What a Discord Guild Is and How to Make One

A guild on Discord is a private space where you and others can chat, share files, and organize into separate channels by topic. Think of it as your own server — you create it, you control who joins, and you decide what channels exist inside it. Creating one takes about two minutes and costs nothing.

The process is the same whether you are on a phone, tablet, or computer: you open Discord, tap or click the plus icon on the left sidebar, choose "Create a Server", name it, and you are done. Discord walks you through each step. You can add people when ready or leave it empty while you set it up.

Key Takeaways

  • A guild is a Discord server you create and control, containing channels organized by topic or purpose.
  • You create a guild by tapping the plus icon in the left sidebar, selecting "Create a Server", and naming it.
  • Only people you invite can see or join your guild — it is private by default.
  • Once created, you can add channels, set permissions for different roles, and customize how members interact.
  • You can delete a guild at any time, but deleting it removes all channels and messages inside it permanently.

Creating Your Guild Step by Step

Open Discord on whichever device you use most. Look at the left sidebar where your other servers appear as small circles or icons. At the very bottom of that list, you will see a plus sign in a circle. Tap or click it.

A menu appears with two options: "Create a Server" and "Browse Public Servers". Choose "Create a Server". Discord then asks you to pick a name for your guild. Type whatever you want — you can change it later. Common names are team names, friend group names, project names, or gaming clan names, but there are no rules.

After you name it, Discord shows you a preview of your new guild and asks if you want to proceed. Click or tap the button to confirm. Your guild now exists. You will see it appear in your left sidebar as a new circle with the first letter or letters of its name.

Inviting People to Your Guild

Your guild starts empty except for you. To add people, you need to send them an invite link. Right-click or long-press on your guild name in the left sidebar and select "Invite People". Discord generates a link you can copy and send to anyone — through text, email, or any other way.

When someone clicks that link, they join your guild when ready and can see all the channels you have created. You can create multiple invite links if you want, and you can delete old ones to prevent new people from joining. Each link can be set to expire after a certain number of uses or after a certain amount of time.

If you want to remove someone who has already joined, right-click their name in the member list and select "Kick". They lose access to the guild but can rejoin if you send them a new invite link. If you want to prevent them from ever rejoining, you can ban them instead, which is a permanent removal.

Understanding Channels Inside Your Guild

When you create a guild, Discord automatically creates one channel called "general". This is where messages go by default. You can add more channels to organize conversations by topic — for example, a gaming guild might have channels for different games, or a work guild might have channels for different projects.

To create a new channel, right-click on your guild name and select "Create Channel". You choose whether it is a text channel (for messages) or a voice channel (for talking). Text channels appear as hashtags in the channel list. Voice channels appear as speaker icons. You can delete channels at any time, which removes all messages in them.

By default, all members can see and use all channels. If you want to restrict who can see or post in a channel, you can set permissions. This is done through the channel settings, but most small guilds do not need to worry about permissions at first.

Customizing Your Guild Settings

Right-click your guild name and select "Guild Settings" to change how your guild works. Here you can upload a guild icon (a small image that appears next to the guild name), change the guild name, set a description, and control who can join.

The "Verification Level" setting controls how new members must verify themselves before they can post. The default is "None", which means anyone who joins can post when ready. You can raise this if you want to prevent spam or unwanted behavior, though most guilds leave it at the default.

You can also set a default notification level so members do not get pinged for every message, and you can choose which roles have permission to do certain things like create channels or kick members. These settings matter more as your guild grows, but you do not need to touch them when you are starting out.

Roles and Permissions for Guild Members

A role is a label you assign to members that controls what they can do. By default, everyone has the "Member" role. You can create new roles — for example, "Moderator" or "Admin" — and give those roles special permissions like the ability to delete messages or kick people.

To create a role, go to Guild Settings, select "Roles", and click the plus icon. Name the role and choose what permissions it has. Then you can assign that role to specific members by right-clicking their name and selecting "Add Role". A member can have multiple roles at once.

Most small guilds do not need custom roles. But if you want to give one or two trusted people the power to moderate or manage channels, creating a Moderator role is the standard way to do it.

Deleting Your Guild

If you decide you no longer want your guild, you can delete it. Right-click the guild name, select "Guild Settings", scroll to the bottom, and select "Delete Guild". Discord asks you to confirm because this action cannot be undone — all channels, messages, and member records inside the guild are permanently removed.

Only the person who created the guild can delete it. If you want to transfer ownership to someone else first, you can do that through Guild Settings under "Transfer Ownership", but you must be the current owner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make my guild private so only certain people can join?

Yes. By default, only people with an invite link can join. You control who gets that link, so your guild is private. There is no public listing or search function that lets strangers find your guild unless you specifically share the invite link with them.

What happens to my guild if I stop using Discord?

Your guild stays active as long as it exists. If you are the only member and you stop logging in, the guild remains but becomes inactive. If other members are in it, they can continue using it. If you want to shut it down, you must delete it yourself — Discord does not automatically remove inactive guilds.

Can I have multiple guilds?

Yes. You can create as many guilds as you want, and you can join guilds that other people created. Each one appears as a separate circle in your left sidebar. You can switch between them by clicking on them.

How many people can join a guild?

Discord guilds can hold hundreds of thousands of members, so for practical purposes there is no limit. Even very large communities use a single guild with many channels instead of multiple smaller guilds.

Can I see who is in my guild?

Yes. Click on your guild name and select "Members" or look for a members list on the right side of the screen. You can see everyone who has joined, and you can click on individual members to see their profile or remove them if needed.