From recording to Discord in three steps
- Convert the recording. OBS saves MKV by default. MKV to MP4 repackages it in seconds without losing quality.
- Trim the highlight. Use the compressor’s “Trim the video first” option, or the trim tool, to keep the 15–30 seconds that matter.
- Compress for Discord. The Discord compressor fits the 20 MB free limit and keeps 60 fps.
Getting the best quality in 20 MB
- Shorter is sharper. A 20-second clip gets three times the data per second of a one-minute clip.
- Fast games need more data. Shooters and racing games show compression sooner than strategy games. Keep those clips shorter.
- Let it drop to 720p for longer clips. Clean 720p beats blocky 1080p.
- Remove the sound if the clip speaks for itself, to give the picture more room.
Recording settings that make sharing easier
In OBS, recording to MKV is safest because a crash won’t corrupt the file; convert afterwards. A recording bitrate of 15–30 Mbps for 1080p60 keeps editing quality high; you’ll compress the shared copy anyway. Check what fits before you start with the file size calculator.
Why FitVideo for clips
It uses your graphics card’s video encoder, so a 30-second 1080p clip usually compresses in seconds, and nothing is uploaded, so there’s no wait and no size cap.
Sharing beyond Discord
- WhatsApp group chats: the WhatsApp compressor fits 16 MB.
- Reddit, X and forums: most accept MP4 with H.264, which is what FitVideo saves. Use the 50 MB or a custom size if the site has a limit.
- Sideways phone recordings of your screen: fix them with rotate video.
- Muting voice chat: remove the sound before sharing a clip publicly.
Questions
How do I send a game clip on Discord without Nitro?
Trim it to the highlight and compress it to 20 MB with the Discord compressor.
Will compressing lower my frame rate?
No. FitVideo keeps 60 fps; only the bitrate and sometimes the resolution change.
How do I convert OBS recordings to MP4?
Use MKV to MP4. When the video is H.264 or HEVC it’s repackaged in seconds without re-encoding.
Is it free?
Yes. Free, with no watermark and no sign-up.