How to Set Discord Use Embedded Activities Permission Selectively

Discord’s Embedded Activities let you and your server members play games like Poker Night, Watch Together, or Chess directly inside a voice channel. By default, any member who can speak in a voice channel can also start an embedded activity. This can lead to unwanted interruptions or confusion during a focused stream or meeting. This article explains how to restrict the “Use Embedded Activities” permission to specific roles or members, so only trusted users can initiate activities.

What Are Embedded Activities and Why Control Them?

Embedded Activities are interactive games and apps that run inside a Discord voice channel. When a member clicks the Activity Launcher button the rocket icon at the bottom of a voice channel, they can start a game that all members in that channel can join. Common activities include Poker Night, Chess, Watch Together, and Blazing 8s.

By default, the “Use Embedded Activities” permission is enabled for the @everyone role. This means any member can launch an activity in any voice channel they can join. In large servers or during official events, this can cause distractions or unintended interruptions. Selectively granting this permission to specific roles or members gives you control over who can start an activity and in which channels.

Permission Hierarchy

Discord permissions follow a hierarchy. Server-wide role settings are overridden by channel-specific permission overrides. The order of precedence is:

• Channel-specific member overrides highest priority
• Channel-specific role overrides
• Server-wide role permissions
• @everyone role permissions lowest priority

Understanding this hierarchy helps you plan where to set the “Use Embedded Activities” permission.

Steps to Restrict Embedded Activities Permission

Follow these steps to disable the permission globally and then grant it to specific roles or members.

Disable for @everyone Role

1. Open Server Settings
   Right-click your server name in the left sidebar and select Server Settings from the menu.
2. Go to Roles
   In the left navigation, click Roles.
3. Select @everyone Role
   Click the @everyone role from the list. This role applies to every member in the server.
4. Locate Use Embedded Activities
   Scroll down to the General Server Permissions section. Find the Use Embedded Activities permission.
5. Toggle Permission Off
   Click the red X icon to set the permission to OFF. This removes the ability for all members to start activities.
6. Save Changes
   Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page.

Grant Permission to a Specific Role

1. Create or Select a Role
   In Server Settings > Roles, click Create Role or select an existing role such as Moderator or Event Host.
2. Enable Use Embedded Activities
   Scroll to General Server Permissions and click the green checkmark for Use Embedded Activities to set it to ON.
3. Save Changes
   Click Save Changes at the bottom.
4. Assign Members to the Role
   Go to Server Settings > Members, find the user, click the plus icon next to their name, and select the role you configured.

Override Permission for a Specific Voice Channel

If you want to allow activities in only one channel while blocking them everywhere else, use channel-specific overrides.

1. Right-Click the Voice Channel
   In the channel list, right-click the voice channel where you want to allow activities. Select Edit Channel.
2. Open Permissions Tab
   Click the Permissions tab in the left navigation.
3. Add a Role Override
   Click the + icon next to Roles/Members. Select the role you want to grant permission to e.g., Event Host.
4. Enable Use Embedded Activities
   Find Use Embedded Activities in the list. Click the green checkmark to set it to ON.
5. Save Changes
   Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Now only members with that role can start an activity in that specific voice channel. In all other channels, the @everyone setting applies and activities are blocked.

Common Issues and Misconfigurations

Members Still Cannot Start Activities After Granting Permission

If a member has the role with the permission enabled but still cannot start an activity, check for a channel-specific override that blocks it. Right-click the voice channel, go to Edit Channel > Permissions, and look for any role or member override that has Use Embedded Activities set to red X. Remove that override or set it to green checkmark.

Permission Shows as Gray Slash Instead of Check or X

A gray slash means the permission is not explicitly set at that level. It inherits from a higher level. To make it explicit, click the green check or red X to set it directly. This prevents accidental inheritance from another role.

Members Can Still Start Activities After Disabling @everyone

If you disabled the permission for @everyone but members can still start activities, they likely have another role that grants the permission. Check the member’s roles in Server Settings > Members by clicking the member’s name. Review each role’s permissions and disable Use Embedded Activities on any role that has it enabled.

Discord Permission Settings: Server vs Channel

Item	Server-Wide Role Permission	Channel-Specific Override
Scope	Applies to all channels in the server	Applies only to that one voice channel
Configuration location	Server Settings > Roles > select role	Right-click channel > Edit Channel > Permissions tab
Use case	Grant or block activities for a role everywhere	Allow activities only in a specific room like a gaming voice channel
Override priority	Lower priority than channel overrides	Overrides server-wide role settings

You can now selectively manage who can start embedded activities on your Discord server. Start by disabling the permission for @everyone, then grant it to specific roles. Use channel overrides to fine-tune which voice channels allow activities. For tighter control, create a dedicated role like Game Host and assign it only to members you trust to launch games during events.