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How to set up roles on Discord

Discord roles decide who sees which channels and who can do what. To set them up well, define a few roles with clear names, order them by hierarchy, give them only the permissions they need and assign them automatically: with Discord’s welcome screen, a reaction role bot or level-based roles.

  • ⏱ 3 min read
  • 5 sections
  • 2 diagrams

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What kinds of roles a server needs

Almost every server is organized with four kinds:

  • Team roles: administrators and moderators, with management permissions.
  • Access roles: verified members, subscribers or collaborators, which open channels.
  • Identity or status roles: levels, colors and ranks earned by taking part.
  • Alert roles: groups that choose to get notifications, like streams or giveaways.

Hierarchy: the order matters

In Discord a role can only manage the ones below it in the list. That is why team roles go on top and alert or level roles go lower down. It also explains the most common bot error: if the bot’s role is below the role it has to assign, it will not be able to. Place the bot’s role above the ones it has to hand out.

List of Discord roles ordered by hierarchy, with the bot's role above the roles it has to assign.
The bot can only hand out roles below its own.

Permissions: the minimum needed

Give each role only what it needs. Take away from @everyone the ability to mention everyone, upload files or create invites and grant it only to trusted roles. The administrator permission overrides every other rule, so it is reserved for very few people. Also check the permissions of each channel, because they can contradict the role.

Discord permission switches for the everyone role: mention everyone, create invites, attach files and administrator turned off.
For @everyone, the minimum. The rest, only for trusted roles.

How to assign roles automatically

Assigning roles by hand does not scale. There are several ways to automate it:

  • Discord’s welcome screen (Onboarding), available on community servers, asks questions on arrival and assigns roles and channels based on the answer.
  • Reaction or button roles: the member picks their alert or interest roles on a message.
  • An automatic role on joining, or after passing captcha verification.
  • Level roles: on reaching a certain activity level, the role is assigned on its own.

Mistakes that keep repeating

The most common are having dozens of roles nobody understands, giving administrator permissions for convenience, forgetting to move the bot’s role up the list and leaving channels open that a role was supposed to close. A simple structure, planned from the start, avoids almost all of them.

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Frequently asked questions

How many roles should my server have?

The ones you really use. To start, 6 to 10 are usually enough: team, moderators, verified members, subscribers and one or two alert roles. Add more when there is a real need.

Why can my bot not give a role?

Almost always because the bot’s role is below the role it is trying to assign, or because it lacks the manage roles permission. Move the bot’s role above the ones it has to hand out.

How do I make reaction roles?

With a bot that posts a message where each reaction or button hands out a role. Public bots do it, and a custom bot can also tie it to levels or verification.

Do you set up the roles and permissions of a server?

Yes. It is part of the server setup service: roles, permissions and a clear structure, ready in 24 to 48 hours for most projects.

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