Discord Server Onboarding: Setup, Questions and Server Guide

Discord server onboarding, which Discord calls Community Onboarding, is a built-in setup flow for Community servers. New members answer a few simple questions and get their own roles and a personalised channel list, instead of facing every channel at once.

Discord made Community Onboarding available to all Community servers on 30 March 2023. It also includes the Server Guide, a welcome page with a message from the admin, starter tasks and resource pages.

This wiki explains the requirements, how to set it up, what members see, the limits Discord documents, and how to fix common problems.

At a glance - Where: Server Settings > Onboarding - Who can set it up: Members with Manage Server and Manage Roles, or Administrator - Needs: A Community server, at least 7 Default Channels, at least 5 of them open to @everyone - Setup device: Desktop only. Members can complete it on any device - Includes: Default Channels, Customization Questions, Server Guide and a Review step

Key Information

Requirements

A Community server

Onboarding only exists on Community servers. To enable Community, Discord requires these safety settings:

• Verification Level: members need a verified email before sending messages or DMs in the server.
• Explicit Media Content Filter: scan media from all members.
• A rules or guidelines channel.
• A Community updates channel for moderators.
• Compliance with Discord's Community Guidelines.

You turn it on from Server Settings > Enable Community > Get Started.

Permissions

You need Manage Server and Manage Roles, or Administrator. If you're unsure how these interact, our Discord roles and permissions guide explains the hierarchy.

How to Set Up Discord Server Onboarding

Discord says admins can only configure and enable onboarding on desktop. Its setup screen shows four stages: Default Channels, Questions, Server Guide and Review.

Step 1: Choose Default Channels

1. Open Server Settings and select Onboarding.
2. Start the setup and tick your Default Channels.
3. Pick at least 7 channels. At least 5 must let @everyone View and Send Messages.

Default Channels appear in every new member's channel list. Discord suggests active, beginner-friendly spaces like #general, polls, giveaways, forums or LFG channels.

The Default Channels step checks your selection as you go. Image: Discord.

Step 2: Create Customization Questions

1. Select Add a Question and write the question.
2. Add answers, and assign channels, roles or both to each one.
3. Set the toggles for each question (see the table below).
4. Select Preview to test how it looks and what each answer assigns.

When a member picks an answer, they get those roles and the channels are added to their list.

Questions without Ask before member joins move to the Channels & Roles tab, under Customize, for members to answer later. Discord suggests this for non-urgent picks like vanity roles.

Step 3: Make most channels assignable

Discord flags any channel that isn't covered by Default Channels or a question. Its setup screen says at least 85% of public channels should be assignable, or members will struggle to find them.

Discord lists every channel that no question assigns yet. Image: Discord.

Step 4: Set up the Server Guide

After Default Channels and Questions, you move on to the Server Guide. You can customise:

• Welcome Sign: a message from you at the top of the guide.
• New Member To Do's: 3 to 5 tasks that get people talking in your channels.
• Resources: read-only channels turned into resource pages.

Resource pages leave the channel list. Members land at the top of the page, message bars and avatars are hidden, and your content, embeds and formatting stay the same.

Step 5: Review and enable

On Review, check each section, select Preview to see the new member view, then select Enable Onboarding. Each section has an Edit button if you need to go back and change it.

Safety Checks and Verification

Onboarding doesn't replace your safety settings. Discord's Review screen notes that getting a role won't bypass verification and Rules.

• Rules Screening still appears as normal, after onboarding.
• Discord's blog says anyone entering must complete onboarding before they can post.
• Discord suggests removing confusing bot-powered verification steps and using Raid Protection instead.

If a join raid looks likely, Raid Protection can alert you and require a CAPTCHA for new joiners for the next hour. Turn on alerts in Server Settings > Safety Setup > Raid Protection. For extra spam filters, see our Discord AutoMod setup guide.

What New Members See

New members see your questions before they join, one at a time, with a Finish button at the end. Discord's mobile demo opens with a "Let's customize your experience" screen.

A member picking off-topic channels while joining. Image: Discord.

After joining, they can:

• Change their answers anytime in the Channels & Roles tab above the channel list.
• Find channels left out of onboarding in Channels & Roles > Browse Channels.
• Open the Server Guide at the top of the channel list.

Once enabled, the Server Guide is visible to all members, not only new ones. Servers using it no longer show new members the old Welcome Screen.

The Server Guide as a member sees it on desktop. Image: Discord.

Limits

Discord's help centre documents only a few numbers:

Discord also suggests around 6 answers as a good maximum for channel questions. The maximum number of questions isn't documented in the help centre.

Best Practices

• Put your most popular channels in Default Channels so nobody misses them.
• Use one question for main channels ("What would you like to do here?") and a separate one for off-topic channels.
• Assign several channels or roles to one answer to keep the list short.
• Make a question Required if it assigns important channels.
• Keep answers and descriptions short. Drop descriptions if there are many answers.
• Don't put rules in your questions. Members accept rules after joining.
• Keep To Do's specific. Discord's own example warns against vague tasks like "chat with the community."

Planning a gaming server from scratch? Our gaming Discord server setup guide pairs well with this.

Troubleshooting

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Discord server onboarding in settings?

Go to Server Settings > Onboarding on desktop.

Do I need a Community server for onboarding?

Yes. Community Onboarding and the Server Guide are available to Community servers.

Can members change their onboarding answers later?

Yes. They can change them anytime in the Channels & Roles tab.

Do members who rejoin go through Discord server onboarding again?

Yes. Discord confirms that members who leave and rejoin must complete it again.

Does onboarding replace Rules Screening?

No. Rules Screening still appears as normal after onboarding.

Can I turn onboarding off?

Discord's help centre doesn't document a step for turning onboarding off, so we can't confirm one here.

Summary

Discord server onboarding lets new members choose their channels and roles through short questions, then welcomes them with a Server Guide. Set it up on desktop in Server Settings > Onboarding, pick at least 7 Default Channels, cover most public channels with questions, add 3 to 5 To Do's, and preview before you enable. Keep your verification, Rules Screening and Raid Protection in place alongside it.

Sources

1. Discord Help Center: Community Onboarding FAQ
2. Discord Help Center: Community Onboarding Examples
3. Discord Help Center: Server Guide FAQ
4. Discord Help Center: Enabling Your Community Server
5. Discord Help Center: Community Server Welcome Screen
6. Discord Help Center: Rules Screening FAQ
7. Discord Blog: Community Onboarding: Welcome Your New Members