How to Enable Community Server Features on Discord

Discord servers can be converted into Community Servers to unlock moderation tools, announcement channels, and a server discovery page. This feature is designed for servers that want to grow an active, well-organized community around a shared interest or project. Enabling Community mode adds a dedicated Welcome Screen, Rules Screening, and membership gating options. This article explains the prerequisites and walks through the exact steps to enable Community Server features on your Discord server.

What Discord Community Server Mode Does and What You Need First

Community Server mode is a set of features that help server owners manage larger, public-facing communities. When you enable this mode, your server gains access to Announcement Channels, a server-specific Rules Screening page, a customizable Welcome Screen, and the ability to appear in Server Discovery. These tools make it easier to onboard new members, enforce rules automatically, and share updates across multiple channels at once.

Before you can enable Community mode, your server must meet a few base requirements. Your server must have at least two text channels and two voice channels. You also need to set up a dedicated Rules channel and a Community Updates channel. The server owner must have two-factor authentication enabled on their Discord account. Additionally, you must set the server Verification Level to at least Low and the Explicit Content Filter to Scan Media Files from All Members. If your server does not meet these conditions, Discord will prompt you to adjust them during the setup process.

Steps to Enable Community Server Features

1. Open Server Settings
   Click your server name at the top-left of the Discord window. From the dropdown menu, select Server Settings. This opens the settings panel for your server.
2. Go to the Enable Community Tab
   In the left sidebar, scroll down and click Enable Community. This tab is located under the Community section. If you do not see this option, your server may already be a Community Server.
3. Review Prerequisites and Click Get Started
   Discord displays a list of requirements your server must meet. If all requirements are satisfied, click the Get Started button. If any requirement is missing, Discord shows a warning. You can click the warning to jump directly to the setting that needs to be changed.
4. Set Up the Rules Channel
   In the first setup step, select a text channel to serve as your server rules channel. This channel will be automatically created if you do not have one. Choose a channel that contains your server rules, or let Discord create a new #rules channel. Click Next.
5. Set Up the Community Updates Channel
   Select a text channel for Community Updates. This channel receives announcements from Discord about server features and policy changes. You can create a new channel or use an existing one. Click Next.
6. Configure Rules Screening
   Toggle Rules Screening on. This requires new members to accept your server rules before they can send messages. You can edit the rules text directly in this step. Click Next.
7. Set Up the Welcome Screen
   Toggle Welcome Screen on. This screen appears to new members when they first join your server. You can add up to six welcome channel recommendations that link to your most important channels. Click Next.
8. Review and Enable
   Discord shows a summary of all the settings you configured. Review the list and click Finish Setup. Your server is now a Community Server. The Enable Community tab will show a green checkmark and the text “Community Enabled.”

Common Mistakes and Limitations After Enabling Community Mode

Cannot Find the Enable Community Tab After Setup

Once you enable Community mode, the Enable Community tab is replaced by a Community tab in the left sidebar. Click Community to adjust settings like Rules Screening, Welcome Screen, and Server Discovery. If you still see Enable Community, the setup may not have completed. Return to the tab and click Finish Setup again.

Welcome Screen Not Showing for Existing Members

The Welcome Screen only appears for new members who join after the feature is enabled. Existing members will not see it. To let existing members view the Welcome Screen, you can share a direct link to the welcome channel or ask them to leave and rejoin the server.

Server Discovery Requires 1,000 Members

Community mode enables Server Discovery in your server settings, but your server must have at least 1,000 members to appear in the Discovery directory. Until then, the Server Discovery toggle will remain grayed out. Focus on growing your member count using other Community features like Announcement Channels and the Welcome Screen.

Cannot Disable Rules Screening After Enabling It

Once Rules Screening is turned on, you can edit the rules text but you cannot turn off the feature without disabling Community mode entirely. If you want to remove Rules Screening, you must go to Server Settings > Community > Switch to Regular Server. This reverts your server to a standard server and removes all Community features.

Discord Community Server vs Regular Server: Key Differences

Item	Community Server	Regular Server
Rules Screening	Required and can be toggled on	Not available
Welcome Screen	Available and customizable	Not available
Announcement Channels	Available for broadcasting messages	Not available
Server Discovery	Available after 1,000 members	Not available
Verification Level Requirement	Minimum Low	No minimum
Explicit Content Filter	Minimum Scan Media Files from All Members	Can be set to off

Enabling Community Server features on Discord gives you access to tools designed for growing and managing a public community. After setup, you can configure the Welcome Screen to highlight key channels and use Announcement Channels to send updates that members can follow. For advanced moderation, consider setting up automated rules using Discord’s built-in AutoMod feature, which is available once Community mode is active.