Emily Bennett
How To Set Up a Community Server on Discord in 2025
Creating a Community Server on Discord can really boost your server’s functionality, especially if you’re trying to turn it into a public hub. It’s not just about having a space, but unlocking features like welcome screens, server insights, and announcement channels that actually help manage and grow your audience. Whether you’re a streamer, content creator, or part of an organization, a Community Server gives you the tools to keep things engaging and organized.
Step 1: Access Your Server Settings
Start by clicking on your server name in the top-left corner of Discord. This opens a dropdown menu. From there, select Server Settings. On some setups, this might be a little hidden behind a gear icon, but usually it’s right there.
Step 2: Enable Community Features
Scroll down within the Server Settings menu until you find the option to enable Community features. It’s usually a big button or toggle. Click it, then hit Get Started. Discord will run you through a quick setup wizard. Just follow along — it’s simple but kinda weird, since sometimes it doesn’t fully activate on the first try
Go to Server Settings > Community and click "Get Started"
Why it helps: toggling this on gives access to a suite of tools designed for larger, public-facing servers. This is what unlocks the real goodies like welcome screens, member screening, and insights.
When it applies: if your server is set for more than just friends and small groups — basically, if you want to grow or keep a professional vibe — this is the way in.
Expect: once enabled, you’ll see some new tabs and options around moderation and insights. Sometimes the button/link doesn’t seem to stick immediately, so don’t sweat it — just refresh or close and reopen Discord if needed.
Pro tip: On some setups, enabling Community features can be a bit finicky — so if it doesn’t seem to work, try toggling offline mode off, or run Discord as admin.
Step 3: Configure Community Options
After turning on the feature, it’ll prompt you to create rules, set up a welcome channel, and pick moderation options. Here’s where you get to make it your own. Sometimes Discord auto-suggests rules, but it’s worth customizing your own to keep the vibe clear.
Head over to Server Settings > Community > Member Screening
This is where you set up rules for new members before they join or post. It’s useful because it keeps spammers and bots in check and makes sure everyone’s on the same page.
Why it helps: which rules you set here can cut down on spam and bad behavior right from the start — especially useful for larger communities.
When to do it: right after you enable community functionalities — don’t delay or your server could get unwieldy fast.
Expect: moderating new members becomes easier. Newcomers will see your rules and have to accept them before chatting.
Step 4: Explore New Tools
With features turned active, you can dig into tools like Server Insights (which tells you who’s active, where they’re from, etc.), Membership Screening (for those rules), and customizing your Welcome Screen. The Welcome Screen is actually pretty neat because it automatically shows new members what to do when they join — so no more awkward wandering around your server.
Find these under Server Settings > Community
Why it helps: these tools let you understand how your community is growing, and keep engagement up without too much manual work.
When it applies: if your server grows beyond a handful of friends, these become pretty much essential.
What to expect: smoother onboarding, better moderation, and more control over who joins and how.
Step 5: Apply for Server Discovery
Long story short, if your server is big enough, you can apply to get on Discord’s discovery page. This means more visibility and likely more legit members. Usually, this is for servers with a decent number of members, active engagement, and complete community info.
Check your Server Settings > Community > Server Discovery
This isn’t something to do on a whim — it might take a couple of days for approval, and Discord’s got some requirements around rules and activity.
Pro tip: Make sure your server has a clear purpose and good rules, otherwise, your application might get denied.
Step 6: Enhance Community Safety
To keep your server safe and spam-free, turn on Verified Email (important) and use the Media Content Filter. Found under Server Settings > Moderation, this filters out NSFW or unwanted media. A little extra layer of security helps keep the vibe positive, especially as your server grows.
Go to Server Settings > Moderation and toggle on the media filter
Why it helps: spam, bots, and toxic media get filtered out before they even show up. It’s a defensive move that saves a lot of headache later on.
When it applies: critical when your server starts to get public attention.
Expect: less garbage floating around, and happier members.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
Sometimes, enabling Community features isn’t instant. It can be a little frustrating — maybe you get halfway through setup, then it stalls. Just give it a bit, sometimes a logout and login helps.
Also, remember to update your rules periodically, especially if your community changes direction. Engagement isn’t automatic, so keep chatting and organizing events.
Conclusion
These steps cover the essentials for turning a regular server into a proper Community Server that’s ready to grow and engage. Realistically, hitting all these marks might take some tinkering, but it’s worth it for the extra tools. Just make sure to keep an eye on those settings as your server evolves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of a Community Server?
It’s mainly about better moderation, more tools, and attracting members without doing everything manually. Plus, it looks more official.
Can I change the community settings later?
Totally. Just hop back into Server Settings > Community and tweak what needs tweaking.
Is there a limit to how many community servers I can make?
Nope. You can have as many as you want, but keep in mind that mixing different server themes in one account can get overwhelming fast.
Summary
- Enabling community features unlocks a lot of useful tools
- Make sure your server rules are clear and enforced
- Use the Member Screening and Welcome Screen to onboard members easily
- Apply for discovery if you’re big enough to get more eyes on your server
- Secure your server with media filters and verified emails
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Just something that worked on multiple machines. Fingers crossed this helps.