How to Set Up a Discord Server
The steps below show you how to set it up using a Mac, but the steps are similar for all platforms, even if button placement differs slightly from platform to platform.
If you already have servers set up and signed in, you’ll find them on the far left. Below that, click +. If you are a brand new user of Discord, when you first open the app, you’ll be taken right away to the screen shown in step 2. Click Create a server. Type a name for the server, then click Create. Click Invite next to any Discord friends to invite them to the server. At the bottom, you’ll find a unique Discord invitation link. If your friends are not on Discord already, you can copy that link and send it to them in a message. Optionally, you can click Edit invite link, and you can set a different expiration date for the link and cap the number of times people can use the link. Lifewire/Adam Doud
That’s it! You have now created a Discord server. Before your friends start showing up and making a mess of the place, you can assign roles to different server members.
How to Make Roles in Discord
Roles in Discord are essential to make sure that you have some amount of control over your server. You can set as many types as you like. Typically, you’ll find roles like Administrator, Moderator, Member, and others like that. Each has its own set of permissions for actions they’re allowed and not allowed to take.
To set up roles in your Discord server, right-click the icon for your server in the bar to the left. You can also get into settings by clicking on the icon for your server and clicking the down arrow next to your server name. Click Server Settings > Roles. By default, all servers have one role called @everyone, which lets you assign permissions to all server members. To add a role, click the + next to Roles. Change the name under Role name. From there, you can change any permissions you’d like for the new role. Once done, click Save Changes at the bottom of the screen. Discord will not allow you to close the new role box until you have saved your name and permissions.
You can set up multiple roles and different permissions for each one this way. The @everyone role will be the default role for new members as they join the server.
How to Assign Roles to New Users
When a new user accepts your invitation, they’ll automatically be assigned the @everyone role. You can change their role right from the list of users on the right.
Click the name of person whose role you want to change. Click the + under No Roles. Select the role you want to assign.
Managing Roles in Discord
You may decide at some point that you’re micromanaging your users too much. You can easily delete the roles you created in Discord.
Right-click the server icon on the left. Click Server Settings > Roles. Click the role you want to delete and scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen. Click Delete. You can only delete the roles that you created. You cannot remove those created by bots. If the delete button is missing, a bot likely made it.
Some Notes About Roles
There are some essential things to know about roles in Discord. Users can have multiple roles. For example, a user can be a moderator and an admin. Each one can grant different permissions depending on what you set. If a user has no assigned roles, they’ll get the permissions assigned to the @everyone role.
Roles can only be manually assigned to users one user at a time. If you remove one with 900 users and then change your mind, you’ll need to reassign 900 users one at a time. Bots can help with this. Some services that integrate with Discord, like Patreon, use bots to auto-assign roles to users.
