Discord has two primary types of permissions; role and channel. Role permissions control what a member can do across the entire server. Channel permissions control what a member can do in a specific text or voice channel.
The easiest way to set up Discord permissions is to set most permissions through channels and categories. Only Admin, Moderator, and Friend roles will need server permissions outside of channels.
Discord Category Permissions Explained
Discord categories also have permissions that can be set. The category permissions have all of the voice and text channel options. When a channel is synced to a category the permissions are replaced with that of the category.
Permission Settings Guide
Discord role permissions have two settings; enabled and disabled. When a permission is enabled the switch is green, and grey when disabled.
On the other hand, channels have three permission settings; enabled, disabled, and neutral. The tick is enabled, slash is neutral, and the cross is disabled. The neutral option will follow the existing permissions from either the server, channel or another role.
How Discord Permissions Work
- Server role permissions control what people can do in the entire server.
- Channel permissions will always overwrite server permissions.
- Default channel permissions will always be overwritten by role permissions on the same channel.
- Allowed channel permissions will always overwrite disallowed permissions, regardless of the role hierachy.
- The color of the higher role will always take precedence, unless no color is selected.
- A member will always be displayed in their highest rated category in the member list, provided the display roles separetly option is enabled.
- Category permissions only take affect if the channel is synced.
- If a channel is synced to a category then you can change the permissions through the category settings.
How to Create Roles in Discord
- Click on the server title and open the server settings.
- Switch to the roles page.
- Click “Create Role”.
Role Order
The order of roles in your server affects the permissions. The roles work in a hierarchical manner, with roles at the top of the list having power over the roles beneath.
In some cases, the hierarchy will overrule permissions. This will prevent anyone from being able to kick or ban members with a higher rank.
It is best to order your server roles by importance and power, with the administrator or owner role at the top.
Discord roles can be moved by rearranging by clicking on the left side and dragging them into position.
Server Owner
There can only be one legitimate owner of a Discord server. The owner will have complete access to the server, regardless of the roles and permissions set. Typically the server owner is the person that created the server, however, server ownership can be transferred. Only the owner can delete or transfer ownership of a server.
The server owner will have a crown next to their name in the member list. However, if the owner has a role then the crown may not be visible.
Default Role Permissions (@everyone)
Discord has default permissions that are given to everyone in the server from the moment they join. The default permissions are displayed as the everyone role. For most Discord servers you will want to clear all of the default permissions. Setting up channels in your server becomes a lot easier without any default server permissions set.
Admin Role Permissions
The only permission that you need to enable for the Admin role is the administrator permission. The administrator permission gives complete control over the server, allowing anyone with the role to add bots and make significant changes to the server. Be sure to only give the Admin role to people you trust.
Moderator Role Permissions
- Timeout Members
- View Audit Logs
- Change Nickname
- Manage Nicknames
- Mention Everyone
- Manage Messages
- Mute Members
- Deafen Members
- Move Members
- Use Application Commands (Optional)
- Kick (Not Recommended)
- Ban (Not Recommended)
Friend Role Permissions
- Move Members
- Change Nickname
Member Role Permissions
For the member role, we recommend clearing all of the permissions. People with the member role are the general members in the server, and shouldn’t be given too much power. The member permissions are better to be given through channels, only enabling basic settings needed to use the channel.
Muted Role Permissions
A muted role is a popular alternative punishment for members that aren’t following the rules. When a member is given the muted role they will lose the ability to send text messages and talk in voice channels. Some muted roles will completely prevent members from joining a voice channel.
Role permissions for the muted role will need to be blank, to ensure that no unwanted permissions are given. The ability to send messages, speak or connect will need to be disabled on every channel, or category.
How to Fix the Muted Role
Muted roles require other permissions to be set correctly to work. This is primarily because enabled permissions will take precedence over disabled permissions. To fix the muted role you will need to ensure that the send messages and speak permissions aren’t enabled for each channel on other roles..
Color Roles
Color roles are a popular way to customize your Discord server. With color roles, members can choose a preset color for their name to be in the server. To assign color roles you will want to use a reaction role system.
Color roles are purely cosmetic and don’t provide any permissions in the server. In order for color roles to work the roles will need to be above any other role the member has in the server. To prevent moderators from having issues punishing members these roles will have to be below the moderator role.
Ping Roles
Ping roles are self-assignable roles that allow members to opt-in to specific server notifications. To ensure that ping roles don’t affect any existing roles you will want to place them at the bottom, just above the default permissions.
Best Discord Channel Permission Settings
Most Discord channels can use the same default permissions. The best practice is to set all of the allowed and disallowed settings through the default permissions. You can then make role-specific adjustments as needed.
Disabling the view channel permission allows you to choose which roles have access to a channel. Simply add the role and turn on the view channel permission. This will allow you to make channels that all roles can use, and channels that only specific roles can use.
Enabling the view channel option, but disabling the send messages option will allow a member to view the channel, but not participate.
How to Lock a Channel on Discord
- Open the server permissions for the channel.
- Click the plus icon and add a role you want to see the lock.
- Enable the view channel permission.
- Disable the connect permission.
- Save changes, and repeat for other roles.
Final Thoughts
While Discord permissions can be confusing, they are vital when creating a server. Once you understand the basics of permissions and how they work it can be easy to customize your Discord server as you like. The easiest method is to control most Discord roles through channel permissions to avoid confusion with server permissions. By using channel permissions you can quickly solve any issues without having to switch to the server role permissions.
