Discord member applications let you screen who joins your server before they get full access
A member application in Discord is a form that new people fill out before joining your server. Instead of letting anyone walk in, you review their answers and decide whether to accept them. Discord calls this feature Member Screening, and it lives in your server settings under the Moderation tab.
The form appears to new members the moment they join — they cannot see any channels or send messages until they submit it. You and your moderators then review each submission and either accept or reject them. Accepted members get full server access. Rejected members are removed automatically.
This works best for communities with a specific purpose: gaming clans that want to know experience level, study groups that need to verify enrollment, or hobby servers that want to filter out spam accounts.
Key Takeaways
- Member Screening is found in Server Settings > Moderation and requires you to have Manage Server permission.
- You can ask up to ten questions, mixing required and optional fields, with text boxes or yes/no answers.
- New members see the form immediately upon joining and cannot access channels until they submit it.
- You review submissions in the Member Screening tab and accept or reject each one individually.
- Rejected members are automatically removed from the server after a set number of days.
How to set up member applications in five steps
Open your Discord server and click the server name at the top left. Select Server Settings, then find Moderation in the left sidebar. Click Member Screening.
Toggle Member Screening on. A form builder will appear. Click Add Question to create your first question. Type the question text in the field that appears — for example, "What is your main gaming platform?" or "How did you hear about this server?"
Choose the answer type. You have two options: Short Answer (a text box where people type a response) or Multiple Choice (yes/no buttons). Select which one fits your question.
Toggle Required on or off. Required questions must be answered before someone can submit the form. Optional questions let people skip them. Most servers make all questions required so you get complete information about every new member.
Repeat this for each question you want to ask — up to ten total. When you are done, scroll down and click Save Changes. Your form is now live. The next person who joins your server will see it immediately.
What happens after someone submits an application
New members who submit the form appear in the Member Screening tab under a Pending section. You see their username, the date they joined, and their answers to every question you asked.
Click on a member's name to review their full submission. You then have two buttons: Accept or Reject. Accepting gives them full server access and moves them to your member list. Rejecting removes them from the server after a number of days you set (usually 7 or 30 days).
You can also set a message that rejected members see when they are removed. This is optional but helpful — you might write "Thanks for applying. We are looking for members with more experience in this area" or simply "Your application was not accepted at this time."
Question types and what to ask
Short Answer questions are best for open-ended information: "What is your main interest in this community?" or "Tell us about your experience with this game." People type whatever they want, and you read their actual words when deciding.
Multiple Choice questions work for yes/no gates: "Have you read our rules?" or "Are you 18 or older?" You can also use them for quick categorization: "Which platform do you play on?" with options like "PC", "Console", or "Mobile".
Most servers mix both types. A typical form might ask one or two short-answer questions to learn about the person, then one or two yes/no questions to confirm they meet basic requirements. Keep the total under five questions — longer forms have lower completion rates.
Permissions and who can review applications
Only people with Manage Server permission can set up the form or review submissions. This is usually the server owner and senior moderators. You can give this permission to specific roles in your Server Settings under Roles.
When you grant Manage Server to a role, everyone with that role can see pending applications, accept members, and reject members. They cannot change the questions themselves — only the server owner or someone with Administrator permission can edit the form.
If you want moderators to review applications but not change the form, Manage Server is the right permission level. There is no middle ground for "can review but not edit" — both powers come together.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is asking questions you will not actually read. If you set up a form with five questions but only glance at the first one before accepting everyone, the form wastes everyone's time. Ask only what matters to your decision.
Another mistake is making the form too strict. If you reject 90 percent of applicants, word spreads and people stop trying to join. Be clear about what you are looking for — if you want experienced players, say that. If you want people who have read the rules, ask directly.
Do not leave applications sitting for weeks. Review them at least once a day. New members who are rejected after a long wait feel worse than those rejected quickly. Set a calendar reminder if you tend to forget.
When member applications might not be the right choice
If your server is small or brand new, member screening can slow growth. New people see a form instead of jumping straight in, and some will leave rather than fill it out. Small communities often do better with open doors and moderation after the fact.
If you do not have time to review applications regularly, do not turn on screening. Pending applications pile up, new members get frustrated, and the form becomes a barrier instead of a filter. Only use this feature if you or a moderator can check it daily.
If your server has a very specific purpose and you get hundreds of join requests, screening is essential. If your server is casual and you get a few joins per week, it might be overkill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the questions after I turn on member screening?
Yes. Go back to Server Settings > Moderation > Member Screening and edit the questions anytime. Changes apply only to new applicants — people who already submitted answers keep their original responses. You can also delete the entire form and start over.
What happens if someone gets rejected?
They are automatically removed from the server after the number of days you set (usually 7 or 30). They see a message you wrote explaining the rejection, if you included one. They can try to rejoin later and submit a new application.
Can I see who rejected an application?
No. Discord does not log which moderator accepted or rejected each person. You only see the final decision. If you need to track who made each decision, you will need to keep a separate spreadsheet or use a bot.
Do I have to review every application myself?
No. Anyone with Manage Server permission can review and accept applications. You can give this role to multiple moderators so the work is shared. Each person reviews independently — there is no approval queue or second opinion step.
Can I use member screening with an invite link?
Yes. The form appears whether someone joins through an invite link, the server discovery page, or by searching for the server. Everyone sees the same application form regardless of how they found you.