How to add custom emoji to Discord
Upload a custom emoji to your server in under a minute, and avoid the errors that stop most uploads.
What Discord accepts
| File size | Under 256 KB |
|---|---|
| Formats | PNG, JPG, GIF or WEBP |
| Size | Square, 128 × 128 px recommended |
| Names | At least 2 characters: letters, numbers and underscores |
Discord displays emoji at 22 px inline and 48 px when a message is only emoji, so a 128 px square gives it a sharp source for both. Transparent backgrounds look right in both light and dark mode.
Upload from Server Settings
- Open the menu next to your server's name and choose Server Settings.
- Open the Emoji tab and select Upload Emoji.
- Pick your file, then rename it if you like. The name is what people type between colons.
You need the Create Expressions or Manage Expressions permission. Server owners and admins have it; everyone else needs a role that grants it.
Upload from the emoji picker
On desktop and in the browser you can also open the emoji picker, choose Add Emoji, pick a file, adjust the crop and name, choose the server and upload.
Animated emoji and Nitro
Any server can hold animated GIF emoji, but they use separate slots from static ones, and sending animated emoji is a Nitro perk. So is using a server's custom emoji in other servers. Server boosts add more emoji slots.
Common errors
A file size error means the GIF has too many frames or colors, so shrink it before uploading rather than relying on Discord's cropper. If the Upload button is missing, you don't have the permission above. If uploads stop working, the server has run out of slots for that type.