discordJan 14, 2026

How to Make and Use Custom Emoji on Discord (opens in new tab)

Discord custom emojis are small images communities can upload and use in messages, reactions, and custom statuses. They are stored per server, though Discord Nitro allows broader use across servers. Uploading is now flexible because Discord can resize and compress images, while usage is mainly limited by server permissions, subscription requirements, and Discord’s content policies. ## What Custom Emojis Are - Custom emojis are community-created images used like standard emojis. - They can appear in: - Messages - Reactions - Custom status messages - They add personalized expressions, jokes, symbols, and artwork to Discord conversations. ## Adding Custom Emojis - Upload emojis through **Server Settings > Emoji**. - Eligible users may also upload directly from the emoji picker. - Emojis belong to the server where they are uploaded. - To use them in other servers, users must upload them separately or have Discord Nitro. ## File Requirements and Uploading - Discord now automatically resizes and crops uploaded images. - Supported formats include: - JPEG - PNG - GIF - WEBP - AVIF - Recommended specifications are: - Up to **256 KB** - **128×128 pixels** - A name of at least two characters - Larger files can be compressed automatically. ## Animated Emojis and Content Rules - Animated emojis are uploaded through the same process as static emojis. - They appear in a separate animated-emoji section. - Using newly uploaded animated emojis requires Discord Nitro. - Emojis must comply with Discord’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. - Emojis cannot contain age-restricted material such as graphic violence or adult content. - Uploaders must also have the rights to use the images. ## Larger “Jumbo” Emojis - Emojis appear larger when a message contains only emojis and no regular text. - Up to **27 emojis** can remain enlarged in one message. - Messages containing more than 27 emojis revert to the normal display size. ## Server Emoji Limits - A standard server supports: - 50 static custom emojis - 50 animated custom emojis - Boosted servers receive larger limits: - Level 1: 100 static and 100 animated emojis - Level 2: 150 of each - Level 3: 250 of each - These limits apply to the entire server, regardless of which member uploads the emojis. Custom emojis are easiest to create when users take advantage of Discord’s built-in resizing tools, while server owners should monitor shared emoji limits and ensure all uploads comply with Discord’s policies.

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discordJul 1, 2025

Discord Update: June 30, 2025 Changelog (opens in new tab)

Discord’s latest updates focus on enhancing user expression and streamlining platform navigation through a series of identity-driven features and technical refinements. By introducing Server Tags and expanding profile customization options, the platform aims to deepen community connections while simultaneously optimizing back-end processes like image compression and search algorithms. These changes reflect an ongoing effort to balance aesthetic personalization with functional performance for both individual users and server administrators. ### Server Tags and Community Visibility * Users can now display Server Tags next to their names to represent specific communities or favorite games. * These tags are interactive, allowing others to click them to learn about the server or apply for membership directly from the tag. * Server administrators can unlock this feature for their community once the server reaches three Boosts. ### Profile Customization and Asset Management * The desktop client now saves the last six used avatars in Profile Settings, enabling users to swap back to previous images without re-uploading files. * Nitro members gain extended access to Quest-earned Avatar Decorations, allowing them to keep these rewards beyond the standard two-month expiration period. * New Nameplate designs have been added to the Shop on the desktop app to further customize user presence in chat lists. ### Integrated Activities and Syntax Enhancements * The New York Times Games’ Wordle is now available as a Discord Activity, accessible by typing the `/wordle` command in any text channel. * Players can use the `/share` command to distribute their results across different channels or direct messages. * New Markdown support for email addresses allows users to wrap an address in brackets (e.g., `<email@address.com>`) to create a clickable link that opens a mail client automatically. ### Performance and Infrastructure Optimizations * The Quick Switcher tool received an algorithmic upgrade to improve the accuracy of channel and DM suggestions based on user behavior. * Mobile image embeds have been improved through a change in how the mobile application handles image compression, resulting in higher-quality renders. * The updated mobile image pipeline also reduces the time required for uploading and rendering images on handheld devices. ### Advanced Server Boosting Features * Beyond Server Tags, communities with sufficient boosts can now access Enhanced Role Styles, which add glowing gradients to specific server roles. * These aesthetic upgrades are designed to provide more visual hierarchy and flair to server member lists. To make the most of these updates, server owners should coordinate community boosts to unlock the new Role Styles and Server Tags, while power users should adopt the Quick Switcher and new Markdown syntax to increase their communication efficiency.

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discordMar 16, 2025

Modern Image Formats at Discord: Supporting WebP and AVIF (opens in new tab)

Discord modernized its image pipeline to support animated WebP and AVIF attachments, embeds, and emojis. The change improves animation quality while significantly reducing file sizes compared with GIFs. Discord chose WebP as its primary delivery format because it offers broader platform support and more predictable performance, while converting AVIF sources—including tone-mapping HDR images to SDR when necessary. ## Benefits of WebP and AVIF - **Better transparency:** Both formats support full alpha channels, allowing smooth edges and animations that blend naturally with Discord’s light and dark themes. - **Greater color depth:** - GIF supports only 256 colors. - WebP supports roughly 16 million colors through 8-bit color channels. - AVIF supports up to 12 bits per channel. - **Improved visual quality:** Higher color fidelity reduces banding, produces more accurate colors, and better supports photographic and HDR content. - **Smaller animations:** Modern video-style compression provides: - Inter-frame compression - Advanced prediction - Configurable quality levels - Millisecond-precise frame timing - In the example provided, a GIF was **302 KB**, while the equivalent WebP animation was **43 KB**. ## Cross-Platform Image Processing - Discord processes and resizes every attached or embedded image to provide consistent behavior across: - Web browsers - Windows, macOS, and Linux - iOS - Android - Supporting new formats required coordinating inspection, conversion, decoding, and rendering throughout the media infrastructure. - Discord selected WebP as its preferred transformation target because it offers: - Near-universal platform support - Faster encoding and decoding than AVIF - Mature tools and ecosystem support - More predictable performance ## Tradeoffs Between WebP and AVIF - WebP is less capable than AVIF for: - 10- or 12-bit color - HDR content - Maximum compression efficiency - AVIF can produce smaller files for some content, but its platform support and performance are less consistent. - Discord converts AVIF images to WebP while preserving as much visual quality as possible. - HDR AVIF sources are tone-mapped to SDR because WebP is limited to 8-bit color depth. ## iOS Decoding Challenges - Discord uses SDWebImage to render images on iOS. - Its default WebP implementation relies on Apple’s ImageIO framework, available in iOS 14 and later. - Testing revealed that ImageIO decoded animated WebP files with increasingly inconsistent timing, especially for large or frame-heavy animations. - In a 10-second 480p30 comparison: - `libwebp` decoded the animation in real time. - ImageIO fell more than three seconds behind, with the delay increasing throughout playback. Discord’s move to WebP and AVIF demonstrates how modern formats can deliver higher-quality animations with substantially smaller files. For broad compatibility and reliable playback, WebP serves as the practical default, while AVIF remains useful as a high-efficiency source format.

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