How to Make a Thread on Discord (Public and Private)

Threads are Discord's way of letting a side conversation grow without taking over the whole channel. They sit inside the channel, people join the ones they care about, and they tidy themselves away when things go quiet.

Here's how to start one, how private threads work, and the settings and limits from Discord's own Threads FAQ.

Steps to create a thread

1. Open the text channel where the conversation is happening.
2. Hover over the message you want to start the thread from.
3. Click the three dots that appear.
4. Click Create Thread.
5. Add a title if you want one. It's optional.
6. Type your message and send it. The thread is now live and others can join.

Why you can't see Create Thread

Threads are controlled by server permissions. If you don't see the option, the server owner or a moderator hasn't given your role the right one. Discord uses four thread permissions:

Permission	What it allows
Send Messages in Threads	Taking part in threads only, not every channel
Create Public Threads	Starting threads anyone with access to the channel can see
Create Private Threads	Starting threads only mentioned people can access
Manage Threads	Renaming, deleting, closing, opening, locking and slow mode, plus viewing private threads

If you run the server, giving a role Create Public Threads is usually all people need. Here's how to make roles on Discord if you haven't set them up yet.

Make a private thread

Private threads are only available on servers at Boost Level 2, and you also need the Create Private Threads permission.

1. Open the Threads menu at the top of the channel, or the attachment menu in the chat bar.
2. Make sure Private Thread is switched on.
3. Mention the people or roles you want to invite with an at sign.

You can invite more people later by mentioning them, even after the thread's been created.

Edit a thread's settings

Tap the three dots at the top of the thread and choose Edit Thread. You can change:

• Thread name, to set or change the title.
• Slowmode, so people can only send one message per interval. It's off by default and can be set from 5 seconds up to 6 hours.
• Hide After Inactivity, which closes the thread automatically. The default is 3 days, and you can set 1 hour, 24 hours or 7 days instead.

Close, reopen or delete

Action	How	What happens
Close	Three dots, Close Thread	It's tucked away but not deleted
Auto close	Happens after inactivity, 3 days by default	Clears clutter from the channel sidebar
Reopen	Type in the thread, or three dots, Open Thread	It appears in the channel's Threads tab again
Delete	Three dots, Delete Thread (needs Manage Threads)	Gone for good, and Discord Support can't restore it

One thing to watch: if a moderator closes and locks a thread, only people with moderator permissions can reopen it. And deleting is permanent, so close a thread rather than delete it unless you're sure. If you're cleaning up messages rather than whole threads, see how to delete messages on Discord.

Find, join and leave threads

• Use the Threads button at the top of a channel to browse every thread in it.
• On desktop and browser, hover over the channel name in the sidebar and click See All.
• To join, open a thread and type a message, or tap the three dots and choose Join Thread.
• To leave, tap the three dots at the top right of the thread and choose Leave Thread.

Limits worth knowing

Discord's FAQ answers the questions that come up once a server gets busy:

• A thread can have up to 1,000 members added to it.
• Mentioning a small role in a thread adds every member of that role who can view it, but the role must have fewer than 100 members.
• Only 10 roles can be mentioned per message.
• Searching a channel includes results from all its threads.
• Threads work on iOS and Android as well as desktop.

You can also set each thread's notifications to all messages, mentions only or nothing, which helps when you've joined a lot of them.

Threads versus a new channel

Discord's own description is that threads let several topics in one channel grow in their own space for a while, without committing to a new channel for the server. That's the test I'd use.

• Start a thread for a topic that's taken off in the middle of a busy channel.
• Make a new channel for something people will come back to for weeks.
• Use a thread when you want the conversation to tidy itself away once it goes quiet.

Slow mode is worth using on popular threads, too. Once it's on, each person can only send one message per interval you choose, which keeps a heated thread readable.

My advice

Start a thread whenever a side topic starts drowning out the main channel. Give it a clear title so people know whether to join, leave the 3-day auto close on, and close threads rather than deleting them. If you run the server, check your roles have Create Public Threads, because that's the reason most people can't find the button.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a thread on Discord?

Hover over a message, click the three dots and choose Create Thread. Add an optional title, type your message and send it.

Why can't I create a thread on Discord?

You need the Create Public Threads permission in that server. If your role doesn't have it, the option won't appear.

Can I make a private thread on Discord?

Yes, on servers at Boost Level 2 if you have the Create Private Threads permission. Turn on Private Thread and mention the people you want to invite.

When do Discord threads close automatically?

After 3 days of inactivity by default. You can change it to 1 hour, 24 hours or 7 days in Edit Thread.

Can a deleted Discord thread be recovered?

No. Discord says a deleted thread can't be recovered and its Support team can't restore it.