Discord emoji size — the complete spec

Upload Discord emojis at 128×128 pixels, max 256 KB, as PNG (static) or GIF (animated). Discord shows them at 32×32 in chat (48×48 when the message is emoji-only — "jumbo" size).

What	Size	Max file	Format
Custom emoji (upload)	128 × 128 px	≤ 256 KB	PNG · JPG · GIF
Emoji in chat (display)	32 × 32 px	—	rendered size
Jumbo emoji (emoji-only message)	48 × 48 px	—	rendered size
Sticker	320 × 320 px	≤ 512 KB	PNG · APNG
Server icon	512 × 512 px	≤ 10 MB	PNG · JPG · GIF
Role icon	64 × 64 px	≤ 256 KB	PNG · JPG

Need one at exactly that size? The Pixel Forge is a free pixel-emoji maker that exports transparent GIFs ready for Discord — draw it, animate it, download it. Or grab the original dancing banana, pre-cropped for every platform.

Make a free Discord emote →

The gotchas nobody tells you

Why does my emoji look blurry?

You uploaded something big and photographic. Emojis render at 32×32 — fine detail turns to mush. Bold shapes, thick outlines and few colors survive the shrink; that's why pixel art makes the best emotes.

Animated emojis: who can use them?

Anyone with the right permission can UPLOAD an animated (GIF) emoji to a server. Using custom emojis across other servers — and in DMs — needs Nitro.

How many emoji slots does a server get?

50 static + 50 animated on a fresh server; boosting raises it (up to 250 + 250 at level 3).

Transparent background or not?

Yes — always. Discord chat backgrounds vary (dark, light, themes), so a baked-in background looks like a sticker slapped on the screen. Export PNG/GIF with transparency.

Quick answers

What size should a Discord emoji be?

Upload at 128×128 pixels, maximum 256KB, in PNG or GIF format. Discord displays it at 32×32 in chat.

Can Discord emojis be animated?

Yes — upload an animated GIF as a server emoji. Using it in other servers requires Discord Nitro.

What is the Discord sticker size?

Discord stickers are 320×320 pixels, max 512KB, in PNG or APNG format.

More sizes: Twitch · the full cheat sheet