Discord · Discord desktop app and browser; some controls are available on mobile
Set Up Discord Member Verification and Rules Screening
Source-checked · About 15 minutes plus application review
Answer
Choose the native control that matches the gate you need. Verification Level checks Discord account conditions; Rules Screening requires Community and records rule agreement; Apply to Join lets staff approve people before entry when the gradual rollout is available. Use a role only to restrict specific channels after someone joins. None of these proves a person's real-world identity.
Account checkUse a server-wide Verification Level to require email, account age, time in the server, or phone.
Rule agreementUse native Rules Screening on a Community server; do not put a reaction-role bot in front of it.
Approve entryUse Apply to Join when available so applicants see no server content until staff approves them.
Private areasUse a narrow access role only for channels that should remain hidden after a member joins.
Work from a server owner or authorized admin account in the Discord desktop app. Choose Account check, Rule agreement, Approve entry, or Private areas from the map above; combine gates only when the server genuinely needs each separate restriction. Record the current join setting, Verification Level, Rules Screening state, and affected channel permissions before changing them, and prepare a disposable non-admin test account.
2
Set the account-condition baseline
Select the server name > Server Settings > Safety Setup. For a Friend Server, open Verification Level and choose the level matching the published server policy. For a Community server, open DM and Spam Protection, select Edit in the Verification Level box, choose None, Low, Medium, High, or Highest, then Save. Checkpoint: the selected level is now shown in Safety Setup. This setting applies server-wide, not per channel.
3
For rule agreement, enable Community first
Rules Screening requires a Community server. If Enable Community appears in Server Settings, select it > Get Started, complete Discord's required email-verification and media-filter safety checks, choose a public rules channel and a private moderator-updates channel, review the Community obligations, then select Finish Setup. Checkpoint: a Community section appears in Server Settings and the two intended channels are recorded.
4
Configure native Rules Screening
Open Server Settings > Safety Setup > DM and Spam Protection > Edit, then select Members must accept rules before they can talk or DM. Select Get Started, add up to 16 concise rules, Save, and enable the requirement. Checkpoint: reopen the panel and confirm both the rules and enabled state remain visible. If an old bot role gate controlled rule acceptance, restore the @everyone permissions required by native screening before testing.
5
For staff approval before entry, use Apply to Join
If Server Settings > Access is available in the desktop app, open it and choose Apply to Join under How can people join your server?, then create only the questions staff actually need. Discord is rolling this feature out gradually, so stop this branch if Access or Apply to Join is absent. Record which staff have Kick Members permission, because they can review applications and create special invites that bypass the application process.
6
For private areas after entry, add a narrow role
Create a clearly named access role with no Administrator permission. On each protected category, deny @everyone View Channel and allow the access role View Channel; avoid changing unrelated send, history, or moderation permissions. Assign the role only after the server's documented decision. Checkpoint: Discord's View Server As Role tool or a disposable member shows the protected category with the role and hides it without the role.
7
Run the complete new-member test
Join through a normal invite with the disposable non-admin account. For Rules Screening, confirm the account cannot talk, react, or DM members before accepting the rules, then accept and Submit and confirm participation works. For Apply to Join, confirm the applicant sees no server content while pending; from the admin account open Members, review the application, choose Approve, and confirm the account can then enter. Never use Server Settings > Members to manually verify the Rules Screening test member, because that bypasses the test.
8
Record the working state and the rollback
Save the chosen gate, exact test result, responsible staff permission, and review owner in the server's admin notes. To reverse Apply to Join, return to Server Settings > Access and choose Invite Only. To reverse another gate, restore the Verification Level, Rules Screening state, or category overrides recorded in Step 1, then repeat the disposable-account test before removing any old fallback.
If it does not work
If Rules Screening is missing, confirm Community is enabled and use Discord desktop or browser at Server Settings > Safety Setup. Verification Level alone does not create a rules prompt.
If Apply to Join is missing, use the Discord desktop app and confirm Server Settings > Access exists. The feature is rolling out gradually; do not replace it with an unreviewed bot or claim every server has it.
If a new member can talk before accepting rules, check whether an admin manually verified them in Server Settings > Members or assigned a role that bypasses the Community requirements. Retest with a clean account that has no staff role.
If an applicant bypassed review, inspect Server Settings > Invites for a special invite created by someone with Kick Members permission. Revoke only the unintended bypass invite; do not invalidate every invite without checking its owner and use.
If a rules-approved member still cannot participate, compare the selected Verification Level with the account's email, account-age, server-time, and phone requirements. A verified phone number supersedes the other Verification Level requirements.
If an approved member still cannot see a protected category, inspect that category's @everyone and access-role View Channel overrides plus the member's actual role assignment. Do not grant Administrator to bypass the problem.
ⓘ Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Discord desktop app, Discord browser, Discord mobile for selected controls.
Verification Levels, Rules Screening, Apply to Join, and channel roles solve four different access problems. Apply to Join is rolling out gradually and can only be enabled in the desktop app. None is proof of real-world identity.
