The main part of any Discord server is its channels. Without them, members wouldn’t be able to interact with each other. In this post, we’ll go over the different types of Discord channels and how you can create each channel.
If you’re stumbling across this blog and don’t know how to use Discord, check out this post!
Discord Essentials — How to get started with Discord | by omega | Jul, 2022 | Medium
The Basics
Inside of a Discord server, there exist both channels and categories. They might sound similar, however they each perform very different functions.
- Channel — A place where users can talk with voice and video, chat using text, or view important announcements posted by a server staff member.
- Category — Essentially a “parent” to a Discord channel. Clicking on the category will expand/retract all of the channels in it.
Essentially, the Discord channel system operates like this:
The Discord client is the parent to servers. A server is the parent to categories. A category is the parent to channels. Last but not least, a channel is the parent to a thread.
Types of Discord Channels
- Direct Message — These channels are not server channels but are channels between two people. Because of this, they can’t be created in a Discord server.
- Group DM — Like a direct message channel, a group dm channel is between multiple people and thus can’t be created in a Discord server.
- Guild Text — These channels are a form of server channel, which means you can create them in your Discord server. In this channel, users with the correct permissions can send messages.
- Guild Voice — A generic voice channel that allows users with permission to speak and listen to other users. In voice channels, people with the correct permissions can share their screen and turn on their webcam.
- Guild Thread — Similar to a text channel, a thread channel is a channel specifically for talking to other users via text. Users with the correct permissions can create a thread channel by themselves based off of a message in the main channel. Refer to above for the structure of thread channels and regular channels.
- News Channel — Similar to a text channel, a news channel is a channel specifically made for sending announcements. Users can follow news channels and cross post the posted content into their own server.
- Stage Channel — Similar to a voice channel, a stage channel is specifically made for hosting events with an audience. In a stage channel, only certain people will be able to talk. These speakers are set by the stage moderators, who control the flow of conversation and topic.
NOTE: Channels highlighted in BOLD are only available in Community Servers. I will be making a post on Community Servers soon!
Creating a Discord Channel
You can create a Discord channel from multiple places.
OPTION 1:
Next to a category name is a small “+” symbol. Click that to start the channel creation process.
OPTION 2:
Click on your Discord server name to open a dropdown menu. From that menu, you can click on the “Create Channel” label to start the channel creation process. Alternatively, you can create a category by clicking the “Create Category” label.
OPTION 3:
Right click on any empty space in your Discord server’s channel list. Doing so will open up a menu in which you can create either a channel or category.
Every single option will bring up the same menu.
From here, you can set your channel name and your channel permissions. If you choose not to tick the “Private Channel” option, your channel will be created right away.
If you did make the channel to be a private channel however, you’ll be brought to a new menu in which you choose who and what roles can view the channel.
Clicking on a role or member will select it, changing the blue “Skip” button into a blue “Create Channel” button. If you click it, your channel would be created.
It’s important to note that you can change all of the properties concerning any channel in your Discord server at any time!
There you have it! You can now set up as many channels as you want on your Discord server! If you’re looking to have some fancier channel names such as…
Keep an eye out for a post on how to prettify your Discord server!
If you’ve ever wondered how you can create your own Minecraft server and even make profits from it, check out this blog series!
How to make a Minecraft Server — An Introduction | by omega | Jul, 2022 | Medium
Thank you for reading. Feel free to comment below any topics that you’d like to see added to the “Discord Essentials” blog series!
