Discord Emoji Size
Discord’s custom emoji rules are shorter than the internet makes them sound. There is one hard limit, 256 KB, and no documented dimension requirement at all. Everything below was checked against Discord’s own article and then tested by uploading real files to a throwaway server.
PNG, JPG, WebP or animated GIF — nothing is uploaded
Nothing to hand?
Name it, and where it gets uploaded
What this took
The same art, somewhere else
The encoder is a worker inside this tab — turn off your network and every control still works. Platform rules were read from the official docs on 26 Aug 2026.
- No account
- No daily limit
- No watermark
- Animated GIF included
- Nothing is uploaded
The rules, as published
Read off the official pages, each one dated so you can tell how stale it is. Where three resizer sites disagree, the row says which number is the wrong one.
Discord custom emoji
Verified 26 Aug 2026
- Max file size
- 256 KB — 262,144 bytes
Commonly wrong: It is 256 KiB, not 256,000 bytes. A 260,072-byte GIF uploads; the budget here is the full 262,144.
- Formats
- JPEG, PNG, GIF, WEBP
- Dimensions
- No requirement is documented
Commonly wrong: 128×128 is an industry convention, not a Discord rule. Discord resizes for you.
- Slots
- 50 static + 50 animated on any server
Commonly wrong: The slots are not a Nitro perk. Nitro is what lets a member use animated and cross-server emoji.
Source: Discord — Custom Emojis
Discord custom sticker
Verified 27 Aug 2026
- Dimensions
- 320×320 exactly
Commonly wrong: Discord resizes JPG, PNG and GIF stickers for you, but not APNG — an APNG has to arrive at 320×320.
- Format
- JPG or PNG for static, APNG or GIF for animated
Commonly wrong: GIF stickers are accepted. This tool still writes APNG, which keeps soft edges GIF would harden.
- Max file size
- 512 KB
- Frame rate
- Up to 60 FPS
- Slots
- 5 on any server, before any Boost
Commonly wrong: Stickers do not need a Boosted server. Boost levels add slots — +10 at Level 1, +15 at Level 2, +30 at Level 3.
- Displayed at
- 160×160 dp in desktop chat — hence the 320px upload
- Upload path
- Server Settings → Stickers
Commonly wrong: Uploading needs a name and a related emoji as well as the file. An APNG dropped into the chat bar is sent as an attachment, not a sticker.
Source: Discord — Custom Stickers, and the sticker uploader itself
What Discord actually did with four real uploads
Tested on a throwaway server, 26 Aug 2026.
| File | Result | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 64×64 animated GIF, 197 KB | Accepted | Uploaded and animated normally. |
| 64×64 animated GIF, 247 KB | Accepted | Also fine — there is no hidden minimum-dimension rule. |
| 128×128 animated AVIF, 57 KB | Accepted, with a catch | Accepted, but it became a static emoji. The animation was dropped. |
| 256×256 animated GIF, 3.5 MB | Rejected | Rejected with "That emoji was too big! Emoji must be under 256 KB." |
What we tested, and what happened
Claims about hidden Discord rules are easy to make and hard to check, so on 26 August 2026 we uploaded four files to a throwaway server and wrote down what happened. The table above the FAQ is that test.
The short version: the only thing that got rejected was the file over 256 KB, and the rejection message named the limit. Nothing was silently upscaled, and nothing failed for being too small.
Discord now runs uploads through an Emoji Studio editor that re-encodes the image before the size check. That is being rolled out gradually, so people on the older flow may see slightly different behaviour — which is exactly why we date the test rather than presenting it as permanent truth.
Working around the Discord emoji size limit
Because 256 KB is the only wall, converting an emoji to a legal size is a compression problem rather than a resizing one, and the levers are not equally useful. Frame rate is the strongest: a GIF stores every frame, so halving the rate roughly halves the file. Palette is next — 256 colours down to 64 typically removes another third from flat artwork with nothing you can see. Dimensions are the weakest lever, and the one most tools reach for first.
A static emoji almost never hits the limit. If a PNG of a few hundred pixels is over 256 KB it is usually a photograph rather than artwork, and the fix is to accept fewer colours rather than fewer pixels.
Discord emoji sizes are also worth separating from Discord sticker sizes, since the two get merged constantly. Emoji: no stated dimensions, 256 KB, GIF for animation, unlocked by Nitro, 50 static and 50 animated slots. Stickers: exactly 320x320, up to 512 KB, capped at 60 FPS, APNG for animation, unlocked by Boosting the server. Sending a sticker-sized file to the emoji uploader is the most common reason a perfectly good image is rejected.
Questions
What size should a Discord emoji be?
Discord does not say, and that is the honest answer. 128×128 is the convention and it works well, but the platform re-encodes what you send and only enforces the 256 KB ceiling.
Is there a minimum size?
None that we could find, and none that showed up in testing: a 64×64 animated GIF at 247 KB uploaded without complaint on 26 August 2026. If a tool tells you small images are silently upscaled and rejected, ask it for the evidence.
Which formats does Discord accept?
JPEG, PNG, GIF and WEBP. AVIF is worth a warning: it uploaded fine in our test but the animation was stripped and it became a static emoji.
What is the difference between an emoji and a sticker?
Different uploads with different rules, and different unlocks. Emoji slots come with Nitro; sticker slots come from Boosting the server. Emoji are capped at 256 KB with no stated dimensions. Stickers must be exactly 320×320, up to 512 KB, capped at 60 FPS, and animated ones are APNG rather than GIF.
How many emoji slots does a server get?
50 static and 50 animated, on a server with Nitro or Nitro Basic.
What is Discord sticker size?
Exactly 320×320, and unlike emoji this one really is a requirement rather than a convention. Up to 512 KB, PNG for static and APNG for animated, up to 60 FPS. The 320 figure comes from the display size: desktop chat shows a sticker at 160×160 dp, so 320 is the 2× asset. Verified against Discord’s sticker creator FAQ on 27 August 2026.