How to Lock a Discord Channel on Desktop and Mobile

Quick Tips

• Grant Read Message History but disable all other permissions for the @everyone role. Use Advanced Permissions for granular control.
• Assign roles with specific permissions to allow specific users or groups to interact within the locked channel.

Locking a Channel by Making it Private

Making a Discord channel private means it becomes hidden from other members on a server. Access to these channels will depend on server roles or admin invites. Let’s begin with the method for desktop.

Note: To make a Discord channel private, you must be a server administrator or have the right permissions.

On Desktop/Web

Step 1: Launch the Discord app.

Step 2: From the list of servers you have access to, click on the server hosting the channel that you need to hide.

Step 3: To hide the channel name, click on the Edit Channel represented by a gear icon.

Note: To find the gear icon for a channel, you must hover your cursor over the channel name.

Step 4: In the new window, go to Permissions.

Step 5: Click on the toggle beside Private Channel.

Once you enable the Private Channel toggle, only previously added channel users can see it. Also, every user that has a Server Owner or Administrator role on the server can see and use the channel.

Step 6: To grant certain individuals access to the private channel, click on the Add members or roles button.

Step 7: After adding members or roles, click on Done.

Step 8: Click on Advanced permissions.

Step 9: Under Roles/Members, you will see the roles or members. Click on a role or member, and under General Channel Permissions, click the x button beside View Channel to remove their access.

Step 10: Once you choose permissions, click on Save Changes, which shows up as a pop-up on the page.

That’s it. You have set the channel private and assigned roles to the select members.

On Discord Mobile App

Step 1: Launch the Discord app. Navigate to the server where the channel you want to lock is located.

Step 2: Press the channel you want to lock and make it private. From the bottom sheet, tap Edit Channel.

Step 3: Select Channel Permissions from the Channel Settings menu. Click the Private Channel toggle under the Basic view. 

Step 4: In the confirmation pop-up, choose Yes. 

Now that the channel is private, only pre-existing users can see and access it. However, if you want to give access to individuals, continue with the below steps.

Step 5: Tap Add members or roles in the Permissions screen. Choose from the list of users you want to add to the private or locked Discord channel, and tap App.

You have successfully added new individuals to your private or locked Discord channel. 

Step 6: To remove the locked channel from other member’s view, navigate to the Advanced View from the Permissions screen. Now, tap on @everyone. 

Step 7: Under the General Channel Permissions section, tap on the X button beside the View Channel.

There you go. The channel is locked and can only be accessed by specific members and administrators.

Locking a Channel by Disabling Comments

You can also disable comments instead of completely blocking the view for a particular channel. This option might be preferred if you need to create a channel for sending out announcements or rules. By disabling comments, you make the channel a read-only channel.

On Desktop/Web

Step 1: At the top of the window, click on the drop-down arrow beside the server’s name.

Step 2: Click on Server Settings.

Step 3: Click on Roles > Create Role to assign roles to server members.

Step 4: Give a Role name (ex: admin), Role color, or Role Icon, and click Save Changes. Once saved, click on Esc.

Step 5: Return to the server’s main page and click on the gear icon beside the channel name.

Step 6: Click on Permissions.

Step 7: Under Advanced Permissions, add the Role (ex: admin).

Step 8: Under Roles/Members, you should see the roles or members you created. Click on a role or member.

Step 9: Scroll down to Text Channel Permissions. Next to the Send Messages field, click the x button to prevent members from sending messages to the channel.

Note: To grant a particular member access, click their name and click the checkmark to ensure they can send messages.

Step 10: Finally, click Save Changes to apply your changes.

That’s about it. You have blocked access to members from messaging or commenting on the channel, apparently locking the channel.

On Mobile

Step 1: Launch the Discord app. Navigate to the server where the channel you want to lock is located.

Step 2: Tap on the Server name. From the bottom sheet, select Settings.

Step 3: In the Server Settings screen, under the User Management section, tap on Roles. On the next screen, tap on the Create Role button.

Step 4: Under the Create a new role screen, enter the Role Name > select Role Color > tap Create at the bottom. 

Step 5: You can make cosmetic changes to the (Role) label. For now, we will tap on Skip this step. You can assign members to this role, and once done, tap Finish. 

Step 6: Now that the label has been created, return to the channel you want to lock and long-press on it. From the bottom sheet, tap Edit Channel.

Step 7: Select Channel Permissions > go to the Advanced View tab.

Step 8: Tap on Add role and choose the created role label. Ex: admin.

Step 9: Under Text Channel Permissions, besides Send Messages, tap the X button to prevent members from sending messages to the channel.

Step 10: Finally, tap Done at the top right.

There you have it. The channel is now locked, and nobody other than the permitted members can message, technically locking it away from general users.

FAQs