Server Boosts raise a server's upload limit at Level 2 and Level 3 only. Discord's Server Boosting FAQ words both perks identically: "50MB Upload Limit for all members (server only)" at Level 2, and "100MB Upload Limit for all members (server only)" at Level 3. Level 1 does not raise the upload limit.
Three qualifiers are doing real work in those two lines — for all members, (server only), and the fact that Level 1 is absent from them entirely. This page keeps all three, and marks clearly which numbers Discord does not publish.
The limits, at a glance
| Server level | Boosts required | Upload limit inside that server | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | — | Discord's pages disagree; see below | Account Caps table / File Attachments FAQ |
| Level 1 | 2 Server Boosts | "Same" as Base — no increase | Account Caps table |
| Level 2 | 7 Server Boosts | 50MB for all members (server only) | Server Boosting FAQ |
| Level 3 | 14 Server Boosts | 100MB for all members (server only) | Server Boosting FAQ |
| Larger File Uploads (experiment) | 5 Boosts, separate from levels | 250MB, some servers only | Server Boosting FAQ |
For comparison, the per-account tiers Discord's File Attachments FAQ publishes: 20MB for non-Nitro accounts, 50MB for Nitro Basic, and up to 500MB for Nitro. Those travel with you; the Boost numbers above stay behind in the server.
Level 1 raises nothing — this is the expensive mistake
Discord's Account Caps article contains a Server Caps table with one row for uploads. Verbatim, that row reads:
Upload 10MB Same 50MB for all members 100MB for all membersThe four values are Base, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3. And the same page defines the word directly above the tables: "In the tables below, Same means the limit is identical to the Base tier, and N/A means that feature isn't available for that tier."
So Level 1 — the two-Boost tier — leaves the upload limit exactly where it was.
The practical consequence: if your server's reason for Boosting is file size, two Boosts buys you nothing on that front. Seven is the first number that changes anything.
What "(server only)" actually means
This parenthesis is Discord's own wording, not ours.
A Level 2 server's 50MB cap applies inside that server. It does not follow you into DMs, and it does not apply in other servers. Boosting a server you are in does not raise the limit on files you send to a friend privately — that is still governed by your own account tier.
The other half, "for all members", is the genuinely useful part. Every member of a Level 2 server gets the 50MB ceiling in that server whether or not they personally pay for anything. One person's seven Boosts lift the ceiling for the whole room.
Boosts and Nitro don't stack — Discord takes the maximum
If you have Nitro and you're in a Level 2 server, which limit applies? Discord's developer reference is the only page that states this explicitly, and it is unambiguous:
"The file upload size limit applies to each file in a request. The default limit is 20 MiB for all users, but may be higher for users depending on their Nitro status or by the server's Boost Tier. The attachment_size_limit value provided when working with interactions is calculated as the maximum of these values."
Three things fall out of that one paragraph:
- The two systems don't add up — Discord takes the larger one. A Nitro subscriber in a Level 2 server uploads against their own higher ceiling, not 50MB. A free account in a Level 3 server gets 100MB. "Maximum" is Discord's word; nothing here is a sum.
- The limit is per file, not per message. "Applies to each file in a request" — attach several files at once and each is judged on its own.
- The developer docs use MiB where the help center uses MB. The reference says "20 MiB"; the File Attachments FAQ says 20MB. Discord doesn't publish a conversion between the two figures, so treat the help-center number as the one to plan against.
Note the scope on that last sentence of the quote: attachment_size_limit is described as the value provided when working with interactions. It isn't a promise about every API response.
What to do when you're over the limit
Whether your ceiling is 20MB, 50MB or 100MB, the fix is the same, and Discord's own documentation tells you why: the size check happens before compression, on the file you hand over. From the File Attachments FAQ: "We've now moved mobile to the same pre-compression check that desktop has always used, so the number you see is the number that counts."
So there is no point hoping Discord will squeeze the file in for you. Shrink the original first, then upload.
Try it right here
Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.
This runs entirely in your browser tab — the file is read from disk, re-encoded locally, and handed back, with nothing uploaded to a server. Check the resulting size on disk before you try again; that is the number Discord will read.
If the file is comfortably under the cap and still misbehaves, the next thing to look at is the codec rather than the size. Discord's list of common accepted types spells video out as MP4 (Video encoded with H264, HEVC/H265, or AV1), so a .mp4 name is not by itself a guarantee — the container and what's inside it are different things. A QuickTime file off a Mac or iPhone can go through MOV to MP4 for the same reason. There's more on why the pre-compression check trips people up in Discord says your file is too large.
The 250MB tier is an experiment, not a level
Discord's Server Boosting FAQ opens its Additional Perks section with this notice:
"Important: We're currently running an experiment that gives some servers the option to upgrade the file limit to 250MB by purchasing Larger File Uploads (5 Boosts) with Server Boosts."
Read the qualifiers: an experiment, offered to some servers, as an option you purchase with 5 Boosts. It is not a fourth level. If you don't see it, that's the experiment, not a bug.
Discord also states that these additional perks sit alongside the level system rather than replacing it: "No, this supplements the existing level system. All current server level perks (emoji slots, file upload limits, etc.) remain exactly the same."
Gotchas worth knowing before you spend
- The Base-tier number depends on which Discord page you land on. The Account Caps table row above says 10MB. The more recently updated File Attachments FAQ says the free limit is 20MB, "up from 10MB", as of August 2026. Both pages are live. Go with the newer one, and check it yourself: File Attachments FAQ and Account Caps.
- Additional perks are desktop-only to set up. Discord states: "Additional perks can currently only be unlocked and configured on desktop at this time."
- Limits are being experimented with at the account level too. The File Attachments FAQ carries a standing note that Discord is "currently experimenting with various file upload size limits" and that "select users may have the ability to upload larger file sizes." So what another account managed to upload isn't evidence about yours.
- What happens to the upload limit if the server loses a level isn't documented. Discord describes a 72-hour grace period after a level is lost, but the examples it names are the server banner and extra emojis. It doesn't say whether the upload cap is covered. Check the official documentation rather than assuming either way.
FAQ
Does boosting a Discord server increase the upload limit? Only from Level 2 onward. Level 2 (7 Boosts) gives "50MB Upload Limit for all members (server only)" and Level 3 (14 Boosts) gives 100MB on the same terms. Level 1, at 2 Boosts, is listed as "Same" as the Base tier for uploads.
How many boosts do I need for 100MB on Discord? 14 Server Boosts, which is Level 3. That 100MB applies to all members inside that server only.
Do I get the boosted upload limit in DMs? No. Discord's wording is "(server only)", so the boosted ceiling applies inside that server. In DMs you're back to whatever your own account tier allows.
If I have Nitro and the server is Level 2, do the limits add up? No. Discord's developer reference says the applicable limit is "calculated as the maximum of these values" — the larger of your account limit and the server's Boost tier limit, never the sum.
Why can't I find the 250MB option in my server? Discord describes Larger File Uploads (5 Boosts) as an experiment that "gives some servers the option" to upgrade the file limit to 250MB. It isn't available everywhere, and Discord doesn't publish which servers are included.
Does everyone in a boosted server get the higher limit, or just boosters? Everyone. Both the Level 2 and Level 3 perks are written "for all members" — no individual subscription required to use the server's ceiling.
Still over the cap after all that? Start with compress video, browse the rest of the platform limit guides, or see all Clapr tools.
Figures cited from Discord's Server Boosting FAQ, File Attachments FAQ and Account Caps article, checked 16 September 2026. Discord has changed these numbers before — verify against the official pages before relying on them.
