If you’re asking why do GIFs not work on Discord you’re not alone!
The GIFs are sequences of images encoded to play one after another forming a short video loop.
The Discord entirely supports the format and .GIF files will show up whenever the message has been sent or something else is preventing the request.
To fix the GIFs on Discord you’ll need to enable the Autoplay feature from the Settings and make sure that your file is not too big. You should also attempt to send a file instead of an image and attach the actual GIF, rather than uploading it from your gallery.
Let’s learn more about why GIFs are not working on Discord:
Why Won’t GIFs Work On Discord?
There are quite a few reasons why your GIFs won’t work on Discord. The files could appear as a single frame (image) or not show up entirely.
Here are the reasons why:
- The .GIF file is too big in size
- GIFs won’t play until you click on them (Autoplay OFF)
- For iOS users, the motion feature stops the GIFs
- Discord application problem
- The GIF message is not sent
The reason why the GIFs are not working in Discord is 100% related to one of the bullets.
This is why in the following guide we made sure to address each and every possibility to make sure that your GIFs will start working.
How To Fix When Discord GIF Not Showing?
To solve the problem with the GIFs in Discord, you first need to determine what’s the problem.
Let’s start with enabling the Autoplay feature:
Solution #1 Turn ON Autoplay
The Autoplay feature will play any video content such as GIFs whenever the file is on the user’s screen.
In case the GIFs appear as still images, you need to click the Play button in the middle to start the GIF sequence.
With Autoplay enabled you won’t need to press on each GIF individually since they are going to start playing automatically.
Here is how to enable the Autoplay feature:
- Press on your Profile Discord Image.
- Select Text & Images under the App Settings.
- Toggle ON the Automatically Play GIFs When Possible.
On a mobile, you’ll need to tap on the Gear Icon and then go to the Accessibility Section. From there enable the Autoplay Option and test the GIFs then.
Note: This feature will also auto-play Emojis and video files.
Solution #2 Upload GIFs Under 8Mb
You won’t be able to send GIF files larger than 8MBs or 8000Kbs or Discord simply says:
- “This file is too powerful“
You can either use another GIF or compress the file by using a free tool online.
Once the GIF is under 8Mbs an error shouldn’t appear, therefore, the GIF will be sent.
Solution #3 Turn OFF Motion (iOS)
With iPhone and iPad there is a well-known bug that prevents GIFs from being played.
The solution only includes reducing the Motion settings or entirely disabling the feature.
On Windows go to Settings > Easy of Access > Display > Simply & Personalize > Toggle OFF.
On Discord App > User Settings > Appearance > Accessibility > Sync > Disable Motion.
When you’re ready, test whether the GIFs are now properly working on your iOS device.
Solution #4 Send The .GIF File
Sometimes when you’re attempting to upload a GIF from your smartphone camera roll you should pay attention to the file.
Make sure that what you’ve downloaded is an actual GIF, since what you have might only be the first frame in an image file.
This is why it’s best to confirm that you’ve got a GIF file and use the “attach file” Discord icon to send the GIF as a file instead of as an image.
This way the GIF should show up and autoplay.
Note: Some online sources might not allow downloading the actual .GIF you’re viewing.
Solution #5 Use Third Party-Apps
Another solution to the GIF problem on Discord is to use third-party software to convert your .GIF file into ink and host the graphics.
Then you only need to send the link in the Discord chat for users to be able to view the GIF.
You can use GIPHY or Imigur to convert files into links.
Once you upload the file, copy the LINK and make sure that it’s public. Otherwise, viewers will only see “Restricted Content” when they open your GIF link.
Note: You can choose how long you would like your GIF to be hosted for.
Solution #6 Reinstall The Discord App
In case you’re still asking why do GIFs not work on Discord, the problem with the GIFs could be related to the Discord application performance.
In such cases, the best way to approach the problem is to remove the app.
On a mobile delete the application from the Apps and download it back from the App Store. For computer users, applications can be removed from the Control Panel.
When you’re ready, test sending a GIF on a private chat to check whether the problem is still there. We suggest testing using another .GIF file that the one you’ve been attempting with.
Note: Reinstalling the application does not remove any account settings.
Solution #7 Clear Discord Cache
Sometimes the GIF problem on Discord is caused by corrupted cache data. There is an easy way to delete this data and test whether GIFs will be working.
To erase the cache data on the Discord app follow the steps:
- Open the Settings on your mobile and tap Storage.
- Choose Apps and find Discord.
- Tap on Clear Cache Data.
On a desktop, you would need to enter the %appdata% and locate the Discord folder.
From there you’ll be able to delete Cache, Code Cache, and GPU Cache folders.
Note: Deleting the Discord cache would disconnect you from your account.
Solution #8 Use Discord Web Source
In case you’ve attempted everything but your Discord application won’t play GIFs, it’s time to test this from the web source. To do this you would need a desktop computer.
You only need to open the https://discord.com/and press on Open Discord In Your Browser.
Then you would need to log in to your Discord Account and test sending a GIF to a private message to determine whether it would work.
Note: Use the same Discord account that was used in the application.
Solution #9 Check Server Limitations
In some Discord servers, the GIFs and other graphical content could be disabled. However, when sending a GIF to a friend should work.
This is why a private chat is where you should test your GIF and inspect whether the group chat or server includes any content limitations.
In most cases, you’ll receive a message telling you that this type of file is not allowed.
Send the GIF that you are attempting to use in a private chat with a friend. In case the GIF appears normally, then the other chat might have forbidden graphical content.
To check the server’s settings and what the limitations are, you’ll need to ask the Discord server owner.
Tip: Test sending your GIF in another community server or another server chat.
Quick Recap:
To send GIFs on Discord the file needs to be under 8Mbs. In addition, users need to send the actual GIF files instead of uploading them from the gallery. For the GIFs to start the AutoPlay feature must be enabled from the Discord app settings.
Read Next: Can You Undelete A Discord Server?
Last Thoughts:
Here was everything about why do GIFs not work on Discord and how to solve the problem.
In case the issue continues to persist you would need to check whether the server or chat you’re attempting to send the GIF allows that.
As a last resort, you can contact the Discord support team for further assistance with this problem.
