How to Make Custom Discord Stickers: Design, Export and Upload
Create custom Discord stickers with the right dimensions, formats and permissions. Follow a practical design, upload and troubleshooting workflow.
TL;DR
- Make an original square sticker, export it in a supported format, and check its dimensions and file size before uploading it to Discord.
- Discord’s creator guidance specifies 320 × 320 pixels and a maximum size of 512 KB, with PNG for static stickers and APNG for animated stickers.
- Use the desktop or web app, confirm the server has an available slot, and check that your role can create expressions.
- Give each sticker a memorable name, a related emoji, and a concise visual description. Test it in conversation before announcing a whole collection.
How to make a sticker on Discord
Create the artwork first, then upload it through the server’s sticker settings. You need permission to add expressions and an available sticker slot. A sticker is different from an ordinary image attachment or a custom emoji, so prepare the file for the feature you intend to use.
According to Discord’s current Custom Stickers FAQ, servers have five custom sticker slots by default, with additional slots available at higher boost levels. Creating expressions and managing existing expressions are separate permissions. Check the current settings for your server rather than assuming every member has the same access.
This guide describes the documented desktop and web workflow. It does not require a third-party sticker generator, and the original design exercise below can be completed in an image editor you already use.
Related reading: Discord Server Icon Size: Design, Upload and Troubleshooting.
Design one sticker for one conversational purpose
Begin with a reaction your community actually needs. A useful first collection might include “welcome,” “thank you,” and “we did it.” These are easier to use consistently than a collection of intricate illustrations whose meaning becomes unclear at chat size.
For an original practice design, draw a small orange star waving one arm. Keep its face large, use a strong outline, and leave a little space around the silhouette. Avoid tiny decorative text. The design should still communicate a welcome when viewed at a reduced size.
Use artwork you created or have permission to adapt. If you commission a mascot, confirm that your agreement covers digital stickers and community use. Do not assume that finding a character image through search gives you permission to turn it into a branded sticker set.
Export the right kind of file
Discord’s Tips for Sticker Creators lists these requirements:
| Item | Preparation check |
|---|---|
| Canvas | Exactly 320 × 320 pixels. |
| Static sticker | Export as PNG. |
| Animated sticker | Export as APNG. |
| File size | Keep the file at or below 512 KB. |
| Background | Use transparency when that suits the design, and inspect the exported edge. |
Keep your editable source file separately. That lets you change colors, simplify an animation, or correct a border without repeatedly editing a compressed export.
Open the exported file before uploading it. A checkerboard that was drawn into the artwork is not real transparency. Inspect the sticker over both a light and dark background and make sure its outline remains visible. Reduce fine detail if the face or gesture becomes hard to read.
Upload it through the server settings
In the desktop or web app, open the server settings and choose Stickers. Select Upload Sticker, choose your prepared file, and complete the required naming and emoji fields. Add a short description that explains what the image shows and the emotion it conveys.
For the star example, a practical name is welcome_star, a related waving-hand emoji makes sense, and a useful description is “An orange star smiles and waves hello.” The name helps members remember it; the description communicates the visual content without relying on the image alone.
If the upload control is missing, check the server and role permissions before recreating the artwork. If no slot is available, review existing stickers with a server administrator. Deleting an established community favorite to make room for a test is a decision worth discussing with the people who use it.
Related reading: Profile Picture Sizes and Crops: A Practical Slack, Google and Instagram Guide.
Make an animated sticker without confusing GIF and APNG
A GIF shared as an attachment and an animated custom sticker are different outputs. For the sticker workflow described here, use an editor that can export APNG and verify the resulting file type. Renaming a .gif file to .png does not convert it.
Keep the animation short and easy to read. In our practice design, three or four distinct arm positions can suggest a wave without animating every part of the star. Start by making the static version work; then add motion only where it improves the meaning.
If the export is too large, reduce unnecessary frames, simplify background detail, and inspect your editor’s compression options. After each change, replay the export and check whether the motion remains clear. A smaller file is not useful if the animation becomes visually distracting or loses its expression.
This process explains how to prepare an animated sticker. It is not a general GIF-making tool, and it does not mean a GIF that works in a chat message will automatically pass the custom-sticker uploader.
Troubleshoot the actual failure
| Symptom | First thing to inspect |
|---|---|
| Upload is rejected | File type, exact dimensions, and size of the exported file. |
| Upload control is unavailable | Desktop/web context, role permissions, and remaining slots. |
| White rectangle around the artwork | Whether the export has genuine transparency. |
| Sticker looks muddy in conversation | Contrast, outline thickness, and detail at a small display size. |
| Members cannot find the sticker | A memorable name and a related emoji. |
Change one factor at a time. If the problem is size, preserve a copy of the accepted static file while experimenting with animation. If the problem is permissions, ask an administrator to verify the role rather than repeatedly changing the file.
Introduce a small collection to the community
Test the first sticker in a relevant channel, then watch whether its meaning is understood without explanation. A welcome sticker belongs in a newcomer conversation; a celebration sticker belongs with a real community milestone.
For a brand community, keep the source artwork, export, name, description, and intended use together in your content notes. That makes it easier for another team member to maintain the collection. PostCoPilot can fit into the surrounding social-content planning work; the actual Discord sticker upload still happens in Discord.
Review the collection after people have used it. Keep the reactions that serve a clear purpose, improve confusing designs, and avoid adding dozens of nearly identical variants merely to fill slots. A small set that members recognize is easier to maintain and more useful in conversation.