You make a Discord server from the plus button in the server list. Choose Create My Own or a template, pick friends or a club, then name it and select Create. Discord’s setup guide, updated October 27, 2026, says servers are free to create.
The icon can wait. Discord’s create-a-server article says the smallest icon is 128 by 128, and you can change the name and the icon later.
Discord Server Setup Guide, updated October 27, 2026, and How do I create a server?, updated May 29, 2024.
Create the server
On the desktop app or in the browser, the plus button is the Add a Server icon in the left sidebar. Discord says that if you are in a lot of servers, scroll the list until that button appears.
Select Create My Own, or start from a template. If you create your own, choose For me and my friends or For a club or community. Type a name, add an icon if you have one, and select Create.
Don't feel pressured to perfect your server in the creation process - you can always update the name and icon of your server at a later time!
A server template copies categories, channels, roles, and permissions from a server whose owner generated a template link. Discord says forum, announcement, and stage channels are not included in a template, and the link stops working if the owner deletes the template. Templates are created on desktop or in the browser, not in the mobile app.
Pick friend or community
Discord describes three kinds of server in the setup guide.
| Type | Who can join | What Discord adds |
|---|---|---|
| Friend | Only people with an invite | A private space for a small group |
| Community | Still invite-only, built for a larger shared interest | Rules, onboarding, a welcome screen, server insights, and raid protection |
| Discoverable | People can join without an invite, after extra requirements | A listing in Server Discovery and a public server web page |
Forum channels are only on community servers. Text channels and voice channels are available without that switch. You must be the owner, or have permission to create invites, before you can hand out a link.
Invite people
Discord lists four invite styles: a one-click instant invite, a custom link that is easier to remember, a temporary link that expires after a time or a number of uses, and a permanent link that never expires. Discord says to use a never-expiring link with caution.
Send the link only to the people you want in a friends server. A public permanent link is how strangers, and bots, find a new server.
What to set next
After Create, Discord’s own tools are enough for a new server: roles, a verification level, and the invite. The verification level decides who may type. The five levels are None, Low, Medium, High, and Highest, and they are explained in Discord verification level and VaultCord verify.
A backup is separate from creating the server. VaultCord can save the channels, roles, permissions, and settings. On the Free plan that backup does not include messages. Messages, up to 350 per channel, start on Premium and Plus. People can be added back later only if they have verified. The upgrade page lists a 10 hour wait between those adds on Free, 1 hour on Premium, and none on Plus.
How it works
- 1Press the plus button
In the desktop or browser server list, choose Add a Server. Scroll if you already have many servers.
- 2Name it and create
Create My Own, or a template. Pick friends or a club, type the name, then select Create.
- 3Invite, then lock the door
Send an invite that expires. Set a verification level before the link is public.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Discord says creating a server is free.
- You can skip the friends-or-community choice and decide later.
- The name and icon can be changed after Create.
- A template can copy channels, roles, and permissions.
- An invite can expire after a time or a number of uses.
Cons
- The plus button is easy to miss when the server list is long.
- Forum channels exist only on community servers.
- Templates leave out forum, announcement, and stage channels.
- A permanent invite does not expire, which Discord flags as a risk.
- A new server has no member list to restore until people verify somewhere you control.
Our verdict
Frequently asked questions
Does it cost anything to make a server?
No. Discord’s setup guide says servers are free to create.
Can I change the name after I press Create?
Yes. Discord says you can update the name and the icon later, and not to treat the creation screen as final.
What if I cannot find the plus button?
Scroll the server list on the left. Discord says the button hides once you are in a lot of servers.
Should I pick a community server on day one?
Pick it when you want rules, onboarding, a welcome screen, and raid protection. A friends server is enough for a private group. You are not locked in at creation.
When should I back the server up?
After the channels and roles are the ones you want to keep. Help is the place to ask if a backup does something this page does not describe. People who never verify cannot be added back later.
Sources and verification
Steps and limits below were checked against Discord’s pages on November 5, 2026. VaultCord plan details are the ones on the upgrade screen.
Keep reading
More guides for running a Discord server you can restore.
