Discord

Download

Discord Tutorial: A Guide to Using Discord for Beginners

Discord is a popular communication platform designed for creating communities, allowing users to communicate via text, voice, and video. Originally created for gamers, Discord is now widely used by various communities and professionals for group chats, collaboration, and social interaction. This tutorial will walk you through the basic features of Discord, from setting up an account to joining servers and chatting.

Step 1: Setting Up Discord

1. Download Discord:

• Go to the official Discord website and download the app for your device. Discord is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. You can also use Discord directly in your web browser.

2. Create a Discord Account:

• If you don’t already have an account, you can create one during installation or directly on the website.
  • Click Sign Up, provide your email, username, password, and birthday. Follow the on-screen instructions to verify your account via email.

Step 2: Navigating the Discord Interface

1. Home Screen:

• After logging in, you’ll land on the Home screen. From here, you can see your Friends List, Direct Messages, and the servers you’ve joined on the left-hand sidebar.

2. Servers:

• Servers are where groups of people gather to chat. They are organized into channels, which can be either text channels or voice channels.
  • Servers you’ve joined will appear as icons on the left sidebar.
  • Click a server icon to view the channels and chats in that server.

3. Channels:

• Text Channels allow users to send text messages, share files, images, GIFs, and more.
• Voice Channels allow users to talk to others using a microphone, and some servers support video calls and screen sharing.
  • Voice channels do not require a call; simply joining a voice channel connects you to others.

Step 3: Joining a Server

1. Joining Public Servers:

• To join an existing server, you need an invite link. Public servers often provide these on their websites or social media.
  • Click on the + icon on the left sidebar to open the Join a Server dialog.
  • Enter the invite link and click Join.

2. Creating Your Own Server:

• If you want to create your own community, click the + icon on the left sidebar and select Create My Own.
  • Give your server a name, and choose whether it is for a club/community or just for friends.
  • Once created, you can invite friends to join your server by sending them the server’s invite link.

Step 4: Text Chat and Direct Messaging

1. Text Channels:

• In a server, click on a text channel to start chatting. You can type messages, upload images, videos, files, or add emojis and GIFs.
  • Use the @username format to mention someone in a message.
  • Type / to see a list of slash commands (e.g., /giphy to search for GIFs, /shrug to send the “¯\(ツ)/¯” emoji).

2. Direct Messages (DMs):

• To send a private message to someone, click on their name in the Friends List or Member List (in a server) and click Message.
  • In DMs, you can send text, files, and media just like in a text channel.
  • You can also start a voice or video call in DMs by clicking the phone or video icons at the top of the chat window.

Step 5: Voice and Video Calls

1. Joining Voice Channels:

• To join a voice channel in a server, simply click on the channel name. Your voice will be automatically connected, and you can talk to others in the channel.
  • To mute your microphone, click the microphone icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

2. Making a Voice/Video Call:

• In a DM or group DM, you can make a voice or video call by clicking the phone or camera icon at the top.
  • If you want to switch between voice and video during the call, use the camera toggle during the conversation.

3. Screen Sharing:

• During a video call or in a voice channel, you can share your screen by clicking the Screen Share button (computer monitor icon) in the call window.
  • You can choose to share a specific application window or your entire screen.

Step 6: Server Roles and Permissions

Server owners can assign roles to members to control what they can do. Roles define permissions like the ability to send messages, ban users, manage channels, and more.

1. Creating Roles:

• In your server, click the server name at the top-left, then go to Server Settings > Roles.
  • Click Create Role and give it a name (e.g., Admin, Moderator, Member).
  • You can customize the permissions of each role, like whether users with that role can manage channels, kick members, or send messages.

2. Assigning Roles:

• To assign a role to a member, right-click their name in the member list, click Roles, and choose the role you want to assign.

Step 7: Customizing Your Profile

1. Editing Your Profile:

• Click on the gear icon (⚙️) in the bottom-left to open User Settings.
  • Here, you can change your username, profile picture, email, and more.

2. Setting a Status:

• To set a custom status, click on your profile picture in the bottom-left and choose a preset status like Online, Idle, Do Not Disturb, or Invisible.
  • You can also set a custom status by clicking Set a Custom Status and typing a message (e.g., “Away for lunch”).

Step 8: Using Bots in Discord

Bots are automated tools that can perform various tasks, such as moderating chats, playing music, or organizing events.

1. Adding Bots:

• To add a bot to your server, you need to find a bot’s invite link (many bots can be found on websites like top.gg).
  • Click the bot’s invite link, choose your server, and authorize the bot.

2. Using Bots:

• Each bot will have its own commands. Typically, typing a bot’s command in a text channel will trigger its function. For example, a music bot might use the command !play followed by the name of a song to start playing music.

Step 9: Notifications and Settings

1. Managing Notifications:

• Discord allows you to customize notifications for each server or channel.
  • Right-click on a server or channel and choose Notification Settings to mute, suppress @mentions, or customize the notification settings.

2. General Settings:

• In User Settings (⚙️), you can configure your general settings, such as privacy, notifications, voice & video settings, and more.
  • Voice & Video settings allow you to choose your microphone and speakers, adjust volume levels, and set push-to-talk keys.

Step 10: Discovering Communities and Public Servers

Discord has a built-in feature called Server Discovery that lets you find new servers to join.

1. Explore Public Servers:

• Click on the Compass Icon on the left sidebar to open the Explore Public Servers section.
  • Browse popular categories like gaming, technology, education, and more to find communities of interest.

2. Joining via Invite Links:

• If you come across an invite link to a public server on social media, Reddit, or other forums, simply click the link to join the server instantly.

Conclusion

Discord is a versatile and powerful platform for communication, whether you’re using it for gaming, collaborating on projects, or just staying in touch with friends. With features like text chat, voice and video calls, and the ability to create and join servers, Discord is a go-to choice for both casual and professional communication. By following this tutorial, you can get started with the basics and explore the platform’s more advanced features as you become more comfortable using it.

Feel free to explore, create your own servers, or join communities that share your interests!