Roles help you to manage your server and delegate tasks. Here we explain step by step how to make and assign roles in Discord.

What are Discord roles?

Discord has been so much more than an online service for gamers for quite a while now. Thanks to its numerous cus­tomiza­tion options, the platform has achieved pop­u­lar­i­ty beyond the gaming community and is now used by companies, brands and media pro­fes­sion­als alike.

The server makes it easy to com­mu­ni­cate with your target audience and offers many options that a lot of Discord al­ter­na­tives simply don’t.

If you’ve already set up a Discord server that your community uses, it’s a good idea to dis­trib­ute the re­spon­si­bil­i­ty across several shoulders and assign personal roles to your Discord users.

These roles primarily define what per­mis­sions in­di­vid­ual users have. This not only creates a hierarchy within your community, but also increases security and improves in­ter­ac­tion. You can define which par­tic­i­pants are allowed to see certain content, create Discord bots and hand over some of the re­spon­si­bil­i­ty for the server to trusted members. This allows you to create a func­tion­al, multi-layered and re­spect­ful en­vi­ron­ment for all your members. We’ll explain how to make and assign Discord roles step by step below.

What are the different roles?

A special feature of Discord is its cus­tomiz­abil­i­ty. This also applies to roles. You decide which roles you want on your server and what per­mis­sions each role has. You can name the roles according to your needs, allowing you to establish a structure that is best suited to your server. It’s also possible for one member to have several roles.

How to make roles in Discord step by step

Before you can assign personal roles to Discord members, you have to create and define the roles first. To do this, follow the steps below:

  1. Log in to Discord with your account. If you haven’t signed up to Discord yet, you can find out how to do so in our Digital Guide.
  2. Now select the server that you want to make the Discord roles for.
  3. Now click on the server name to open the server menu.
  4. Access the server settings.
  5. On the left-hand side, you’ll find the Roles tab. Select this tab.
  6. You can now search for roles or make a new role. If you are making changes to a new server, you’ll initially only find a role called @everyone. This defines per­mis­sions for all members, meaning there is no hierarchy or sub­di­vi­sion. Now, click on the plus sign at the top to open a drop-down menu.
  7. At this point, you need to give your new role a name. Tech­ni­cal­ly, you can name it whatever you want. However, it’s best to choose names that your community un­der­stands as this increases ac­cep­tance.
  8. You also have the option of assigning colors to roles. This can provide a better overview. Members or roles with certain au­tho­riza­tions can be im­me­di­ate­ly iden­ti­fied by the assigned colors.
  9. Finally, assign different per­mis­sions to the newly created role. If the cor­re­spond­ing role should receive a specific au­tho­riza­tion, move the slider to the right. This will turn the back­ground green. If the role shouldn’t receive the au­tho­riza­tion, leave the slider on the left with a gray back­ground. It’s best to plan which rights you want to grant and deny in advance. This way, you retain control over your server, but also are able to give re­spon­si­bil­i­ty to others.
  10. When you are finished with your settings, save the role. If you would like to make further roles for Discord, repeat the steps above.

How to assign roles in Discord

You now have defined roles and can assign them to in­di­vid­ual users. To do this, simply follow these steps:

  1. Access the server settings.
  2. Click on Members.
  3. Now select the member that you would like to assign a role to.
  4. You will find a plus sign under the member’s name. Click on it to open a drop-down menu.
  5. All available roles will be displayed, and you can select the desired role by simply clicking on it.

How to au­to­mat­i­cal­ly assign roles with a bot

Although the method described above is very practical, it has to be carried out manually. This is sometimes time-consuming, es­pe­cial­ly with large com­mu­ni­ties. At the same time, it’s important for new members to receive roles and per­mis­sions from the start so that they feel at home. But it’s also important to make sure they don’t receive ad­min­is­tra­tive rights.

Another option you have is to assign Discord roles au­to­mat­i­cal­ly. This is done with a Discord bot. A popular option is the Dyno Bot. To use this bot, follow the steps below:

  1. First go to the official Dyno Bot website.
  2. Here you can choose whether you want to add the bot to the server (Add To Server) or log in with Discord (Join us on Discord). Choose one of the options and then upload the bot to your server.
  3. A new menu will open where you can define the bot’s au­tho­riza­tions. Make your selection and click Authorize.
  4. The roles are assigned via the dashboard on the website. Select the Modules tab and enable Autoroles using the slider.
  5. Click on Autoroles in the menu and then on Settings.
  6. You can now select which role the bot should assign to new members. To do this, click on the relevant role and then on Add. From now on, when someone joins your server, they will au­to­mat­i­cal­ly receive a role. You can change these roles manually if necessary.

Which roles make sense?

As already mentioned, you can make and name the roles on your server whatever you’d like. There are a few roles that are popular on Discord and that you can use as a guide (at least in the beginning). These include:

Server owner

The person who created and manages the server should have all per­mis­sions. They are able to make settings, delete members and assign roles, among other things. The owner is at the top of the hierarchy.

Ad­min­is­tra­tor

An ad­min­is­tra­tor supports the owner when it comes to man­age­ment and is also given extensive rights that affect the server, the members and all settings. This role should only be given to one person or a small set of people who are in close contact with the owner and can be trusted. For smaller com­mu­ni­ties, this role is often not necessary.

Moderator

The moderator also has a sup­port­ing role and primarily monitors member behavior. They can provide con­se­quences for members who violate the rules of conduct or settle disputes between members. To carry this out, this role is given per­mis­sions to regulate member in­ter­ac­tion (e.g., removing members, muting, etc.). Mod­er­a­tors cannot, however, change server settings or dis­trib­ute roles, which makes this role below that of an ad­min­is­tra­tor.

Regular member

Regular members have no ad­min­is­tra­tive rights and are not allowed to create or change any settings. They can usually read and write in all open channels and have access to most or all general content. They can also use features like Discord music bots.

Guests

Guests receive limited per­mis­sions and often only have access to certain content. Depending on the server and settings, they can read along in channels but aren’t allowed to write anything.

Go to Main Menu