Discord Slash Commands: How They Work and How to Use Them

Slash commands replaced prefix commands as the standard for Discord bots. Here's everything you need to know.

What Are Slash Commands?

Slash commands start with / and trigger bot or Discord-native actions. They replaced old-style prefix commands (like !ban) because:

They auto-complete as you type
They show available options before you submit
They're permission-controlled by Discord itself
They work consistently across all bots

How to Use a Slash Command

Click in any text channel
Type /
A menu appears showing all available commands
Use arrow keys or continue typing to filter
Press Enter or Tab to select
Fill in any required parameters
Press Enter to execute

Discord's Built-In Slash Commands

| Command | What it does | |---------|-------------| | /giphy | Search and post a GIF | | /tenor | Alternative GIF search | | /me | Post an action message | | /spoiler | Mark your message as a spoiler | | /shrug | Posts ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ | | /tableflip | Posts (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ |

Bot Slash Commands

Every bot registers its own slash commands. Common examples:

/ban @user reason — Ban a member (Carl-bot, Dyno)
/warn @user reason — Warn a member
/play song name — Play music (Chip, Jockie)
/level — Check your XP level (MEE6)
/gstart 24h 1w Prize — Start a giveaway (GiveawayBot)

Finding All Available Commands

Type / in any channel and scroll through the full list. Commands are grouped by bot with the bot's icon.

Restricting Slash Commands

As a server admin:

Go to Server Settings → Integrations
Click on any bot
Configure which channels and roles can use each command

This prevents /ban from being used in #general by accident.

For the Discords.ai Bot

If your server has the Discords.ai bot, use /bump to promote your listing and /stats to see your server's stats.