Custom emoji are one of the quickest ways to make a server feel like its own place. An in-joke, the server's mascot or a set of letter emoji gets used dozens of times a day in messages and reactions, and members notice when a server has a set that fits its personality. Adding them is simple once you know where the setting lives and what Discord will accept. This guide walks through the permission you need, file requirements, slots and naming.

To upload emoji you need to be the server owner or have a role with the Create Expressions or Manage Expressions permission. Server owners can grant it in Server Settings → Roles: pick a role, open Permissions, and turn on the expressions permissions under General Server Permissions. Giving the permission to a small, trusted role works best. Emoji slots are limited, and a single member uploading twenty memes can fill them before anyone notices.

On desktop or the web, open the server menu by clicking the server name, choose Server Settings, then Emoji, and click Upload Emoji. You can select several files at once. On the mobile apps, open the server, tap the server name, go to Settings, then Emoji, and tap Upload Emoji. After uploading, Discord shows each emoji with an editable name. Rename them before members start using them, because renaming later breaks people's habits. If a file is rejected, Discord shows an error next to it, usually because the file is too large.

Discord accepts PNG, JPG and GIF files for emoji, and each file must be 256 KB or smaller. Emoji are shown small, about 22 pixels tall in a message and 48 pixels as a jumbo emoji when sent alone, so a square image of 128 × 128 pixels is plenty. Larger images are scaled down and only waste file size. Use a transparent PNG for static emoji so they sit cleanly on both the dark and light themes. Animated emoji are GIFs, and every frame and color adds to the file size, which is why animated emoji often hit the 256 KB limit. Fewer frames, fewer colors and a transparent background keep them small.

Every server has two separate pools of emoji slots, one for static and one for animated emoji. An unboosted server gets 50 of each. Boosting raises both pools: 100 each at Level 1 (2 boosts), 150 each at Level 2 (7 boosts) and 250 each at Level 3 (14 boosts). Server Settings → Emoji shows how many slots are left in each pool. If a server drops a boost level, the extra emoji aren't deleted, but those over the limit become unavailable until the server boosts again. Plan your most important emoji to fit within the slots you can count on.

Emoji names must be at least two characters long and can contain letters, numbers and underscores. Members type the name between colons, such as :gg:, so short, guessable names win. Use a consistent pattern for sets: :bt_a: to :bt_z: for a letter alphabet, or :mascot_happy:, :mascot_sad: for a character's moods. Avoid names that clash with Discord's built-in emoji, like :fire: or :heart:, because members will keep getting the built-in one by accident.

Everyone in the server can use its static custom emoji in that server. Using animated emoji, or using a server's emoji in other servers and DMs, is a Discord Nitro perk. Members without Nitro still see animated emoji other people send, so animated emoji are worth adding even if only some members have Nitro. You can also limit an emoji to certain roles through integrations, which is how some servers make reward emoji for supporters.

Letter emoji are one of the most useful sets a server can have: members spell words in reactions, write headers and react to announcements. Making 26 matching letters by hand is slow, which is why the Boxtype Server Emoji Maker builds the whole alphabet in one go, sized under 256 KB and named consistently. Upload only the letters you need if slots are tight, and keep your settings so you can add the rest later in the same style.

To free up a slot, open Server Settings → Emoji, hover over the emoji and click the X. Removing an emoji makes old messages that used it show the emoji's name in text instead. If you want to update an emoji's look, upload the new version, give it the same name after deleting the old one, and members will barely notice the change.