GIF File Size Reducer
Tell it the limit — 256 KB, 1 MB, 5 MB or any size — and get the best-looking GIF that fits.
Drop GIFs here
or paste with Ctrl+V / ⌘V · up to 20 files at once
Compressed on your device — nothing is uploaded, so there is no upload limit
GIF size limits by platform
Every target in the reducer matches one of these limits (checked September 2026).
| Where | Limit | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Slack custom emoji | 128 KB | Resize to 128 × 128 first; Maximum level often needed. |
| Discord custom emoji | 256 KB | 128 × 128 is plenty — emoji are shown small. |
| Email newsletters | ~1 MB (recommended) | Some Outlook versions show only the first frame — put the message there. |
| X (mobile app) | 5 MB | Longer clips are better posted as video. |
| X (web) | 15 MB | Same GIF may fail from the phone app — use the 5 MB target to be safe. |
| Discord upload (free) | 20 MB | Nitro Basic 50 MB, Nitro 500 MB. |
Platforms change their limits from time to time. If an upload is refused, check the platform’s help page and use a custom target.
How the reducer hits your size
Instead of guessing a quality slider, the reducer searches a ladder of twelve settings, from lossless to very aggressive. Because each step is smaller than the last, a binary search finds the lightest one that fits in a handful of tries:
- Lossless optimization — if it already fits, nothing visible changes.
- Lossy compression at increasing strength, 256 colors.
- 192 → 128 → 96 → 64 colors with stronger lossy compression.
- Smaller dimensions: 85%, 70%, 60%, 50%, 35%.
- Fewer frames: drop 1 in 4, then 1 in 2 (timing kept).
The result tells you whether it fits and which settings were used, so you can fine-tune them in Compression level mode. Prefer to choose the trade-offs yourself? Read 6 ways to reduce GIF size, or go back to the GIF compressor.
GIF file size reducer: questions
How do I reduce a GIF to under 1 MB?
Open Target size, choose Email (1 MB) or type 1 MB as a custom size, and press Compress. The reducer tries the lightest settings first and stops at the best-looking version that fits.
How does the target size mode decide what to change?
It walks a ladder of settings from lossless to aggressive: lossy compression first, then fewer colors, then smaller dimensions, and finally fewer frames. A binary search finds the lightest step that fits in a few attempts, and the result tells you exactly which settings were used.
What if my GIF cannot get under the limit?
You get the smallest version the ladder can produce, with a message saying it did not fit. Very long clips usually need trimming first — file size grows with every frame.
What is the maximum GIF size for Discord?
Custom emoji must be under 256 KB. For regular uploads, Discord raised the free limit to 20 MB in 2026 (Nitro Basic allows 50 MB and Nitro up to 500 MB). Limits change, so check Discord’s help center if an upload is refused.
Does reducing the file size change the GIF’s dimensions?
Only if it has to. Lossy compression and color reduction are tried first and keep the dimensions; scaling down is used only for targets that cannot be reached otherwise.