# How to create a Discord server A Discord server is a space for communities, teams or groups of friends to interact and collaborate. If you already have a Discord account, you can easily create a server and add different channels: text channels for messaging, voice channels for live chats, and topic channels to organize discussions around specific subjects. ## How to create a Discord server 1. Open the Discord app on your desktop or mobile device. 2. Log in to your Discord account. 3. Click the plus symbol on the left side. 4. Select **Create Server**. 5. Choose the name of your new Discord server. 6. Click **Create**. ## What is a Discord server? A Discord server acts as a community space for like-minded individuals. The app allows you to create public servers where you can share ideas, news and interests. In a server, you can **create multiple voice and text channels**, invite friends or fans, and chat using **voice and video calls**. Discord is especially popular among gamers, such as those with a [Valheim server](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/set-up-a-valheim-server/) or a [Minecraft server](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/setting-up-a-minecraft-server-with-a-dedicated-server/). It makes it easy to livestream multiplayer events and bring communities together. You can even create different **Discord servers based on specific topics** like movies, comics, games and music, so each community has its own channel(s). Tip Prefer TeamSpeak over Discord for messaging and voice chatting? Create a free [TeamSpeak server](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/teamspeak-server/) and use it to share interests or information instead. ## How to create a Discord server step by step Setting up a Discord server is simple and **free**. You can also opt for premium features like higher sound quality for all chat members by subscribing to Discord Nitro. Here’s how to create a free server: **Step 1:** Open the Discord app on your desktop or mobile device and log in to your Discord account with your **credentials**. **Step 2:** Click the **plus symbol to add a Server** in the menu on the left. If you have a lot of contacts, it may be further down. [![Image: Click the plus symbol in the Discord app](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/0/e/csm_discord-server-screenshot-1_39af2ab94a.webp "Click the plus symbol in the Discord app")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2025/discord-server-screenshot-1.jpg) Click the plus symbol in the left menu of the Discord app. **Step 3:** A window will open where you can choose to create a server from scratch or from a template. Click **Create My Own**. [![Image: Click “Create My Own” in the window that appears](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/8/e/csm_discord-server-screenshot-2_3e6a2e1847.webp "Click “Create My Own” in the window that appears")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2025/discord-server-screenshot-2.jpg) Click the “Create My Own” option in the window that appears. **Step 4:** Choose whether the server is for you and your friends or for an official club or community. You can also skip this step. [![Image: Specify who will use the server or skip the question](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/0/9/csm_discord-server-screenshot-3_8550ee64c3.webp "Specify who will use the server or skip the question")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2025/discord-server-screenshot-3.jpg) Choose whether the server is for personal use or a community, or skip this step. **Step 5:** A menu will appear where you can make initial changes to your server. After choosing a name and an image (optional), click **Create**. You can update these details at any time. [![Image: Give your server a name and click “Create”](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/d/f/csm_discord-server-screenshot-4_de37609a91.webp "Give your server a name and click “Create”")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2025/discord-server-screenshot-4.jpg) Give your server a name, upload an image and then click “Create.” **Step 6:** Your server is now ready to use. You can start inviting your friends right away. [![Image: You can now invite Discord friends and other users to the Discord server](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/8/c/csm_discord-server-screenshot-5_e3d085bde3.webp "You can now invite Discord friends and other users to the Discord server")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2025/discord-server-screenshot-5.jpg) Your Discord server is now ready to use, so start sending invitations. **Step 7:** To make changes to your Discord server, right-click its profile picture in the top left. This will open options like **Invite to Server** or **Mute Server**. You’ll also find the privacy and notification settings here. [![Image: Right-click the server profile picture to access the settings](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/e/1/csm_discord-server-screenshot-6_c86e7c4de1.webp "Right-click the server profile picture to access the settings")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2025/discord-server-screenshot-6.jpg) Right-click the server’s profile picture and use the settings menu to make changes to the server. **Step 8:** Under **General**, you can create various topic-specific voice and text channels for your server. To do this, click the **plus symbol** next to **Text channels** and **Voice channels.** [![Image: To add new channels, click the plus symbol next to “Text channels” and “Voice channels”](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/c/5/csm_discord-server-screenshot-7_e1c8064e77.webp "To add new channels, click the plus symbol next to “Text channels” and “Voice channels”")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2025/discord-server-screenshot-7.jpg) To add new channels, click the plus symbol next to “Text channels” and “Voice channels.” Tip You can also create one or more [Discord bots](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/creating-discord-bot/) for your server. Bots can welcome new members, play music as a [Discord music bot](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/discord-music-bot/), analyze data or send group messages automatically. ## Why is a Discord server worth creating? You can organize **group chats** without your own server, but they are limited to 10 participants per chat. With a Discord server, you can have up to 25 participants in a video chat at once. Plus, you can create up to 500 channels per server, making it the perfect solution for larger community meetups. This is a markdown version of: [https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/how-to-set-up-a-discord-server/](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/how-to-set-up-a-discord-server/) for AI/LLM consumption.