To make a Discord server, open Discord on your computer or browser, click the Add a Server icon in the left sidebar and choose Create My Own or a template. Pick For a club or community or For me and my friends, give it a name and an optional icon, then click Create. It takes a couple of minutes.
The quick part is creating it. The part that decides whether people stay is what you do next: channels, roles and invites. Discord's own setup guide covers all of it, and I've pulled out what a first-time owner needs.
Here's the step-by-step, the two server types and which to choose, and a sensible order to set things up in.
Steps to create your server
- Open the Discord desktop app or Discord in your browser.
- Find the Add a Server icon in the left sidebar.
- Select Create My Own, or choose one of the templates.
- If you're creating your own, choose For a club or community, or For me and my friends.
- Name your server and add a server icon if you have one.
- Click Create.
Templates are worth a look if you're not sure what channels you need, because they give you a starting point instead of a blank server.
Friend server or community server?
| Type | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Friend server | Close friends and smaller groups | A private, invite-only space for chatting and organising |
| Community server | Larger groups around a shared interest | Extra moderation and growth tools on top |
Discord lists the extra tools community servers come with:
- Server Insights, to see activity, growth and engagement.
- Raid Protection against spam, bot attacks and disruptive behaviour.
- Rules and Onboarding to welcome and screen new members.
- A Welcome Screen for newcomers.
- Server Discovery, so people can find you, if you're eligible.
If it's for your business audience, a course group or a fan community, the community route makes moderation much easier as you grow.
Set up your channels
Channels are how a server stays organised. Discord offers three main types:
- Text channels, for messages, file sharing and ongoing discussion.
- Voice channels, for voice and video, from meetings to casual hangouts.
- Forum channels, for topic-based posts that don't overlap. These are only available on Community servers.
Then use the extras to keep it tidy: categories to group channels, drag and drop to reorder them, channel permissions to control who sees what, role-only channels for private groups, threads to keep side chats organised and polls for quick decisions. A dedicated announcements channel is a good early one, and here's how to make an announcement channel on Discord.
Add roles before you invite people
Discord calls roles and permissions the cornerstone of moderation. Roles let you create different member levels with their own permissions, such as moderators, members and new joiners. Set these up before you open the doors, so the right people can moderate from day one. My guide to making roles on Discord walks through it.
Other owner tools Discord points to: the Members page for an overview of members, roles and activity, Verification Levels to control who can send messages, and pruning to remove inactive members.
Invite people
You need to be the owner or have permission to create and manage invites. Discord offers several kinds:
| Invite type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Instant invite | A one-click link straight into your server |
| Custom invite link | A personalised link that's easier to remember |
| Temporary invite | Expires after a set time or number of uses |
| Permanent invite | Never expires, so use it with care |
For a public community, I'd use temporary invites at first. If a link ends up somewhere you didn't intend, it stops working on its own.
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A sensible setup order
- Create the server and choose the type.
- Add a few clear channels, not dozens.
- Set up roles and permissions.
- Write your rules and, on a community server, turn on onboarding.
- Create an invite and share it with your first members.
Growing beyond a small group
As servers grow, Discord's advanced features come in, many through Server Boosting or by meeting the requirements for Community servers. You can also add a member application to screen people before they join.
Three ways to invite friends
- Open your server and click the Instant Invite icon next to a channel name. You'll get a link plus buttons to send it to recent DMs.
- Right-click a friend's icon anywhere in Discord and choose Invite to Server. They get the invite as a DM.
- Copy the invite link and paste it anywhere. If they're new to Discord, they'll be guided through setting up an account.
A detail worth using: each channel has its own invite link, and people land in whichever channel the link came from every time they open the server. Send links from your welcome or rules channel so newcomers start there. You need the Create Instant Invite permission to see a server in the Invite to Server menu.
Moderation from day one
Verification Levels are the easiest early win. They control who can send messages and take part in your server, so new accounts can't arrive and spam straight away. Pair them with a members page check every so often, and prune inactive members once the server's been running a while.
My advice
Start small. Three or four channels, two or three roles and clear rules beat a server with thirty empty channels. Decide early whether it's a friend server or a community, because the community tools make a big difference once strangers start joining.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a Discord server?
Click the Add a Server icon in the left sidebar, choose Create My Own or a template, pick who it's for, name it, add an optional icon and click Create.
What's the difference between a friend server and a community server on Discord?
Friend servers are private, invite-only spaces for smaller groups. Community servers are for larger groups and add tools like Server Insights, Raid Protection, onboarding and a Welcome Screen.
Can I use forum channels on any Discord server?
No. Discord says forum channels are only available for Community servers.
Who can create invites to a Discord server?
The server owner, or anyone with permission to create and manage invites.
Do Discord invite links expire?
Temporary invites expire after a set time or number of uses. Permanent invites never expire.
