Guides / Discord

How to Make and Upload Animated Emoji to a Discord Server

Server emoji are a big part of a Discord community's identity. Inside jokes, mod faces and reaction emoji for your stream or game night all live in the server's emoji list.

Discord caps each emoji at 256 KB and recommends 128×128 pixels. Animated emoji go into their own set of slots, separate from static ones, and boosting a server raises how many of each it can hold. Gifmoji's Discord preset exports at 128×128 and keeps the file under 256 KB.

Discord emoji requirements

Dimensions: 128×128 px recommended (Discord resizes other sizes)
File size: 256 KB maximum
Formats: GIF for animated; PNG, JPG or WebP for static
Animation: Animated GIF; uses separate animated-emoji slots
Who can upload: Members with the Create Expressions permission

Step by step: make it and add it to Discord

In Gifmoji, upload your photo, crop it, and choose an animation.
Under Export, choose Discord and click Download to get a 128×128 GIF under 256 KB.
In Discord, open your server's menu (click the server name) and go to Server Settings → Emoji.
Click Upload Emoji and choose the GIF. Discord adds it to the animated emoji list.
Rename it if you like. Names need at least two characters and can use letters, numbers and underscores.
Use it by typing :name: in chat or by picking it from the emoji menu.

Make your Discord emoji

Tips for great Discord custom emoji

Watch your slot count. Free servers have a limited number of animated slots, so retire old emoji rather than hitting the cap.
Discord shows emoji larger when a message contains only emoji (jumbo emoji), so a clean crop matters even more than on other platforms.
High-contrast effects like Triggered, Intensifies and Party Parrot stay readable in both dark and light themes.

Troubleshooting

I don't see the Upload Emoji button

You need the Create Expressions permission on that server. Ask a server admin to grant it, or send them the GIF to upload.

Discord says the file is too large

Discord rejects emoji over 256 KB. Re-export with the Discord preset, which re-compresses oversized GIFs, or pick an animation with fewer frames.

Members can see the emoji but can't send it

Discord's animated emoji are tied to Nitro. Discord's own guide says you need Nitro to use animated emoji, so members without it may see the emoji greyed out in the picker. Static emoji are available to everyone in the server.