Back in the year 2015, Discord was initially launched to provide Gamers a platform where they could easily communicate to form tight-knit communities based on their interests.

However, a survey was held in 2019 and according to it—“Discord was ranked as the 11^th most popular mobile social networking app in the US for reaching 8.03% of mobile users.”

But, in the last two years, Discord has become the go-to-chat app for the majority of people from all sorts of backgrounds and niches. 

In fact, on Discord, you’ll find all kinds of communities ranging from some zealous reptile lovers to like-minded Bitcoin enthusiasts.

As an outcome of this, it is worth noting that there are 31,309 live websites which Discord uses at present. 

And, of course, by this data—it isn’t hard to guess the “Popularity of Discord” that has increased over the years to justify its earned revenue of $120 million in 2020.

Now, after reading this introduction, those who don’t know much about Discord can continue reading ahead:

Those who already knew enough about it but haven’t yet started can skip the same and move directly onto these sections:

That said, let’s just straightaway dive into the details—

What is Discord?

Discord is a chatting site and app which has everything a user wishes to have in communication software such as voice chats, video calls and text facility.

These options in Discord let them stay in touch with each other by forming communities, coordinating and talking while playing on the platform. 

However, this platform is used by gamers during streams, it also has non-gaming purposes. 

Yes! Despite being primarily a chat app for gamers, which makes chatting while playing games, very convenient; there are a lot of people who use it as a social and organizational tool as well.

Last year, that’s why Discord has become the ‘default destination for Influencers, YouTubers and Instagrammers who aim to build a community around their content and to connect with audiences in a more consequential way.

How Does It Work and What It Is Used For?

Discord is designed as a simple “communication software” that allows the users to message and call each other. Once you access the platform, you’ll notice there are different communities on it and each one of them is called a ‘Server.’ 

They have individual [text and voice] channels for gamers and other users to join.

In those channels, you can easily type, voice-chat, and share videos, images, music, and links, etc. 

To be precise, Discord allows you to add photos, GIFs to your chats and to mark your messages as ‘spoilers’ via using the “/spoiler” or “/giphy” commands, respectively.

Not only that, it also allows you to directly message other users to have a video or voice chat with them and also to connect to other apps like YouTube or Spotify— for simply improving your user-experience.

Coming back to the point, you’ll also find out that each server channel on Discord has a unique topic or rules. Let’s understand it in this way; On Discord, one channel could be dedicated to games while another one for sharing pictures of cats, dogs, etc.

Thus, Discord serves as a social forum where users join either private or public server channels to discuss their shared interests. 

However, if you can’t find any worth joining for free, you can even start your own server on Discord. For that, you can (based on your interest & preference) consider doing a Google search or can use the app’s own search engine to look for a new Discord server channel.

Now, in addition to what we’ve just told you, it is worth telling you that you can use Discord along with any other activity you’re doing!  Hence, because of the reason that it lets users multitask and stay connected like a pro; investors and day traders also like to hop on the Discord server’s bandwagon. 

Discord Features— What Makes Discord Standout?

Interestingly, not just the facility of multitasking; there are a lot of factors that managed well to garner over 300 million registered users for Discord. Wondering what are those reasons and factors? 

Then, have a look at the below-list to know exactly what makes Discord stand out amongst many other communication tools—

• Easy-To-Use Interface: Discord, along with having all the best features from communication apps like Slack and Skype, also has a good UI for the user’s better experience.
• Variety of Chat Options: On Discord, users can avoid a simple plain text format as there are a lot of chat options to help users inject some flavor into everyday text chat. 
• Provides A Social Platform: Discord chat options can also be used to meet and talk to like-minded people and this is what makes Discord a great social media platform as well.
• Facility of Setting up Member Roles: While creating servers on Discord, users can use various ways and can even establish different roles for the community members including moderators, administrators and most active users.
• Easier Accessibility: This is one of the best features of Discord as per which a user can use the platform regardless of having access to a gaming PC because its web-based and mobile versions are comparatively easy to use. Apart from this, users can also use Discord’s chat servers to connect with people from pretty much anywhere due to the abundance of platforms available. 

So, these are the main factors of Discord that one can use to compare it with others. 

However, if these facets weren’t enough for you to consider Discord unique from others; you need to also note that Discord is also a free to download and use app. 

Additionally, if you love the experience of Discord, you also have this option to always upgrade and subscribe to “Discord Nitro.” 

Wondering, now what’s this? 

Well, let us tell you that while Discord is enough to provide you an amazing experience, Discord Nitro improves the same by multiple times as it lets you get your hands on more features like larger file uploads, better-quality streaming options, animated emojis, and a lot more for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year only!

Where Can You Use Discord?

It is worth noting that, you can use this communications app effortlessly via three ways i.e.

• Way 1: Through a browser— you can use it in-browser at its official website.
• Way 2: As a stand-alone desktop application— no matter whether you have Windows or Mac, you can download and use the Discord’s desktop application.
• Way 3: On your smartphone or tablet— to use it on the go, you can try the iOS and Android app of Discord that offers relatively similar features as the desktop one.

How to Create a Discord Account?

Now, having read all this, if you’re thinking ‘How do I sign up for Discord?’ and need a head-start on joining Discord then, simply follow these below given steps as your first to-do item to join this platform is to create and set up an account!

[Note: As mentioned above also, it does not cost a thing for you to register yourself on Discord, apart from time.]

Step-by-Step Procedure for Discord Account Creation through a Browser

• Step 1: First of all, open the web browser of your choice such that you can use a browser like Chrome or Safari on your respective device. 
• Step 2: Then, paste this link https://discordapp.com/register in the URL address bar and hit the ‘Enter’ button to reach Discord’s official website. 
• Step 3: On reaching there, click on ‘Open Discord in your browser.’

• Step 4: Following that, enter the ‘Username’ that you want to use and then, just click the arrow.

• Step 5: In continuation, complete the Captcha as directed.

• Step 6: As you do so, a popup will appear on the screen to ask you about your ‘Date of Birth.’ Until and unless you enter your birth date, you won’t be able to proceed further. So, enter the same and hit the ‘Next’ button.

• Step 7: Now, again a popup will appear on the screen and give you either the option to ‘Get Started’ with creating a new server, or just skipping ahead so that you can finish creating your account. That said, click on ‘Skip’ or click on the ‘X’ icon to move ahead.

• Step 8: Following that, Discord asks you to claim and secure your account. For that, you need to fill out the asked information that is associated with you including an email address, and setting a password. 

• Step 9: After you fill out the required information, click on the ‘Claim Account’ button.

[Note: You’ll see a popup that appears to offer a download link for the Discord desktop application. So, if you want to avoid this for now, you can simply click the ‘X’ icon.]

Now, as you have now successfully created your Discord Account, you’re prompted to verify your ‘Email Address’ right before you’re allowed to fully use your Discord account.

So, simply verify the email address associated with you. To do so—

• Step 1: Open your email account by logging in to the same.

• Step 2: Then, click on the confirmation email received by Discord.

• Step 3: Inside it, click on ‘Verify Email box’ to verify your email account.

• Step 4: In doing so, Discord will open once again and there, you’ll have a wizard box notifying you that your email is verified. 
• Step 5: Now, click on the ‘Continue to Discord’ link.

Once you finish doing this, you will finally be able to start using your newly created Discord account in your preferred web browser to quickly start finding communities of your favorite interests.

[Note: This above method works for way 1 and the reason why we’ve explained this is that the browser-based version should be your ideal choice when you just want to try out Discord.]

However, if you want to use either Way 2 or Way 3 to create and use the Discord platform then, to be specific here’s what all you need to do—

Step-by-Step Procedure for Discord Account Creation on Desktop | Mobile App

• Step 1: Firstly, download Discord for free on desktop or on mobile/tablets through the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

• Step 2: Once you have downloaded Discord on your device, click on the “Register link” option.

• Step 3: Then, fill out the ‘Create an account’ form with relevant information, including the “Email Address” you will use. 

• Step 4: Following that, create a “Username,” set a “Password,” and hit the “Continue” button to get started.

Albeit, congratulations, you have now created a Discord account and entered the world of Discord! But, until and unless you don’t have enough understanding of how to get started with Discord, you won’t be able to enjoy the full functionality of this platform.

So, because creating your account is just the beginning, let’s get to the most exciting bit, which is getting familiar with the Discord platform on which you now have an account!

Also, Read This: Playing Without an Account: Can It Be the Next Big Thing in Online Gaming and Gambling?

How to Get Started on Discord?

In this regard, it is worth mentioning that, while most Discord users interact via Discord servers, you can also set up a contact or friends list on Discord that allows you to interact with other Discord users via doing voice, video calls or direct messages. 

How to Add and Manage Discord Friends List?

• Step 1: In order to add and manage a friend on Discord, head over to the Discord Home Page.

• Step 2: Then, click on the ‘Add Friend’ button which is located at the top of the Discord Home Page. 

• Step 3: After doing so, you’ll be prompted to enter a ‘Username’ that in the future will be the “DiscordTag” of the friend you wish to add.

[Note about DiscordTAG: The DiscordTag is a username that is followed by this # symbol and by a series of random numbers. It can be seen in the bottom left corner of the Discord interface. 

Not only that, you can also find the DiscordTag by simply clicking on the ‘profile picture’ of the user that you wish to add as a friend. As you click on the profile picture, this will take you to their profile page, where you will be able to see the DiscordTag. 

Other than this, there is also a ‘Send Friend Request’ button on the profile page only, that you can click to directly send a Friend Request to a person you want to add as a friend.]

• Step 4: After you’ve entered the DiscordTag that you wish to add, you just need to click on the ‘Send Friend Request’ option. 

• Step 5: Now, when the other user accepts your friend request, they’ll then show up on your Discord account’s “Friends list.”

After learning about adding and managing Discord friends list, joining a Discord server is what you need to get yourself enlightened about!

This is because on the Discord platform, Discord communities are housed in different servers, and you’ll need to find those particular servers which best suits your interests, taste and preferences. And, once you’re done locating and deciding upon a community you would like to participate in, you’ll then need to simply join their server channel via following these given steps—

How to Join a Discord Server?

• Step 1: Firstly click on the ‘Magnifying Lens’ symbol to start searching for Discord servers by typing what you want to search for in the text field followed by pressing the ‘Enter’ key.

• Step 2: In doing so, the search result displays a list of servers and then, you need to click the ‘View’ option to see the server homepage of any server that interests you the most.

• Step 3: Next, click on the ‘Join Server’ option which is located at the bottom of the server homepage.

• Step 4: Upon doing so, the icon for the new server will appear on the left side of the Discord homepage to join for your quick access. Similarly, at any given point of time, if you want to leave the server, you can simply right-click on the server icon and select the ‘Leave Server’ option.

[Note: Using these steps, you can add as many servers to your Discord homepage as you want to get easy access to your favorite communities.]

Moving on, this is the last but not least section that explains to you the process of modifying the notification settings for your joined servers. So, keep your attention maintained—

How to Change Notification Settings of a Discord Account?

• Step 1: Begin by clicking right on the ‘Server Icon’ for that particular server you want to modify the notification settings.

• Step 2: From the contextual menu that appears, you’ve to select the ‘Notification Settings’ option. 

• Step 3: In that, the first option allows you to “Mute” the entire server. You can use this in case you don’t want to be disturbed by notifications but want to check them later on.

• Step 4: Other than this, in the Notification Settings menu, you can also choose from the following options:

• All Messages: To always get the notification.
• Only @ Messages: To get notification only when someone tags you using @ symbol.
• Nothing: In order not to receive any notifications.

• Step 5: Now, below these options, there are three toggles also that further modify your Discord account’s notification settings:

• Suppress @everyone and @here: You receive the notification when someone uses the tags @everyone and @here. 
• Suppress All Role @mentions: If you’re assigned to a specific user role on a server then, whenever @UserRole is typed in one of the chat channels, you receive the notification.
• Mobile Push Notifications: You also get forwarded notification from Discord to the email address associated with your account.

So, turning them ‘Off’ disables those notifications in your case.

• Step 6: Following that, there’s also the option to override the default settings of an individual channel rather than the settings of the entire server. To use this option, click the drop-down ‘Menu,’ select the ‘Channel’ you want to override, and just check the ‘Corresponding bubble’ for the particular notification setting you want to change.

• Step 7: Once done with making changes in your notification settings, you can click on ‘Done’ to save the changes you have made.

Finally, after you finish setting up your notification preferences, you should be all set to start using Discord to escalate your online experience and also to find communities that can match your interests without being overburdened by surfeit notifications. 

However, before you leave, you can also go through these popular FAQs regarding Discord platform, and its functionality!

FAQs

Q: Is Discord safe for 12-year-olds? A: No. The right age to get started with Discord must be at least 13 years old because there is a lot of inappropriate content on the platform ranging from swearing to graphic language and images.  Q: Is It Safe to Use Discord? A: Though, you can use right monitoring and privacy settings to make sure you’re safe on Discord but, it is advisable to be more careful such as only accept friend requests from those people you know somehow.  Q: Is Discord Free to Use? A: It depends. The premium version of Discord is paid. However, if you don’t want to use the premium features, you can simply download and continue using Discord for free on your respective devices. Q: Can I have 2 Discord accounts? A: Yes you can have as many Discord accounts you want and having two or more accounts at once is possible simply by registering each account using a different email address. However, if you face problems doing so, you can find out how you can address the Discord not working issue.