Discord Bots help make your server more lively by adding additional features. Bots are typically either used for fun or moderation. Just like members, Discord bots will show up in the members list on the right. If your server has a lot of bots, then seeing them all on the right can be overwhelming, and look unprofessional.
There are a few different methods that allow you to hide bots in your Discord server. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. The primary objective is to give your server the most functionality possible without cluttering the side panel.
Hiding Bots Amongst Members
One way to hide bots in your server is to include them in the member section. Doing this will make them less noticeable. The more Discord members your server has, the harder it will be for people to notice the bots.
Start by making sure your bot roles aren’t set to be displayed separately. You can find this option in the roles menu. This will need to be done whether you’re using a universal bot role or individual roles for each bot.
Next, you want to ensure that your bots are displayed alongside the members of your server. If you have a specialized member role, then you will need to assign this role to the bots. For those that don’t have a member role, you won’t need to assign any special roles. Be sure that the Discord bots all still retain their bot roles to keep functionality.
Now your bots will be displayed amongst other members. A full server will make the bots blend in better, so they go unseen.
Hiding Feature and Game Discord Bots
An alternative method for hiding bots is to use two bot roles. This won’t allow you to hide all of the bots in your server, however, it removes the feature bots from being displayed at the top of the member list.
1. Start by creating a universal bot role. The role should have all of the permissions that you’d like bots to have. This will be the only role a bot needs to function correctly. Ensure to enable the “Display role members separately” option.
2. Move your new Bot role near the top of the roles list. This gives the bots control over any of the lower roles. Typically a bot role is placed below any admin or moderator roles.
3. Some bots create their own roles when they’re added to the server. Feel free to elete all of the bot roles you didn’t create. The universal role will replace these individual roles.
4. Create a Members role if you don’t already have one. This role should be given to all members of the Discord server.
5. Set the new Members role to be displayed separately. Typically a member role has little or no permissions set. It is recommended that members are given permissions through the channel settings.
6. Create a second bot role, with the same permissions as the first. Make sure this role doesn’t have too much power, such as the ability to kick or ban. It is a good idea to give both the Bot roles the same color.
7. Place the new Bot role near the bottom of the roles list. Be sure that it is under your new member role.
8. Head to the Members tab in the server settings.
9. Moderation bots require permissions over other roles to work properly. Give any moderation bot the first bot role. This is the role at the top of the list.
Be sure to give the second bot role to any feature or game bot. These bots don’t need permissions over other members, keeping them lower on the list doesn’t affect their functionality.
10. Give all of your server members your new Member role. If you already had a role set up, then you won’t need to perform this step.
Now only your moderation bots will be seen at the top of the server. Typically only a few of these bots are used, minimizing the number of bots users will see. The feature and game bots will still be visible, however, they will be shown below the Members heading. Once you have grown your Discord server, these bots won’t actively be seen in your server, as they’re further down the list.
Hiding Discord Bots with Permissions
When you select a text channel in your server, you will see all of the members that have access to that channel. Users who do not have permission to see the channel will not be shown. This gives you the ability to hide bots from being seen in specific text channels. You can use this with the previous method to hide specific groups of bots. This should only be done for Ychannels you don’t want the bots to use.
1. Select a text channel or category that you want to hide bots in.
2. Click the gear icon to open the channel settings. You can also open the settings by right clicking and choosing to Edit channel.
3. Switch to the Permissions tab. This is where you set any channel-specific permissions for individuals or members with certain roles.
4. Press the plus icon next to the Roles / Members text.
5. Select the bot role or the bot you want to hide.
6. Make sure you’re on the selected role, then disable the ability to “View Channel” and save changes. This will hide the Discord bot from being shown in the channel. Any user that doesn’t have permission to view the channel won’t show up in the member’s list when the channel is selected. These members also won’t be able to see the channel on the server.
Final Thoughts
While Discord doesn’t currently offer a way to hide bots in your server, there are several workarounds. Hiding Discord Bots can be done in individual channels, or the server as a whole. Creating universal bot roles gives you the ability to control all of your Discord bots easily. Controlling bot roles allows you to hide the bots amongst members. Having two separate bot roles allows you to hide feature and game bots at the bottom of the member list.
