Discord Verification Levels Explained

Discord verification levels control who can send messages in your server. They're one of the simplest and most effective protections against spam bots.

The Five Verification Levels

Level 0 — None

No verification required. Anyone can join and immediately send messages. Use only for: Private servers with closed invites where you manually approve every member.

Level 1 — Low

Must have a verified email address. Most real users pass this easily. Use for: Very small community servers or invite-only friend groups.

Level 2 — Medium (Recommended for most servers)

Must be registered on Discord for longer than 5 minutes AND have a verified email. Blocks: Freshly created accounts used for raids. Eliminates most automated raid bots. Use for: Most public Discord servers.

Level 3 — High

Must also be a member of the server for longer than 10 minutes before they can send messages. Blocks: Even coordinated human raids — attackers would need to sit in the server silently first. Use for: Servers that have previously been raided, large public servers in high-risk niches.

Level 4 — Highest

Must have a verified phone number on their Discord account. Blocks: Almost everything. Phone verification is a significant barrier. Warning: This significantly reduces the number of people who can join.

How to Change Verification Level

Go to Server Settings
Click Safety Setup
Find Verification Level
Select your desired level
Save

Our Recommendation by Server Type

| Server Type | Recommended Level | |------------|------------------| | Private/friend group | Low or None | | Small public community | Medium | | Growing public server | Medium or High | | Large server or post-raid | High | | Under active attack | Highest (temporarily) |