The Complete Wiki to Discord Community Verification

Discord servers often begin as small groups but can eventually grow into large gaming, creator, fan, or interest-based communities. As membership increases, spam accounts, bots, raids, and inappropriate media become bigger moderation problems.

Discord's Community Server system provides additional tools for managing these larger communities, but enabling Community also requires certain safety settings.

Among the most important requirements are verified-email verification and the Explicit Media Content Filter. Discord requires these protections as part of the Community setup process.

This wiki explains what Discord Community verification means, how to enable Community mode, how each verification level works, and how to activate explicit media scanning.

Quick Facts

What Is Discord Community Mode?

Community mode is a Discord server configuration designed for communities that need additional moderation and management tools.

Once enabled, a server can access features such as Community Onboarding, Announcement Channels, Server Insights, Community updates, and other community-management tools.

Community mode is not simply an optional badge or server category.

Discord requires servers to meet specific safety requirements before enabling it. These include:

• A suitable Verification Level
• Explicit Media Content Filter
• A Rules or Guidelines channel
• A Community Updates or Moderators channel
• Agreement to comply with Discord's Community Guidelines

This makes Community mode particularly useful for public gaming servers, creator communities, fan communities, and other servers expecting significant membership growth.

How to Enable Discord Community Mode

To enable Community mode, you need appropriate server permissions.

Step 1: Open Server Settings

Open your Discord server and select the server name in the upper-left corner.

Select:

Server Settings

Discord's current Community setup documentation directs administrators to the Enable Community section inside Server Settings.

Step 2: Select Enable Community

In the Server Settings sidebar, select:

Enable Community

Then choose:

Get Started

Discord will begin the Community setup process.

Step 3: Complete the Safety Requirements

Discord will require the server to have appropriate safety settings enabled.

The important requirements include:

Verification Level

and

Explicit Media Content Filter

These settings are designed to make the server safer before Community features are activated.

Step 4: Configure Community Channels

You will also need:

• A Rules or Guidelines channel
• A Community Updates or Moderators channel

The rules channel gives members a clearly identified location for server rules.

The Community Updates channel is where Discord can provide information relevant to Community administrators and moderators.

Step 5: Finish Setup

After completing the requirements and confirming compliance with Discord's Community Guidelines, select:

Finish Setup

Your server will then become a Community Server.

What Are Discord Verification Levels?

Discord's Verification Levels determine the security requirements a member must satisfy before they can participate in a server.

There are five levels:

1. None
2. Low
3. Medium
4. High
5. Highest

The higher the level, the more requirements members must meet.

Discord specifically describes Verification Levels as a tool for helping prevent bots and spam accounts from mass-joining servers.

None Verification Level

The None level adds no verification requirement.

A member can participate immediately after joining, subject to normal server permissions.

This is generally better suited to private servers among friends than large public communities.

Low Verification Level

The Low level requires a member to have a verified email address on their Discord account before participating.

This is one of the simplest ways to add account verification without creating too much friction for new members.

For many public gaming communities, Low is a practical starting point.

Medium Verification Level

Medium also requires a verified email address.

However, the email must have been verified for more than five minutes before the member can start chatting.

This adds a small delay that can make freshly created or rapidly prepared spam accounts less useful.

High Verification Level

High adds more restrictions.

A member must have:

• A verified email
• A Discord account older than five minutes
• Been a member of the server for more than ten minutes

This can be useful for public communities that regularly experience spam or raids.

Highest Verification Level

Highest is Discord's strongest Verification Level.

Members must satisfy the previous requirements and also have a verified phone number attached to their Discord account.

The requirements are:

• Verified email
• Discord account older than five minutes
• Server membership longer than ten minutes
• Verified phone number

This provides stronger protection, but it also creates more friction for legitimate newcomers.

How to Require Verified Emails

For Community servers, Discord's current desktop path is:

Server Settings → Safety Setup → DM and Spam Protection → Verification Level

Select Edit, choose the desired verification level, and save the change.

If you select Low, Medium, High, or Highest, verified email becomes part of the requirements.

A verified phone number can supersede the other verification requirements according to Discord's current documentation.

Discord Verification on Mobile

Discord also allows server owners and administrators to adjust Verification Levels through the mobile app.

The current mobile flow is:

Server Settings → Moderation → Verification Level

You can select:

• None
• Low
• Medium
• High
• Highest

Then save the change.

The exact appearance of the settings may vary slightly between Discord mobile versions.

What Happens If Someone Is Not Verified?

Members who do not satisfy the server's verification requirements cannot fully participate.

Discord states that users who fail to meet the requirements cannot send text messages in server channels or join voice channels until they complete the necessary verification.

This makes verification an effective gate before a new account can immediately participate in a public community.

What Is Discord's Explicit Media Content Filter?

The Explicit Media Content Filter is a server-level safety feature designed to detect and block potentially explicit media.

Discord requires this safety protection as part of enabling Community mode. Its Community documentation says the setting can scan media content from all members and remove content identified as potentially explicit.

This is particularly useful for public servers where moderators cannot manually review every image or video posted by members.

How to Turn On Explicit Media Scanning

For current Discord server settings, the relevant location is:

Server Settings → Safety Setup → Explicit Media Content Filter

Discord's raid-protection documentation also directs server administrators to this location and recommends setting the filter to Medium or High for stronger protection.

For Community-enabled servers, Discord says the High Explicit Media Content filter is enabled by default.

What Does the Explicit Media Filter Do?

The filter is designed to automatically scan media and block potentially explicit content.

This is particularly important during server raids, when attackers may deliberately post inappropriate images or other disturbing media to disrupt a community.

Discord specifically identifies explicit-media filtering as a useful protection against this type of raid behavior.

Explicit Media Scanning Is Not Perfect

Automated moderation should not be treated as a replacement for human moderators.

Content detection systems can make mistakes, including:

• False positives
• False negatives
• Context errors
• Difficulty interpreting unusual images

That means communities should still maintain a moderation team even when explicit media scanning is enabled.

Verification vs Explicit Media Scanning

These two safety features solve different problems.

Verification Level

Verification primarily controls who can participate and what account requirements must be satisfied.

It is useful against:

• Spam accounts
• Bots
• Newly created accounts
• Some raid activity

Explicit Media Content Filter

The media filter primarily controls what media can be posted.

It is useful against:

• Explicit images
• Inappropriate media
• Some forms of raid content

Using both creates a stronger safety layer than relying on either feature alone.

Community Mode Safety Requirements

Discord's Community setup requires more than email verification and media scanning.

A Community Server also needs:

Rules or Guidelines Channel

Members need a clearly posted location for the server's rules.

Community Updates or Moderators Channel

Discord needs a channel where relevant Community updates can be delivered.

Safety Settings

The required safety configuration includes the Verification Level and Explicit Media Content Filter.

Community Guidelines

The server must comply with Discord's Community Guidelines.

Best Verification Level for a Gaming Server

There is no single best level for every server.

For a normal public gaming community, Low is often a reasonable starting point because it requires verified email without imposing additional waiting periods.

For a server dealing with repeated spam or suspicious joins, Medium or High can provide additional protection.

If a server is actively experiencing a raid, Discord recommends temporarily increasing verification to High or Highest.

Why Not Always Use Highest?

Highest provides stronger account requirements, but stronger security comes with a usability cost.

Some legitimate users may not want to connect a phone number to their Discord account.

A server that immediately requires the highest level can therefore reduce its potential audience.

For this reason, administrators should balance:

Security vs accessibility

A growing creator or gaming server may prefer Low or Medium under normal conditions and increase security when necessary.

Discord Community Verification During a Raid

If a server is being raided, administrators can temporarily strengthen its security.

Discord recommends:

1. Increase the Verification Level
2. Enable or strengthen Explicit Media Content Filter
3. Pause invitations if necessary
4. Use AutoMod
5. Enable Slowmode when appropriate
6. Make sure trusted moderators are available
7. Report the raid to Discord

Discord specifically recommends increasing Verification Level to High or Highest during a raid.

Community Verification and Rules Screening

Verification is not the same as Rules Screening.

Verification determines whether an account satisfies the server's security requirements.

Rules Screening can require new members to agree to the server's rules before participating.

Using both provides two different layers of protection:

Verification: Is the account sufficiently verified?

Rules Screening: Has the member acknowledged the community rules?

For public communities, using both can create a clearer onboarding process.

Does Community Mode Make a Server Verified?

No.

Community Server and Verified Server are different concepts.

Community mode is a server configuration that unlocks community-management features.

Discord's Verified Server program is a separate program with its own requirements.

Therefore, enabling Community does not give a server an official Discord verification badge.

Does Community Mode Make a Server Public?

No.

A server can use Community features without automatically becoming publicly discoverable.

Discord's Server Discovery system has additional eligibility requirements.

Community mode should therefore be viewed primarily as a community-management and safety system, not simply a way to make a server public.

Recommended Safety Setup

For a growing gaming or creator community, a balanced setup can look like this:

Verification: Low or Medium

Explicit Media Filter: High

Rules Screening: Enabled

AutoMod: Configured

Moderators: Active and trusted

Raid Protection: Enabled where available

This approach keeps the joining process reasonably accessible while adding multiple layers of protection.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Leaving Verification at None

An unrestricted public server can become an easy target for bots and spam.

Mistake 2: Assuming Email Verification Stops Raids

Verified emails help, but they do not stop every raid.

Discord recommends additional moderation and raid-protection measures.

Mistake 3: Relying Only on Media Scanning

Automated filtering should complement human moderation, not replace it.

Mistake 4: Setting Verification Too High

Highest security can create unnecessary friction for legitimate members.

Mistake 5: Forgetting the Rules Channel

A rules channel is part of the Community setup requirements.

Mistake 6: Confusing Community With Verified

Community mode does not mean Discord has officially verified the server.

Discord Community Verification Timeline

Community Server system: Discord introduced Community as a way for larger communities to access additional management and moderation tools.

December 2023: Discord's current Community setup documentation was published and has since been updated.

September 2025: Discord updated its Verification Levels documentation with the current five-level structure and settings paths.

2026: Discord continues to document Verification Levels, explicit-media protection, and raid-prevention tools as important parts of server safety.

FAQ

Does Discord Community require verified emails?

Yes. Discord's Community setup requires a Verification Level where members must have a verified email before participating.

Which Discord Verification Level requires email verification?

Low, Medium, High, and Highest require a verified email.

Does Highest Verification require a phone number?

Yes. Highest requires a verified phone number in addition to the other requirements.

Where is Verification Level located?

For Community servers on desktop:

Server Settings → Safety Setup → DM and Spam Protection → Verification Level

Where is the Explicit Media Content Filter?

Go to:

Server Settings → Safety Setup → Explicit Media Content Filter

Is explicit media scanning automatically enabled for Community servers?

Discord's current raid-protection documentation says Community-enabled servers have the High Explicit Media Content filter enabled by default.

Does verification prevent every bot?

No. Verification reduces certain types of spam and bot abuse but should be combined with AutoMod, moderators, and raid-protection tools.

Can verification levels be different for individual channels?

No. Discord says Verification Levels are configured server-wide. Channel-specific permissions can provide additional control.

Can administrators bypass verification?

Yes. Discord says administrators and moderators with appropriate permissions can send messages regardless of the server's Verification Level.

Can Community mode be disabled later?

Yes. Discord allows server administrators to return to the Community settings and disable Community.

Current Status

Discord Community verification is best understood as a layered safety system, rather than a single security switch.

A properly configured Community Server should have an appropriate Verification Level, Explicit Media Content Filter, clear rules, and active moderation.

For most growing public gaming and creator communities, Low or Medium verification with strong media filtering provides a practical balance between security and accessibility. Servers facing active raids can temporarily increase verification to High or Highest and use Discord's additional raid-protection tools.

The key takeaway is simple:

Verify members. Scan potentially harmful media. Publish clear rules. Keep moderators active.

That combination gives Discord communities a much stronger foundation for handling growth without making the server unnecessarily difficult to join.

Refine the Discord safety guide