To learn more about Threads, make sure to check out this article here!
[Update as of 8/19/21]
- We’re updating Thread permissions! Later in September, all the permission changes listed in this article will go live! See what’s changing here.

Since Threads are a new surface to consider when moderating servers, we wanted to give our communities the opportunity to choose where and how they can be used. Not every community will want every member to be able to create a Thread, and that’s okay. 

Having control over who can use Threads is important as a server grows in size and scope.

What does this article cover? 

• Thread Updates
• Core Thread Permissions
• General Thread Moderation Management
  • Creating and Participating in Threads
  • Moderating Threads
  • Locking down a thread
    • Slow Mode
• Tips for Moderating Threads

What’s Changing: Threads Permissions

Note: Later in September, all servers will switch to this new permissions system.

To make Threads permissions clearer, we’re now adding a fourth, Send Messages in Threads permission. Additionally -

1. Use Public Threads → Create Public Threads
2. Use Private Threads → Create Private Threads
3. Manage Threads (will remain the same)

With this additional Send Messages in Threads permission, the new behavior is:

• To send a message in a Thread members only need the “Send Messages in Threads” permission 
  • The Send Messages permission will no longer have any direct affect on Threads behavior anymore.
• To create a thread that anyone in a channel can view, server members only need the “Create Public Threads” permission
• To create a thread that only certain people in a channel can view, server members only need the “Create Private Threads” permission
• To moderate threads, server members still need the “Manage Threads” permission

You will see these permissions beginning 8/19/21, and on 8/27/21 you can switch to the new behavior at your own convenience. 

Core Thread Permissions

To help, we have four permissions to help you fine-tune which members can create threads, and which channels Threads can be made in. 

• Send Messages in Threads
• Create Public Threads
• Create Private Threads
• Manage Threads

General Thread Moderation Management

Generally, threads inherit permissions from the channel in which they were created.

If members are able to view a channel, then they are also able to view threads in that channel.

If they have Send Messages in Threads permission enabled, then they can send messages in Threads.

If they have Create Public Threads or Create Private Threads permission enabled, they can create a thread from an existing message or scratch.

CREATING THREADS

In order to create a thread in the server, server members will need either the “Create Public Threads” or “Create Private Threads” permissions. 

• The “Create Public Threads” permission will allow server members to create threads that can be publicly viewed by others who have access to the text channel. 
• The “Create Private Threads” permission will allow server members to create private threads that can only be accessed by those who are mentioned in the thread!

PARTICIPATING IN THREADS

To send a message within a thread, server members will need the “Send Messages in Thread” permission, which allows server members to participate within threads only - not for all general channels in the server. 

On the other hand, the “Send Message” permission will only apply to messages outside of threads. 

By having separate permissions, this allows for some advanced setups, such as allowing server members to participate in threads created off of announcement posts, but not allowing those members to post in the announcement channel!

Moderating Threads

To help with moderating threads, we’ve added a new permission, “Manage Threads”.

Since threads are generally a new form of “content” in a server, we recommend giving this permission to your “content moderators”, which is likely the same people who have the “Manage Messages” permission in your server.

The creator of a thread, as well as moderators who have the “Manage Threads” permission, will be able to:

• Rename a thread
• Archive a thread
• Remove users from a private thread
• Edit the auto-archive duration on a thread
• Restrict who can invite members to a private thread

Moderators who have the “Manage Threads” permission will also be able to:

• Unarchive a thread
• Set slowmode on a thread
• View all private threads in a channel
• Remove users from a public thread
• Delete a thread

Locking down a thread

Sometimes discussion in a thread can get out of hand, and a moderator needs to step in. We’ve built two tools to help with this:

• Slowmode can be set on a thread by going to the “Edit” screen, to limit how often folks can send a message in a thread
• When a moderator archives a thread, they can choose to Lock a thread, which means only moderators can unarchive them. This provides a way to shut down all discussion in a thread.

Additionally, sometimes when creating a private thread and you don’t want to allow others to add people to it, you can uncheck the "Anyone can invite" option in the Thread dropdown menu!

Slow Mode

Discord already allows slowmode to be set on a channel. When set, it allows users to only send one message and create one thread within your designated time interval. For example, if you set slowmode to 1 minute, users can only create one thread and send one message per minute.

However, for even more granularity, slowmode can also be set for each individual thread. This won’t copy over from the parent channel and only moderators with the “Manage Threads” permission can adjust this setting.

You can set specific slow modes in each individual thread by right-clicking a thread (or by clicking on the three dot symbol at the top of your window), and then selecting Edit Thread. 

Then once you're in the Threads Settings menu, you can move the slowmode slider to your desired time interval!

Tips for Moderating Threads

With Threads being a new feature, we wanted to share some tips and tricks to help get you started with moderating Threads and Thread permissions

1. Use the View Server as Role feature within your Role Settings to test your Thread permissions! 

• With the View as Role feature, you can get a better understanding and see the perspective of what threads are viewable from another role. 
  • Note: Private Threads include users who have access (not roles who have access) so there may be some discrepancies!

2. Grant the Manage Threads permissions to moderators and admins to help moderate and manage messages in your server!

• Since the Manage Threads permission allows members to rename, delete, archive/unarchive, turn on slowmode for a thread, and view private threads - this is a great tool to help empower your moderators to manage content in your server. 

3. Create a testing channel for your moderators and server members to experiment with threads!

• New features are exciting to test for the first time, but it may cause server chaos if Threads are spammed within an already established channel. Having a dedicated testing ground will help avoid both figurative and literal loose Threads.