diff --git a/.changelog/15983.txt b/.changelog/15983.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3ad3ddd7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changelog/15983.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:improvement
+variables: Increased maximum size to 64KiB
+```
diff --git a/nomad/structs/variables.go b/nomad/structs/variables.go
index fa9099449..c9d798228 100644
--- a/nomad/structs/variables.go
+++ b/nomad/structs/variables.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ const (
 	// maxVariableSize is the maximum size of the unencrypted contents of a
 	// variable. This size is deliberately set low and is not configurable, to
 	// discourage DoS'ing the cluster
-	maxVariableSize = 16384
+	maxVariableSize = 65536
 )
 
 // VariableMetadata is the metadata envelope for a Variable, it is the list
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ func (v VariableDecrypted) Validate() error {
 		return errors.New("empty variables are invalid")
 	}
 	if v.Items.Size() > maxVariableSize {
-		return errors.New("variables are limited to 16KiB in total size")
+		return errors.New("variables are limited to 64KiB in total size")
 	}
 	if v.Namespace == AllNamespacesSentinel {
 		return errors.New("can not target wildcard (\"*\")namespace")
diff --git a/website/content/api-docs/jobs.mdx b/website/content/api-docs/jobs.mdx
index e210dd6e1..5783f6d04 100644
--- a/website/content/api-docs/jobs.mdx
+++ b/website/content/api-docs/jobs.mdx
@@ -1663,7 +1663,7 @@ The table below shows this endpoint's support for
   URL query parameter.
 
 - `Payload` `(string: "")` - Specifies a base64 encoded string containing the
-  payload. This is limited to 16384 bytes (16KiB).
+  payload. This is limited to 65536 bytes (64KiB).
 
 - `Meta` `(meta<string|string>: nil)` - Specifies arbitrary metadata to pass to
   the job.
diff --git a/website/content/api-docs/variables.mdx b/website/content/api-docs/variables.mdx
index f3c954a43..06b7e2488 100644
--- a/website/content/api-docs/variables.mdx
+++ b/website/content/api-docs/variables.mdx
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ includes alphanumeric characters and the special characters `-`, `_`, `~`, and
 `/`. Paths may be up to 128 bytes long. The following regex matches the allowed
 paths: `^[a-zA-Z0-9-_~/]{1,128}$`
 
-Variable items are restricted to 16KiB in size. This limit is calculated by
+Variable items are restricted to 64KiB in size. This limit is calculated by
 taking the sum of the length in bytes of all of the unencrypted keys and values
 in the `Items` field.
 
diff --git a/website/content/docs/commands/var/put.mdx b/website/content/docs/commands/var/put.mdx
index 0f254b641..6726ff0bf 100644
--- a/website/content/docs/commands/var/put.mdx
+++ b/website/content/docs/commands/var/put.mdx
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ template engine. Instead, they require the use of the `index` template function
 to directly access their values. This does not impact cases where the keys and
 values are read using the `range` function.
 
-Variable items are restricted to 16KiB in size. This limit is calculated by
+Variable items are restricted to 64KiB in size. This limit is calculated by
 taking the sum of the length in bytes of all of the unencrypted keys and values.
 
 ## General Options