, and forms with their own caps	Depends on duration	Mute first for very tight caps	Computed from your video

Feature	BitSized (auto)	Manual encoders
Bitrate computed from your video's real duration	Automatic	Manual math
Fits under the cap on the first try	Yes (5% safety margin)	Iterate and re-encode
Runs in the browser, nothing to install	Yes	Desktop apps required
Uploads your video anywhere	No	No (local apps) — but web tools do
Presets for Discord's 20MB / 50MB limits	Built in	Build your own
Before/after preview before download	Yes	Rarely

Video Compressor Discord Settings That Fit Under 20MB

Why settings matter more than the compressor

Recommended settings by target size

The codec settings Discord plays best

Automatic settings vs manual encoders

Frequently asked questions