Google Cut New Accounts to 5GB of Free Storage. Here's Every File Size Limit That Actually Matters in 2026
5 GB
what new Google accounts start with
down from a guaranteed 15GB unless you link a phone number, a change first spotted in March 2026.
2 GB
WhatsApp's document limit
only if you send it as a Document rather than through the photo or video picker, per WhatsApp's own blog.
The number on the label usually isn't the real number
Most of these platforms quietly run two separate pipelines: media and documents. Send a video through WhatsApp's normal photo/video picker and it gets compressed hard, capped around 16MB. Send the exact same file through the Document option instead and it skips compression entirely, up to 2GB. Slack does something similar in reverse: the 1GB per-file cap is generous, but the free plan's real constraint is 5GB of total workspace storage shared across everyone, so the limit that actually bites you is rarely the one on the upload dialog.
| Platform | Free limit | Paid tier | What's easy to miss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discord | 20 MB per file | 50 MB (Nitro Basic), 500 MB (Nitro) | The free-tier cap doubled from 10MB earlier this year. |
| Gmail | 25 MB per message, all attachments combined | 50 MB send / 70 MB receive on Workspace Enterprise Plus | Encoding overhead means the real ceiling is closer to 18MB of actual file. |
| Slack | 1 GB per file | Same 1GB cap on every paid tier | Free workspaces cap total storage at 5GB, not the per-file limit. |
| 16 MB via the media picker, 2 GB via Document | Same limits regardless of account type | Sending as a Document skips WhatsApp's aggressive media compression. | |
| X (Twitter) | 512 MB / 140 seconds of video | 8 GB / up to 3 hours on Premium | Video length is usually the binding limit before file size is. |
| Google Account storage | Up to 15 GB, shared across Drive, Gmail, and Photos | 100GB+ on Google One plans | New accounts default to 5GB unless a phone number is linked. |
How to actually get a file under the line
- 1Work out which layer is actually oversized. A 40MB “photo” is almost always the resolution, not the format. A 200MB voice memo is almost always the codec, not the length.
- 2Images: compress before you attach, don't just resize. The Image Compressor cuts file size with a quality slider, entirely in your browser tab, so there's no upload limit of its own standing in the way first.
- 3Audio: a WAV file is typically 5 to 10x larger than the same clip in MP3. Converting with the Audio Converter alone often solves a Discord or Gmail limit outright.
- 4A bloated PDF is usually just unused pages or oversized embedded images. Trimming it down with PDF Page Manager is faster than fighting with export settings.
- 5Video is the hard case. Browser-based tools genuinely struggle with real video encoding, this is the one job where a dedicated desktop encoder like HandBrake (free, open source) beats anything running in a tab.
Send as Document, not Media
when the app offers the choice, like WhatsApp or Slack
- ✦Skips automatic compression entirely
- ✦Preserves original resolution and quality
- ✦The size limit is usually far higher too
Compress first, attach normally
when there's no document lane, like Gmail or most upload forms
- ✦The only real option on platforms without a document pipeline
- ✦A modest size cut is often the difference between under and over the line
- ✦Do it before you're mid-upload, not after a failure
Why did Discord's free file limit change in 2026?
Discord raised the free-tier cap from 10MB to 20MB per Discord's own File Attachments FAQ, reversing a prior cut that had been made to manage infrastructure costs.
Why is my WhatsApp video so much smaller after I send it?
WhatsApp compresses anything sent through its normal photo/video picker, capping it around 16MB. Sending the same file as a Document instead skips that compression and allows up to 2GB.
Does Gmail actually enforce 25MB, or is the real limit lower?
Google's stated limit is 25MB combined across attachments, but Gmail's Base64 encoding inflates file size by roughly a third in transit, so the practical ceiling for actual file content is closer to 17 to 18MB.
Why do new Google accounts only get 5GB now instead of 15GB?
Google changed its language from guaranteeing 15GB to offering “up to” 15GB starting around March 2026. New accounts default to 5GB unless a phone number is linked to unlock the full 15GB.
What's the fastest way to shrink a file that's just barely over a limit?
For images, run it through a compressor with a quality slider rather than resizing blindly. For audio, converting WAV to MP3 alone usually cuts the size by 80% or more. For PDFs, delete unused pages before touching export settings.
Tools in this guide
Try the tools ✦
Free browser tools that never upload your files.