How-To

How to Make an AFK Channel in Discord

By Ben Stockton

Last Updated on April 25, 2022

If you’re sick of inactive participants in your Discord server’s voice channels, you can move them to an AFK channel. Here’s how.

Unless you’re video calling, you’re free to dive in and out of chats you’re having on Discord, but only if it’s appropriate to do so. Some Discord servers prefer their members to stay active in certain channels.

If you’re in an audio-only channel, for instance, you might be expected to keep chatting, or you’ll be taking up space for somebody else. You can deal with this problem yourself in your own Discord server using an AFK (or away from keyboard) channel.

You can move a user from a voice channel into an AFK channel automatically if they become inactive. Here’s how to make an AFK channel in Discord.

Creating a New Voice Channel on Discord

An AFK (away from keyboard) channel allows server administrators and moderators to move users who are inactive in a voice channel to a special ‘holding’ channel. When the user becomes active again, they can leave the channel, but they won’t be taking up room in other voice-only channels in the meantime.

AFK channels on Discord only work for voice channels where space is limited. You’ll need to make sure you create (or have) a spare voice channel you can use as an AFK channel on your Discord server before you proceed. If you don’t, you can make one using the steps below.

How to Create a Discord Voice Channel on PC or Mac

To create a new Discord voice channel on a PC or Mac:

1. Open the Discord app or web client.
2. Select your server from the list on the left.
3. Press the add channel icon next to the voice channels category (or another category—it doesn’t matter where).
   
4. In the Create Channel menu, select Voice channel, give the channel a name, select whether or not the channel should be private, and then press Create channel.

How to Create a Discord Voice Channel on Android, iPhone, or iPad:

To create a new voice channel using the mobile Discord app:

1. Open the Discord app on your device.
2. Select the menu icon in the top-left.
3. Tap your server icon from the menu on the left.
4. Tap the add channel icon next to a category in the server channel list.
5. In the Create Channel menu, tap Voice Channel.
6. Type a name for the channel (eg. AFK channel) in the Channel Name list.
7. Tap the slider next to Private Channel if you want to limit who can access the channel under normal circumstances.
8. To save the channel, tap the save icon in the top-right.

How to Create an AFK Channel in Discord on PC and Mac

You can easily create an AFK channel on Discord from a PC or a Mac using the desktop app or the web client. You’ll need to have the correct server role on Discord to be able to do this first—usually as a server admin or moderator.

You’ll need a spare voice channel to do this, too. If you haven’t got one, follow the steps above to create one on your server first.

To create an AFK channel on Discord using your PC or Mac:

1. Open the Discord app or visit the Discord web client in your web browser.
2. Select your server from the left-hand icon list.
3. Press the server name above the channel list and select Server Settings.
4. In the Overview menu, scroll down to the Inactive Channel option.
5. From the Inactive Channel drop-down, select an existing voice channel to use as an AFK channel.
6. Next, select the amount of time a user can remain inactive before being moved from the Inactive Time-out drop-down menu.
7. Press Save Changes at the bottom after making your changes.

How to Make an AFK Channel in Discord on Android, iPhone, and iPad

The steps for making a Discord AFK channel are the same for Android, iPhone, and iPad users. The same limitations apply—you can only use a voice channel as an AFK channel, and you’ll need to create a spare voice channel to do this first on your server.

To make an AFK channel in Discord on Android, iPhone, or iPad:

1. Open the Discord app on your device.
2. Select the menu icon in the top-left.
3. Tap your server icon from the menu on the left.
4. Tap the three-dots icon next to your server name.
5. In the pop-up menu, tap Settings.
6. In the Server Settings menu, tap Overview.
7. Tap Inactive Channel and select the existing voice channel you wish to use as an AFK channel.
8. Next, tap Inactive Timeout and select the time period to wait before a user is moved, choosing between 1 minute and 1 hour).
9. Once you’ve made your changes, tap the Save button in the bottom-right.

Managing a Discord Server

Using the steps above, you can easily create an AFK channel on a Discord server. This will allow you to manage the number of inactive members in an otherwise busy channel, especially a voice channel where spots are limited.

There are other steps you can take to manage a Discord server or your preferred Discord app, however. For instance, you may want to turn off Discord notifications or appear offline on Discord when you’re busy working.

If you want to improve moderation (or add some additional features), don’t forget to add a Discord bot to your server.