Messaging & calls app
Discord
Voice, video and text chat in servers built around games, hobbies and communities.
Discord is a chat app built around communities. A server is a group, such as a gaming clan, a fan community or a study group, made of text channels for messages and voice channels people drop in and out of. Direct messages, group chats, video calls and screen sharing work outside servers too.
Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy launched Discord in May 2015, aimed at people playing games together. It now covers every kind of hobby and community. Discord is free, and Nitro is an optional subscription for extras such as larger uploads. The more servers you join, the more notifications arrive, so setting busy servers to mentions only is usually the first change worth making.
01Is Discord free?
Discord is free: you can join servers, chat, call and share your screen without paying. Nitro and the cheaper Nitro Basic are optional monthly subscriptions that add larger file uploads, custom emoji everywhere, profile extras and higher quality streaming. Some servers also charge for their own subscriptions.
02How to start using Discord
- 1
Sign up at discord.com or in the app with an email address, a username and your date of birth. You must be at least 13, or older where the law in your country says so.
- 2
Install the Discord app on your computer and phone, or use it in a web browser.
- 3
Join a server from an invite link, or create your own with the + button in the server list.
- 4
Check your microphone and camera under User Settings, Voice & Video before your first call.
- 5
Right-click a busy server and choose Notification Settings to set it to Only @mentions.
03Is Discord safe?
Who can message you
Under User Settings, Content & Social, you can turn off direct messages from server members you do not know and filter messages from strangers.
Scam links and free Nitro
Messages offering free Nitro or asking you to scan a QR code are a common way to steal accounts. Discord never asks for your password in a message.
Two-factor authentication
Turn it on under User Settings, My Account. Some servers require it for moderators.
