How to make roles on Discord

You make a Discord role from the server name: Server Settings, then Roles, then Create Role. Name it, set what that role may do, save, and assign it to a member. Discord’s permissions FAQ is the source for those steps.

This is for a server owner who already has a server and needs staff, members, or a private room. The server owner does not need a role. Discord says the creator already has access to everything.

What is a Discord role?

A role is a label that carries permissions. Discord says permissions decide what someone can do, from adding a reaction up to administrative actions, and they can be set for the whole server or for one channel. A new server starts with @everyone. That role applies to every member who has no other role.

If the server itself does not exist yet, make it first. The steps are in How to make a Discord server.

What you need first

• A server you own, or a role that already lets you manage roles.
• A name for the new role. Discord says you can change the name later.
• A short list of what those people should be allowed to do. Do not turn on every permission to “see if it works.”

As the creator of your server you don't need to assign any roles or permissions to yourself. You will always have access to everything.

Create the role

1. Click the downward arrow next to the server name.
2. Choose Server Settings, then Roles, then Create Role.
3. Type a name. Discord says you can change how the role is displayed at the same time, and that the name can be changed later.
4. Open the Permissions tab and turn on only what this role should do.
5. Save. Discord’s article calls this out because the role does not keep unsaved changes.

Give the role a job in the name: Member, Moderator, or a team name. A role called “new role” is how people lose track of who can ban.

Set the permissions

Server permissions apply everywhere that a channel has not overridden them. Discord says channel permissions override server permissions. A moderator role can have Kick Members or Manage Messages for the server, and a single channel can still take that away.

One permission is worth naming. Discord’s voice-channel article says Manage Channels, when it is enabled, lets that role create and delete text and voice channels. A check means it is on. An X means it is off. Leave Manage Channels off for ordinary members.

If you are building the rooms those roles will use, the channel steps are in How to make channels on Discord.

Assign the role

Discord gives two ways.

1. On the role, open Manage Members and pick the person.
2. Or click the person’s avatar in the server, then the plus under Roles, and choose the role.

That person then has the server permissions you saved on the role. They do not get a private channel until that channel allows the role. The steps for hiding a channel are in the next section.

Use a role on a channel

Hover a channel, click the cog, and open Permissions. Discord says @everyone can use the channel’s features until you change the checkboxes. Click the plus to add a role or a person, then allow or deny each permission for them.

To make a staff room, deny View Channel for @everyone and allow it for the staff role. Discord’s category article says turning off “Read Text Channels & See Voice Channels” hides the channel from people who do not have access, instead of showing it as locked.

You can set the same rule once on a category. Right-click the category, choose Edit Category, then Permissions. Channels that are synced with the category pick up that change. A channel you edited on its own is not synced, and Discord says it will not update when the category changes. The Sync Now button puts it back in line.

Where people get stuck

• The role looks finished, but members still cannot do the new thing. The Permissions tab was not saved.
• You assigned yourself a role and expected new powers. The owner already has them. Discord says you do not need a role for that.
• A private channel is still visible. View Channel is still allowed for @everyone, or the channel is not synced to the category where you set the deny.
• Moderators cannot make channels. Their role does not have Manage Channels. Discord says that permission is what lets a role create and delete text and voice channels.
• You wanted the role to survive a wiped server. Creating it in Discord does not store a copy. A backup does.

VaultCord can save roles, channels, permissions, categories, and server settings. On the Free plan that backup does not include messages. Messages, up to 350 per channel, start on Premium and Plus. Premium is $4.97 a month and Plus is $9.97, on the upgrade page checked November 6, 2026. If the role is the one people receive after they verify, the setting that withholds it from alternate accounts is not on Free. Shared Wi-Fi can flag two real people. Ask on Help if a backup does something this page does not describe.

Frequently asked questions

Does a new server already have roles?

Yes. Discord says the only pre-made role is @everyone, and it sets what people can do when they have no other role.

Do I need a role for myself?

No, if you created the server. Discord says the creator always has access to everything.

Can I rename a role later?

Yes. Discord says you can change the name later, and you can change how the role is displayed when you create it.

Why can this person do something their role forbids?

Channel permissions override server permissions. Check the cog on that channel, and check whether the channel is synced to its category.

Will a backup put the role back?

A VaultCord structure backup includes roles and permissions. It does not include messages on Free. People come back only if they verified. The five Discord verification levels, which are separate from roles, are in Discord verification level and VaultCord verify.

Sources and verification

The steps were checked against Discord’s pages on November 6, 2026. VaultCord plan details are the ones on the upgrade screen that day.