So you want to make a private Discord channel.
If you have a ton of members on your server, you might want to make a private channel.
For example, you can create an admin-only channel where only admins are allowed in it.
This will allow admins to chat with each other without normal members reading it.
If you have multiple roles in your Discord server, making a private channel is highly recommended as well.
This will decrease the number of chat messages in other channels.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to make a private Discord channel on Discord that is role-exclusive.
- How to make a private Discord channel
- What is a private channel on Discord?
- How do you access private channels on Discord?
How to make a private Discord channel
To make a private Discord channel, you need to make a new text or voice channel and enable “Private Channel”.
After the channel is created, you can add specific members or roles to it.
The “Private Channel” option will hide the channel from others except for the ones that you’ve added.
For example, if you’ve added the “Admin” role to the channel, only server admins will be able to join the channel.
Normal channel members will not be able to see the channel on the sidebar.
You can also add specific members to the private channel by their username.
Simply search for the member’s name and tap on “Add” to add them to the channel.
1. Add a channel on Discord mobile
Open Discord mobile > navigate to your server > tap on the “+” icon next to the type of channel that you want to create.
To begin with, open Discord on your mobile device.
You cannot use Discord on a desktop as the “Private Channel” option will not be available there.
After you’ve opened Discord, navigate to your server by tapping on its icon on the left sidebar.
On your server, you’ll see a “Text Channels” and a “Voice Channels” heading.
Depending on the type of channel that you want to make, tap on the “+” icon beside the heading.
For example, if you want to make a private text channel, tap on the “+” icon beside the “Text Channels” heading
On the other hand, if you want to make a private voice channel, tap on the “+” icon beside the “Voice Channels” heading
This will allow you to make a new Discord channel.
Proceed to the next step to learn how to make the Discord channel private.
2. Enable “Private Channel”
Choose a channel name > select a channel type > enable “Private Channel > Create.
After you’ve tapped on the “+” icon beside a channel heading, you’ll land on the “Create Channel” screen.
The “Create Channel” screen is where you can add your channel’s name.
You can also change your channel type to either a text channel or a voice channel.
In addition, you can make it a private channel.
Firstly, add a channel name under the “Channel Name” field.
Then, select the channel type that you want the channel to be (text/voice channel).
To make it a private channel, enable the “Private Channel” option.
You can do so by tapping on the switch beside “Private Channel”.
If you don’t enable the “Private Channel” option, your channel will be set to public.
So make sure that the option is enabled before you create it.
Lastly, tap on “Create” to create the channel.
By making the channel private, only selected members and roles will be able to view the channel.
In other words, other members in your server will not be able to see the channel on the server’s sidebar.
Proceed to the last step to learn how to add members or roles to your private channel.
3. Add members or roles
Welcome screen > Add members or roles > Search for the members or roles that you want to add to the channel > Add.
After you’ve made the private channel, you’ll land on the welcome page of it.
For example, if your channel name is “test”, you’ll see a “Welcome to #test!” message.
Under the welcome message, you’ll see a couple of options including “Add members or roles” and “Edit channel”.
Below those options, you’ll see who has access to the channel.
As the channel is set to private, you need to manually add members or roles to it.
To begin with, tap on the “Add members or roles” option.
Then, search for the members or roles that you want to add to the channel.
For example, if you only want to add admins to the channel, search for the admin role, select it, and tap on “Add”.
However, you have to create the role first before you can add it to the channel.
If you haven’t created roles yet, or if you just want to add members, you can search for the specific members by their username that you want to add instead.
After you’ve selected all the members that you want to add, tap on “Add” to add them to the channel.
Congrats, you’ve successfully learned how to make a private channel on Discord!
What is a private channel on Discord?
A private channel on Discord only allows selected members or roles to join it.
Members who are not added to the channel will not be able to see it on the server’s sidebar.
In other words, a private channel will be hidden from those who are not added to it.
If you have a large Discord server, creating private channels is a great way to have private conversations among selected members or roles such as administrators or moderators.
How do you access private channels on Discord?
You can only access private channels on Discord if you are added to it.
Private channels will be hidden from you until you are added to one.
You can differentiate between a public and a private channel by looking at the hashtag icon next to the channel’s name.
If the hashtag icon has a lock, that means that the channel is private.
On the other hand, if the hashtag icon does not have a lock, then the channel is public.
Conclusion
Discord private channels are a great way to have group conversations with selected roles or members.
If you have a bunch of staff members, creating a private channel is necessary to carry out important discussions.
This will prevent normal members of your server to intrude in the conversation.
Having multiple channels prevents your other channels from getting flooded with messages as well.
At the end of the day, if you own a mid to large Discord server, having a mix of public and private channels is a must.
Further Reading
How to Make a Public Discord Server (3 Easy Steps)
How to Add Reaction Roles on Discord (Self-Assign Roles!)
Why Is My Discord Invite Link Invalid or Expired?
Lim How Wei is the founder of Followchain. Feel free to follow him on Instagram.
