Creating a role in Discord takes three steps: open Server Settings, go to the Roles tab, and click the plus icon to make a new role

To create a role, open your Discord server and click the server name at the top left. Select Server Settings from the dropdown menu. Click Roles in the left sidebar. Click the plus icon next to "Roles" at the top of the list. Type a name for the role — for example, "Moderator" or "Members" — and click Create Role.

Once the role exists, you can customize its color, permissions, and display position. The role appears in your server's role list immediately, but it has no members until you assign it to people.

Key Takeaways

  • Create a new role by opening Server Settings, clicking Roles, and clicking the plus icon to name and confirm it.
  • Assign a role to a member by right-clicking their name in chat or the member list, selecting Add Role, and choosing the role from the menu.
  • Change what a role can do by opening the role in Server Settings, clicking Permissions, and toggling individual powers on or off.
  • Roles with higher positions in the list outrank lower ones, so place moderator roles above member roles to prevent lower roles from removing them.
  • A role's color appears next to a member's name in chat only if that role is positioned higher than all other roles the member has.

Assigning roles to individual members

To give a role to someone in your server, right-click their username in the chat or in the member list on the right side of the screen. Click Add Role. A menu shows all available roles. Click the role you want to assign. The member now has that role and can use any permissions it grants.

You can assign multiple roles to the same person. Right-click them again and add another role the same way. A member with multiple roles gets all the permissions from every role they hold.

To remove a role, right-click the member's name, click Remove Role, and select the role you want to take away. The member loses any permissions that role provided, unless another role they hold grants the same permission.

Setting permissions for each role

Permissions control what a role can do in your server — send messages, delete others' posts, mute people, manage channels, and so on. To change a role's permissions, open Server Settings, click Roles, and click the role name. Click the Permissions tab.

You see a list of permissions with toggles next to each one. Click the toggle to turn a permission on (green) or off (gray). Common permissions include Send Messages, Manage Messages, Manage Roles, Kick Members, and Ban Members. A role with no permissions can still see channels and read messages, but cannot take any action.

Some permissions are dangerous — Administrator gives a role full control of the server, and Manage Roles lets them create or edit other roles. Only give these to people you trust completely.

Understanding role hierarchy and position

Roles have a position in your server's role list, and position matters. A role higher in the list outranks a role lower in the list. A member with a higher role can remove, edit, or manage a member with a lower role — but not the other way around.

To change a role's position, open Server Settings, click Roles, and drag the role up or down in the list. Place moderator and admin roles near the top so they outrank regular member roles. Place the @everyone role at the bottom — it applies to all members by default and cannot be moved.

A member's displayed color in chat comes from their highest-ranked role that has a color assigned. If a member has both a red role and a blue role, the color of whichever role is higher in the list shows next to their name.

Customizing role appearance and settings

To change a role's color, icon, or other appearance settings, open Server Settings, click Roles, and click the role name. Click the colored circle next to the role name to pick a new color from the color picker. You can also toggle Display role members separately in the sidebar to make members with that role appear in their own section in the member list.

You can rename a role at any time by clicking the role name in Server Settings and typing a new name in the text field at the top. You can also add a role description by clicking the description field, though this is optional and members do not see it unless they click the role.

Common role setups for different server types

Most servers use a few standard roles. A typical setup includes Admin (full server control), Moderator (manage messages and members), Members (can post and react), and sometimes Muted (cannot send messages). Some servers add roles for specific interests — Gaming, Art, Support — so members can opt into channels related to those topics.

Bots often need their own role. If you add a bot to your server, create a role for it, assign the role to the bot, and give that role only the permissions the bot needs. This prevents the bot from having more power than necessary.

Servers with many members sometimes use a Verified role that members get after reading the rules, so you can hide channels from unverified people. This requires setting channel permissions, which is a separate step from role creation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a role that members can assign to themselves?

Not directly through Discord's built-in features. You need a bot that watches for reactions or commands. Popular bots like MEE6 and Dyno can watch for emoji reactions on a message and automatically assign roles when members click them. Set this up in the bot's dashboard, not in Discord itself.

What happens if I delete a role?

Members who had that role keep all their other roles, but lose the deleted role and its permissions. Channels that had permissions set for that role lose those rules. Deleting a role cannot be undone, so be careful — you have to recreate it and reassign it to everyone if you change your mind.

Can members see what permissions a role has?

Members can see the role exists and its color, but they cannot see the full permission list unless they have the Manage Roles permission themselves. You can tell members what a role does by writing it in a channel description or a pinned message.

Why can't I assign a role to someone?

Your role must be higher in the list than the role you are trying to assign. If you have the Moderator role and it is lower than the Admin role, you cannot assign Admin to anyone. Ask a server owner to move your role higher, or create a new role below yours that you can assign.