If you’re looking for a step-by-step guide on how to add a banner to your Discord server, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll help you navigate this process quickly and easily so you can reap all the benefits banners have to offer.
From helping you promote events to showcasing the rules and guidelines of your server, there are countless reasons to add one of these to your server. They can even be used for something as simple as helping distinguish one server from another. And yet, the actual process of creating and displaying a banner isn’t as easy as many creators would hope.
The good news? You’re just a few moments away from gaining clarity on all the steps standing between you and adding your first banner. First things first - what are banners in Discord servers, and why do you need one?
What are Banners in a Discord Server?
In a Discord server, banners are images or graphics that are displayed at the top of the server's channel list. They are often used to give a server a unique identity and to convey important information or branding.
There's one thing you should know beforehand, though. To be able to utilize the banner feature, or "server banner background," as it's called within the Discord system, your server needs to have a server boost level of at least 2. Which means at least 7 boosts. Of course, your and your staff's boosts are included in this, meaning that if you have four people, including yourself, that can boost the server, you can start using banners right away. If you want to learn more about server boosting, check out our What is Discord Server Boosting? guide.
Banners can be customized by server owners or administrators, and they can be changed as often as desired. They are displayed in a wide rectangular format, and they can include text, logos, images, or any other graphics. However, it's recommended not to include text since the banner will have your server's name in front of it.
Utilizing the banner feature is a nice way to customize your server - but is it worth the extra effort? Why should you learn how to add a banner to your Discord server? Of all the different server boosts you can unlock, this is one of the most exciting. There are actually quite a few reasons why that is…
Why Learn How to Add a Banner to Your Discord Server?
Below, we’ll highlight six benefits or specific use cases for adding a banner to your Discord server. Here’s why you’ll want to read carefully as we walk you through the process:
- Branding: Banners can be used to display a server's logo or other branding elements, which helps to create a consistent and recognizable identity for the server. This can be particularly useful for servers that are affiliated with a specific organization or brand.
- Promotion: Banners can be used to promote events, campaigns, or other initiatives in which the server is involved. This can help to raise awareness and generate interest among members of the server. You can even use banners to advertise products or services you sell elsewhere.
- Informational: Banners can be used to convey important information to members of the server. For example, a banner could be used to display the server's primary rules or guidelines or to provide information about the server's moderators or administrators.
- Aesthetics: Banners can be used simply to add visual interest and appeal to the server's main page. This can help make the server feel more welcoming and engaging to members.
- Differentiation: Banners can be used to help distinguish one server from another. If there are multiple servers focused on a similar topic or interest, having a unique banner can help to make a server stand out and attract members.
- Seasonal or Special Occasions: Banners can also be used to celebrate special occasions or holidays. For example, a server could have a banner that features a festive theme during the holiday season.
All this considered, adding banners to Discord servers can be a valuable tool for server owners and administrators to create a unique identity for their server, promote events or initiatives, convey important information to members, and add visual appeal. But how do you make it happen? We’ll guide you step by step through the process below.
How to Add a Banner to Your Discord Server: Step-by-Step
Now it's time to walk you through the steps of adding a banner to your Discord server. But first, let's review the prerequisites: the first thing you have to make sure is that your server has a server boost level of at least 2. If it's 3, even better since you can now use animated banners (GIFs). The second thing is making sure you have the Manage Server permission.
The Manage Server permission allows you to access server settings like server name, icon, default settings, add bots, change AutoMod rules, and more. This permission is extremely dangerous, so make sure only the people who actually need it have it. If you're the server owner, you automatically have all the permissions.
Before we move on to the steps of adding a banner to your server, let's remember some things about the image you're going to use as the banner:
- File size: The server banner file should be less than 10 MB
- File type: The banner file can be .JPG, .JPEG, .PNG, or .GIF (your server needs a boost level of 3 for the GIFs to work)
- Image size: The recommended minimum image size is 960x540 (16:9)
- Safe area: The top 28% of your server banner will be blocked by your server name and it's drop shadow
Below, you can find a Discord server banner template we've created. You can use it as a guide for the image size and safe area of your banner.
If you have everything ready, let's see how you can add a banner!
Adding a Banner to Your Discord Server on Discord Desktop
Without further ado, let's jump directly into the steps. The first thing you should do to add a banner to your server is to go into the server settings. You can do so by clicking on your server's name to open up the server context menu and clicking on the Server Settings button.
Then, once you're in the server settings, click on the Overview section and scroll down until you see the Server Banner Background option. There, you can either click on the Upload Background button or the server banner image to the right. This will display the "Select an image" popup.
In the "Select an image" popup, you have two options: upload a file or select a GIF from Giphy. If you select the "Upload Image" option, you're going to see a file selection dialogue and you can select the file you want to use as your banner.
Once you successfully add a banner, you'll see the image box under the "Server Banner Background" section changing to it. If you're satisfied with how it looks, you can click the Save Changes button that will appear once you change the banner to publish your changes.
That's it! Adding a server banner is, as you see, super easy. Now, this isn't the only way you can add a banner though. You can also do the same in the mobile version of Discord - let's see how to do it.
Adding a Banner to Your Discord Server on Discord Mobile
Adding a server banner on the mobile version of Discord follows the same steps but since the UI is different between the two versions, let's examine the mobile steps as well:
- Swipe right to open up the server and channel list.
- There, press on the server name at the top of your channel list to see the server context menu.
- In the context menu, press on the Settings button (cogwheel icon) to go to the server settings.
- Once you're viewing the server settings, you should press on the Overview button to go to the core settings of your server.
- There, scroll down until you find the "Server Banner Background" section. Press on the image box or the upload image button on the bottom right of the box to open up the file upload dialogue. After selecting the file you want to use as your banner, you'll see it appearing under the Server Banner Background section. If you're comfortable with how it looks, press on the Save button at the top right of your screen to save your changes.
Looking for Other Ways to Optimize Your Discord Server?
Now that you know how to add a banner on your Discord server, you can get to work making it happen! As you can see, it’s quite simple and straightforward. But before we bring this conversation to a close, we want to discuss a few other ways to optimize your server.
For one, you can set up automated Discord rewards. This helps keep your community engaged and valued. You can also create memberships through Discord subscription bots - one of the best ways to charge access to Discord. Having a paid Discord server allows you to turn your community into a cash-printing machine.
If you want to learn more about how to make a Discord server perform better - or even how to grow your Discord server - explore our blog. We have all sorts of valuable resources in store for you.
You can learn about how to build an online community. You can learn about creating the Discord rules for your server, setting up a Discord membership bot, boosting your Discord server, and more.
But for now, it’s time to wrap things up.
Final Thoughts on How to Add a Banner on Your Discord Server
There you have it - everything you need to know about how to add a banner to your Discord server. That wasn’t so bad, was it? Just a few quick, easy steps stand between you and getting your first banner live.
Now, if you want to take your server to the next level, you can get set up with Whop. Our server makes it easier than ever to create memberships with different pricing options, add affiliate codes, and do more to monetize your community. Whether you are a gamer or create NFT projects, you can benefit from having Whop in your community.
And if you’re looking to sell access to your Discord community or grow your audience, you can do so here on Whop. Head over to our site to learn more about what’s possible.
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