Discord is a communications platform that enables you to build meaningful connections around the joy of playing games through voice, video and text features. People use Discord daily to talk about many things, including topics like art projects, family trips, homework, and mental health support. It's a home for communities of any size, but it's most widely used by small and active groups of people who talk regularly.
People love Discord because it’s a home for so many of their communities and groups of friends. It's a place where they can be themselves and spend time with other people who share their interests and hobbies. Conversations on Discord are driven by the people you choose and the topics you choose to talk about.
The vast majority of servers are smaller, invite-only spaces for groups of friends and communities to stay in touch and spend time together. There are also larger, public communities, generally centered around specific topics such as popular games like Minecraft and Fortnite. Users have control over whom they interact with and what their experience on Discord is.
The platform is available on desktop, mobile devices, web browsers, and gaming consoles, allowing seamless communication across all your devices.
Discord Features & Glossary
Server: Customizable spaces where communities gather. Most are small and invitation-only, though some larger communities exist around specific topics.
Channel: Text and voice areas within servers dedicated to specific topics. Server owners can set custom rules beyond Discord's Community Guidelines.
Direct Message (DM): Private one-on-one conversations with voice, video, and screen-sharing capabilities.
Group DM (GDM): Private group conversations with up to 25 participants total.
Activities: Games and interactive experiences you can launch directly in Discord with friends, from chess to collaborative whiteboards.
App Launcher: Discover and launch apps, games, and activities without leaving Discord.
Go Live: Stream your screen or gameplay to friends in servers or DMs.
Shop: Purchase avatar decorations, profile effects, and nameplates to personalize your profile.
Quests: Optional rewarded tasks where users can earn rewards such as decorations or in-game items by engaging with ad content and sponsored games.
Server Tags: Display your favorite server next to your username across Discord.
Nitro: Premium subscription offering enhanced features like higher quality streaming, larger file uploads, custom emotes, and exclusive Shop items.
Server Boosts: Upgrades that give servers special perks like better audio quality and custom invite links.
Safety First: Built With Teens in Mind
Discord prioritizes user safety with multiple layers of protection:
Teen Safety Assist
Launched to protect teen users, Teen Safety Assist includes:
Safety Alerts: When a teen receives a DM from a user for the first time, Discord will detect if a safety alert should be sent to the teen for this DM. The safety alert will encourage them to double check if they want to reply, and will provide links to block the user or view more safety tips to safeguard themselves.
Sensitive Content Filters: These image-based media filters detect sexually mature or graphic media automatically and blocks or blurs that piece of content. Your default content filter settings and ability to change your settings may depend on your region and age group.
Other Safety Features
Educational Resources: In-the-moment guidance and tips for handling unwanted interactions
From a parent in North Carolina:"There are four of us and we all have Discord installed on both our computers and phones. My oldest son is in an apartment, and the younger one is on campus, so we use Discord to make family plans. From dinner's ready to internships and job offers. I can't imagine life without it."
From a high school student in California:"Using Discord brought us closer together as a class. The different channels and @mentions make it much easier to keep information straight. Screenshare makes it even easier, so we can show each other documents or problems we're working on to get feedback."
From a tutor in New Jersey:"I use Discord to tutor my students and stay connected with other teachers interested in physics education research. The audio quality is excellent, and the screen-sharing features make teaching seamless."
