How to Make a Discord Server Private or Public

Discord does not have one switch that makes every part of a server private or public. To limit access, change role and channel permissions and control invite links. To let people join, share an invite and make at least one channel visible to new members. To appear in Discord’s Server Discovery, you also need a Community server that meets Discord’s eligibility rules.

Know which kind of visibility you want

These settings do different jobs:

• Invites determine who can join. Anyone with an active invite link may use it, so an unshared link is more controlled than a link posted publicly.
• Permissions determine which channels members can see and what they can do there. A member can join but see no channels if their roles do not grant access.
• Server Discovery can list an eligible Community server so people can find it in Discord. Enabling Community alone does not make a server publicly discoverable; Discord says people still need an invite unless the server qualifies for Discovery. See Discord’s guide to server types.

How to make a Discord server private

Discord’s recommended setup hides channels from the default @everyone role, then gives approved members a separate role with the access they need. This works on desktop or in a browser; the mobile app lacks the one-click permission-clearing control.

1. Open Server Settings > Roles and select @everyone. On desktop or browser, scroll to the bottom of the permissions list, choose Clear Role Permissions, and save. On mobile, turn off the permissions manually. The server creator retains access.
2. Create a role such as Member. Grant only the permissions that role needs—for example, View Channels and Send Messages—and leave Administrator off unless someone truly needs full control. Save the role.
3. Open Server Settings > Members and assign the role to each person who should see the server. New invitees may join but will not see channels until you give them an access role. Discord’s private-server instructions cover the same role-based setup.
4. Check category and channel permissions too. A channel-level override can grant @everyone access even when the server role is restricted. Make sure private categories are not synced to a public permission set, and limit Create Invite to trusted roles if members should not invite others.

To stop new people from joining, open Server Settings > Invites and pause invitations or remove links you no longer want active. If the server is listed in Discovery, open Server Settings > Community > Overview and disable Community if you no longer need its features. Discord’s current setup flow requires a Community server for Discovery, so the server will no longer qualify for that listing. Review the steps in its Discovery setup guide before changing Community settings. Community server invite links do not expire, so review them carefully. Discord’s invite guide explains how to pause or remove links.

How to make a Discord server public by invite

If you want anyone who has a link to join, you do not need to enable Community or Discovery. Choose a welcome channel, then allow @everyone to use View Channel there. You can keep other channels private by granting access only to specific roles. For a read-only welcome channel, leave Send Messages off for @everyone.

In that channel, select Create Invite, then Edit invite link to choose an expiration and maximum number of uses before copying the link. Discord shows seven days by default when you have not changed that channel’s invite settings; previously selected settings may carry over. Anyone with an active link can use it, so share it only where you intend. Community server invites do not expire.

Make your server discoverable in Discord

For a listing in Server Discovery, open Server Settings > Enable Community and complete the safety setup. Then open the Discovery settings and choose Set Up Discovery. Discord’s current Discovery requirements include at least 1,000 members, an age of at least eight weeks, activity requirements, clean server and channel names, safety settings, and the two-factor-authentication requirement for moderation. Meeting every requirement is necessary; turning on Community by itself will not list the server.

Hide or show the server profile

If you mean the server’s information card rather than channel access, open Server Settings > Server Profile on desktop or in a browser and use Private Profile. When enabled, the profile details are visible only to members who have joined. This setting does not control who can join or view channels. Discord says Discovery, the server widget, or an announcement channel can make profile details visible outside the server; you can turn Private Profile back on after disabling those features, except while the server remains in Discovery. See Discord’s Server Profile guide.

Protect a public server

Before sharing a link widely, assign trusted moderators, turn on AutoMod, set a verification level, and restrict mass mentions to trusted roles. If unwanted joins begin, pause invites while you respond. Discord lists these measures in its server raid-prevention guidance. Review the roles and channel overrides whenever you change how people can join.