Almost everyone has at least heard of Discord at this pointbut this app does so much that it can be hard to grasp in just a few sentences. Most people associate the app with gamerswhich is fair since it is most commonly associated as a chat tool for PC games and can be used on consolesbut it is so much more than that now. It can be used for chattingvideo callsmeetingscommunity-buildingstreamingand so much more.
We’ve been using Discord since the early daysso we’ve watched the app grow in size and scope first-hand. There’s a lot to coverbut we’re confident you will walk away with a solid understanding of Discord and what you can do with it by the time we’re through.
What is Discord?
Discord is a chat app that’s similar to programs such as TeamsTeamSpeakand professional communications platforms like Slack. It’s geared specifically toward video game playersproviding them with ways to find each othercoordinate playand talk while playingbut has also been adopted by businesses as well. It supports video callsvoice chatand textallowing users to get in touch however they please.
Discord is especially useful if you’re trying to play PC games. The app makes chatting pretty easy and offers search functions that can help you find other people and add them to a friends list for quick communication. Lots of people use it not just for talking to each other while playing gamesbut as an organizational and social tool as well.
Thanks to this breadth of functionalityusers have also embraced Discord as a semi-publicforum- community platform. Groups of players with common interestssuch as fans of a particular game or studiocan create or join “servers,” both public and privatewhere lots of people can meet and hang outchatting via textvideoor voice.
While most of the servers are related to gamingyou can also find public Discord servers that focus on a variety of topicsincluding things like animecryptocurrencyself-improvementand just making friends and hanging out. There’s also nothing requiring servers to be created for gamingso if you want a place in Discord to discuss a topicyou can always make one. Handy places to find and search for public servers include Discord.meDisboard.organd Discordservers.com.
And best of allDiscord is completely free.
What separates Discord from other platforms?
Though there are a lot of free communication programs onlineDiscord stands out thanks to its wide array of chat options. It combines all the best features of more commonly used programssuch as Skype and Slackwith an easy-to-use interface. A voice chat program wouldn’t be much use if it slowed down your games while you’re using itso the team making Discord is dedicated to making it as efficient as possible.
That versatility has led large groups of users to embrace Discord as a place to meet and chat with people who have similar interestsnot just friends. It’s part communications apppart social media portal. While the chat room side of the appin which users can join public or private serversis probably its most popularit also provides a social forum that’s great for organizing people to play games as well. Essentiallyyou don’t need video games to make Discord useful — it’s extremely handy for joining groups of friends on a private server or meeting like-minded folks on public ones. You can do things like pin messages to Discord channels.
When you create a Discord serveryou can configure it in a multitude of ways by setting up different roles for memberssuch as creating roles for other administrators and moderators or creating a special role for your most active members. Setting up different member roles has a number of benefits for your serverincluding making it easier to manage your serverrewarding members for being activeand providing different access permissions. Remember that your Discord channel’s moderatorsalso known as ‘Discord mods’will have special permissions in your channel that normal users do not. Configuring and managing a server can be boringso you might take the time to investigate how to create a Discord bot to automate tasks.
Discord is also accessible through a number of meanswhich makes it easy to use even if you’re not sitting in front of a gaming PC. The app has a downloadable PC program you can run on your computer — which is the handylightweight version best for running in the background while you play games — as well as a web-based versiona mobile versionand a beta version on consoles. That means you can interact with people in your Discord chat servers from basically anywhereextending the social capabilities of the app.
If you get to the stage where you’re no longer interested in Discordyou can delete the Discord server.
How to use Discord
If all that sounds like something you’re interested in getting intothese are the steps we suggest taking when beginning your Discord journey.
Find a Discord server (or make one)
Sohow does Discord work? In a word: servers. As with other chat appssuch as SlackDiscord lets you set up a chat room it refers to as a serverto which you can invite people. When you invite someone to the serverthey get a link that lets them join itwhere they can either text or voice chat with other people using that server. Each server can be broken down further into “channels,” small spaces for discussions on specific topicsas opposed to one giant live forum. Channels come in text and voice versions to make them easier to use. You can also create individual private channels on your server so that only people who are invited into those rooms can use them. On top of thatthe whole server can be either publicwhich anyone can joinor privatewhich makes it invite-only.
You can be a part of multiple servers at a timemaking Discord a hub for social interaction. You might have one private server for you and your friends specifically so you can coordinate before playing a game while also being a part of several public servers (we joined the local Pokémon Go Discord server to try to find people to raid withfor example). There’s no limit on how many servers you can be a part of. You can easily switch from server to server at will. The list of your servers is always displayed on the left side of the appand choosing your destination is simply a matter of clicking one or another.
Joining a server is as easy as clicking a link — thoughgenerally speakingyou need to be invited first. Many servers are public and available through Discord’s search function — for instancePokémon Go players in Los Angeles have a public “PoGo LA” server to coordinate playing the game in their cityand anybody can join it. Discord also has special verified servers — official servers created by game studios and other notable entities that serve as official community forums for fans to chat with each other and with game developers.
Creating a server of your own is also a snap. A vertical list along the left side of the app shows the servers you’re already inso you can switch between them easily. A Plus icon is the spot where you can make a server of your own. Give it a name and a photo to define itif you likethen select a server location that’s close to youand that’s it — now the server existsand Discord will generate a link that lets you invite other people to use it.
Once insideyour server will have lists for voice and text channels on the left side of the screen. You can quickly add and name new channels using the Plus icons near the top of each list. Each channel has various control settings as wellincluding the ability to make them private and invite-only and to choose who can create invite links.
Make friends on Discord
Like most other chat appsDiscord also supports the ability for you to create a list of “friends” who use the app that you can contact directly outside of any servers.
The easiest way to add friends to your list is by finding their names on servers you’ve already joined. You can right-click on a Username to find an Add friend button at the bottom of the screenwhich will send a friend request to that user. You can also click a Username and pull up that person’s User profilewhere another button is located for you to add the person as a friend.
It’s also possible to search for users and add them as friends. If you know their username and they’ve set their privacy settings to allow for searchyou can find them using the search field at the top-left of the screen. You can then add those public people as friends just by clicking on the photos of any user on the list.
You can also send friend requests directly from your friend list without doing a search. From your friend list in the Discord client programyou can click the blue Add friend button near the top-left side of the screen. That’ll bring up a field that lets you add the person’s username. Each Discord user has a “Display name” and a “Username”. If you’re having trouble finding a friendit could be due to you using their display namewhich does not have to be unique. Insteadask for your friend’s unique usernamewhich appears in small letter below the display name on their profile. This once had a four-digit signifierbut is now made of a unique string of characters.
Once you’ve got some friendsclicking their names on your friends list allows you to quickly open up a direct message feed with them or request video and voice calls. You can also set up a group video or voice chat with multiple friendseven without a server.
Connect accounts and build a profile
Discord lets you connect other social media accounts to the app (including but not limited to SteamTwitchTwitterSpotifyand Xbox) to make it easier to track down people you know and flesh out your user profile. Since the app combines private communications with public chat roomsconnecting accounts goes beyond the usual use of finding people you’re already friends with to connect to on Discord. It also makes it easier for people to know who you are in the real worldshould you so choose.
Connecting accounts is easy and works the same as with other chat or social media apps — mostly by just allowing you to connect by prompting you for your password for other accounts. The additional functionality of being able to find people you meet on Discord on other media portals has the added function of making Discord into more of a social network itself. If you’re using it to access public servers to find like-minded players in various gamesit can be a handy way to meet people.
If you’re more privacy-consciousyou can choose whether or not to have your connected social media accounts appear on your Discord profile by toggling the option within your settings. Additionallyif you decide to connect your Xbox account to Discordyou can have it display what game you’re playing in a status-like message in each server’s user list and within your profile.
How to text chat on Discord
As you start navigating servers and channelsyou can write text messages to anyone quickly and easily using the text field at the bottom of the Discord screen. There’s a lot more going on here than just knocking out quick messagesthough. You can drag GIFs and images into chat by dragging them into the text field or using the Upload button on the left side of the text window. If you want to edit or delete a message you’ve already sentsimply hover over the message and click the Pencil icon to editor click the Three dots button and select Delete.
Discord mods have the ability to set options for texting in their channels. One example of this is what user roles are allowed to post in a given Discord channel. Another example is slow mode. Slow mode is Discord is a setting that prevents individual users from spamming a channelmaking them wait a set amount of time between chat messages.
Text on Discord also supports Markdowngiving you quick and easy ways to alter the text in your Discord chats without having to learn actual coding. Markdown is especially useful for doing things like adding bolditalicsstrikethroughsspoiler alertsand other formatting to your text messages. It’s fairly easy to learnand Discord has a blog post explaining how it all works so you can elevate your text game. You can use Markdown to do things like strikethrough text in Discord messages.
If you don’t feel like learning Markdownfear not; you can still spruce up your text using Markdown. Just highlight the text you want to add Markdown toand a formatting bar will appear above the text input field. Select the formatting you want to applyand Discord will automatically insert the proper Markdown language. Thenhit Enter to send. You can use this method for specific formattingsuch as hiding spoilers in your Discord messages.
In addition to just textyou can use emotes on Discord to react to messages. All you need to do is click the smiley face with the Plus button to react to something you or someone else typed into the server. Using emotes can be a fun way to react to what your friends say or postwhether it be textphotoor video. Discord has also added super reactions. A Discord super reaction is a special animated emoji reaction that is primarily available to paid members.
How to voice chat on Discord
Voice chat on Discord is pretty easy. Entering a voice channel on a server automatically turns on your microphoneprovided you have a working one attached to your computer. You can also access voice chat by creating voice calls or group calls to friends by clicking the Phone icon on your Friends List.
Once you’re in voice chatDiscord offers some handy quick controls at the bottom of the voice chat window or channel window. Clicking the Microphone icon mutes your own mic instantlywhile clicking the Headphones icon activates “deafen.” That kills all incoming sound from Discordas well as mutes your microphone. You can also adjust your audio settings for voice chat and video in the Settings menuwhich is accessed by clicking the Gear icon. Getting out of a voice call or voice channel on a server requires you to hit the Hang up iconwhich is a phone with an arrow pointing down.
Bridging both methods of communicationDiscord has a text-to-speech option.
Control who you see and hear
Just because you share a server with someone doesn’t mean you have to listen to them. Discord includes all the social media- features that let you determine how you interact with people. Right-clicking a person’s name on the server list prompts a drop-down with a number of optionssuch as sending a private messageadding the person to your friend listinitiating a voice calland muting or blocking them. You can even adjust another user’s volume on your end if they’re too loud. Muting a user means you don’t hear their voice in a voice chatbut they can still hear you. Blocking someone prevents you from seeing their text messages; howeveryou will still hear them if you’re both in the same voice chat. You could also just appear offline in Discordor you could take steps to report the Discord user if they are behaving inappropriately.
When you’re an admin on a server — either because you created it or because the admin of a server you’re on gave you that power — you have even more control over undesirable people hanging around. Right-clicking names includes the ability to deafen users so they can’t hear anything from other users or banning them from a server outright.
If you don’t run the serveryou could always leave the Discord server if it’s becoming a hassle.
How to Stream on Discord
Discord also has a feature called Go Livewhich can be enabled by server owners to allow users to stream live gameplay to other users on the server. To “Go Live,” users simply need to click the Go Live button (the display with the arrow in it)found in the bottom left of the screen when connected to a voice chat and playing a game. Once you click the Go Live buttonyou will be able to select the game and start streaming it. You can also use Go Live to share your screen or a specific appwhich is great iffor exampleyou want to watch YouTube videos with other people.
Our guide on how to stream on Discord looks at this in more depth. It is also possible to stream Netflix on Discord if you want to watch TV with friends.
Once you or someone is streaming through Go Liveyou will see an indicator next to their name in the voice chat showing that they are liveat which point you can click Join stream to start watching. Discord allows people to stream in 720p at 30 frames per second1080p at 60 fpsand 4K at 60 fps — your quality option depends on the type of Discord account you have (a regular free accountNitro Basicor Nitrorespectively).
Note: You may have noticed a “Streamer Mode” option before. You do not need to use this to stream on Discord. Insteadstreamer mode is used to help streamers (on other serviceslike Twitch or Kick) protect their private infolike email addresses and connected accounts.
What is Discord Nitro?
While you can use Discord for freethe app also offers a paid subscription called Nitro Basic and Nitro. This adds access to a handful of additional featuresincluding the ability to use animated emotes (as well as use one server’s emotes on another)upload bigger filesstream in 4K using Go Liveand boost servers (which helps your favorite servers unlock more functionality and features for its users).
Every Nitro user is granted two boosts by default (though you can always purchase more)which they can use on any server they are in. Boosts are helpful to servers becauseas previously mentionedthey unlock functionality for everyone in the servertherefore allowing server owners to offer an even better experience.
Features that can be unlocked include more emote slots for the serverbetter audio quality for voice chatthe ability to customize your server with animated server icons and other graphicsa custom vanity URL to share with peopleand much more. If you’re interested in learning more about server boostsDiscord has produced a support article explaining all the detailssuch as how many boosts you need to unlock the three different levels and what functionality you can unlock at each level.
How to get the Discord app
Beyond going to the Discord website and using the program in your browserthere are a number of ways you can use the social platform in app formincluding on mobile. Here are our favorite ways to access the platform:
Discord mobile
It can be frustrating to use the same program on different devices and use entirely different layouts. LuckilyDiscord pulls everything together by using similar layouts and functionswhether you use it on your desktop or laptop; even the mobile apps on your phone and tablet will be intuitive to use. The good news here is that you don’t need to default to your computer when you want an update on your favorite group chat or gaming server. The mobile app can even video callstart discussionsinitiate voice callsand find thousands of servers across the platform.
Mobile Discord and Desktop Discord have the same vital tasks and are equally easy to navigate on any of your devices. When you’re away from your personal deviceyou can log in to your account via a browser and have immediate access to all of your conversations remotely.
Where do you get Discord?
Whether you want to use Discord on your desktop or laptop or access it through the webyou can get it on discordapp.com. If you want to use Discord on the goyou can download the app. There are versions for both Android and iOS phones and tablets. Go to the Google Play Store or the iTunes App Store to get the right app for your device. You can also use Discord on your Xboxand there is also a version of Discord for PlayStation 5.
