Discord is a communication app for gamers that lets you easily voice chat, share photos and videos, and join channels with your friends. One of the best things about Discord is that it’s highly customizable. You can create your own server, invite your friends, and add a variety of bots to help manage the community. It is available on most platforms, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and web browsers. It offers a wide range of features, such as custom servers, private messages, groups, and more. Discord also offers server moderation tools, including automatic moderation, ban system, and anti-spam filters. One of it's many features is the AFK Channel.
In this article, we will guide you on how to create your own AFK Channel on a Discord server and how to move members into it whenever someone is away from keyboard.
What is AFK?
AFK is an abbreviation for away from keyboard. It lets people know that you will not be at your keyboard for a while, or that you will not be online for a period of time. If you’re chatting online or playing an MMO, afk lets your friends know that you are stepping away from the keyboard.
Away from keyboard or AFK is a phrase that lets others know that you won’t be at your computer for a while. It’s commonly used with another abbreviation—brb (be right back)—to indicate that you’re taking a short break. The term "afk" developed as a bit of chat room etiquette in the 1990s, when IRC was at its peak. It was later adopted by the gaming community, especially in MMOs (massively multiplayer online games).
Source: Grammarly
What is AFK Channel on a Discord Server?
You are free to join and leave discussions you are having on Discord unless you are video calling, but only if it is appropriate to do so. Some Discord servers prefer that its users remain engaged in particular channels. You could be expected to continue talking if you're in an audio-only channel, for example, or you'll be taking up room for someone else. Using an AFK (or away from keyboard) channel on your own Discord server, you may take care of this issue on your own.
You can also relocate inactive users to an AFK channel if you're tired of having them on your Discord server's voice channels and if they're taking slots on a voice chat. If a person stops participating in a voice channel, you can instantly switch them to an AFK channel or set a time on which they will automatically be sent to the AFK channel.
As a Discord server owner or Administrator, you can set the AFK channel on a Discord server.
Uses for an AFK channel include the following:
- To filter out inactive users in a voice channel
- Making sure that a voice channel isn't congested with inactive users since voice channels only caters limited slots
- Other members or users can join this channel to avoid
How do I set an AFK Channel on a Discord Server?
Setting an AFK Channel is easy. The fastest answer is that you need to go to your server then head over to "Overview" then select the Inactive Channel also known as AFK Channel then set the inactive timeout.
Here's the detailed step by step guide on how to set an AFK Channel on Discord.
Step 1. Open your Discord App
Open your Discord application thru browser or on the Desktop application. Both offers the same way on how to set an AFK Channel. Make sure that you've installed the latest version of the application.
Step 2. Go to a Server
Go to the server that you want to set the AFK Channel on. You can do this by looking at the servers you're currently in. For this instance, I will be using our test server, GoLinuxCloud Test Server and we will be setting the AFK Channel of this server.
Note:Â Make sure you have an Administrator role to make these changes.
Step 3. Select or Create your AFK Channel
Select the voice channel of your choice that you wish to make as an AFK Channel. If you haven't created a channel to be set as the AFK channel, click on the + icon in the list of channels shown. Now select 'Voice channel' and give it a name specifying it as AFK/ Inactive. Press 'Create Channel'.
Since I have created a voice channel called "Test AFK Ch", I will be using this.
Step 4. Go to Server Settings
Click on the Server's name. You will see that a drop down menu will appear. These are the settings that you can change on your server or a server that you manage. Click on "Server Settings".
Step 5. Overview
Once you entered the Server Settings, you will see that you will be automatically redirected to Overview. This is where the Inactive Channel is located. Select your Inactive Channel and the Inactive Timeout. The inactive timeout is the amount of afk time until the user gets moved onto the AFK channel.
Step 6. Save Changes
On the lower part of the screen you can see that you can save these changes by clicking on "Save Changes".
And there you have it. The user that is inactive for the inactive timeout will automatically be sent to the AFK Channel. They will be notified that they have been moved automatically to the AFK Channel.
Move Users Manually on the AFK Channel
As an Administrator or the owner of the server, you can manually move users on different voice channels. This includes the AFK channel. If you think someone is AFK or idle in an active voice channel, you can move them to the AFK channel, here's how.
Step 1. Open your Discord App
Open your Discord application thru browser or on the Desktop application. Both offers the same way on how to check your Discord Server Audit Logs. Make sure that you've installed the latest version of the application.
Step 2. Go to a Server
Go to the server that you want to set the AFK Channel on. You can do this by looking at the servers you're currently in. For this instance, I will be using our test server, GoLinuxCloud Test Server and we will be setting the AFK Channel of this server.
Note:Â Make sure you have an Administrator role to make these changes.
Step 3. AFK User
If you think a user is AFK on an active voice channel, move them by clicking on their name on the list of users in that specific channel. Click on "Move To" then select the AFK Channel
Step 4. User Moved to AFK Channel
The user will now be moved to the AFK Channel immediately.
They will also be notified that they have been moved to the AFK Channel.
Summary
Setting up an AFK Channel is a great way to keep things in order on your server especially if most of your members are using voice channels actively. As voice channels only accepts limited spots for members, sorting out the AFK users can make space for people who wants to join that specific active channel. You can set up AFK Channel if you have the administrator role. You can also move members on the AFK Channel if you have this permission. If you ever find yourself in trouble with congested voice channels, try to set up an AFK Channel, it's worth it!