Although Discord is a very useful software for community communication, it is also full of scams and malicious messages. A large portion of these messages are spread through direct messages. Currently, the default setting for new Discord accounts is to receive direct messages, so many beginners may receive scams and malicious messages from strangers without realizing it. This article will tell you how to turn off direct messages and no longer be bothered by strangers.
Ways to Turn off Direct Messages on Discord
After turning off direct messages on Discord, you will not receive direct messages from non-friends. There are two ways to turn off direct messages on Discord:
- Turn off direct messages from user settings: If you turn off direct messages from here, it will not affect the server settings you have already joined (if the server was previously turned on, it will still be on, and you need to set it individually for each server), and the new settings will only apply to new servers you join.
- Turn off direct messages for specific servers: Only other strangers who are not friends from the same server will not be able to send messages to you.
To Turn off Direct Messages from User Settings
First, click on the gear icon in the lower left corner of your Discord profile to open “User Settings.”
open user settings
Next, on the left side, find “Privacy & Safety,” and then turn off “Allow direct messages from server members” on the right side. After it’s turned off, it will be displayed in gray as shown in the figure below. This way, when you join a new server, the “Allow direct messages from server members” will be defaulted to off.
turn off “Allow direct messages from server members”
Turn off Direct Messages for Specific Servers
After entering the server you want to set, click on the “Server Name” in the upper left corner, then select “Privacy Settings” from the menu. A window will appear on the right side, and you can turn off “Direct Messages” to not receive direct messages from non-friends in that server. After it’s turned off, it will be displayed in gray as shown in the figure below.
turn off “Direct Messages”
