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Discord does not have one privacy switch. Profile visibility, activity sharing, server direct messages, friend requests, Message Requests, media filters, and data-use opt-outs are separate controls with separate scopes. Changing one usually leaves the others untouched, so the practical approach is to work through each one in turn. The paths below follow Discord Support’s help articles as of October 2026. Labels and availability can vary by age group, region, platform, and rollout, so if a menu item is missing on your account, treat that as a normal variation rather than a fault.
Map the controls before you change anything
Most privacy complaints come from people who changed one setting and expected it to cover something else. The table below separates what each control limits from what it leaves alone.
| Control | What it limits | What it does not limit |
|---|---|---|
| Profile Privacy | Who sees your full profile: custom status, pronouns, badges, connected accounts, bio, widgets, and wishlists | Avatar, banner, display name, username, server tag, account age, mutual friends and servers; DMs and friend requests |
| Activity Sharing | Who sees the games, apps, and connected-account activity you share | Profile details, DMs, and friend requests |
| Server DM permissions (Social permissions) | Whether members of servers you share can send you direct messages | Friend requests and Message Requests |
| Friend Requests permissions | Who may send you friend requests | Direct messages from people you already share a server with |
| Message Requests | Routes messages from non-friends into a separate inbox for adults who keep it on | Friend requests; it is not a general block |
| Blocking | One specific account | Contact from everyone else |
| Sensitive content filters | Detected image-based sensitive media in DMs and server channels | Text messages, voice, and calls |
| Use Data to Improve Discord | Collection of new information about how you use Discord for product improvement | Information already collected while the setting was on, which Discord says it may keep using |
| Use Data to Personalize Discord | Use of account information to power recommendations and promotions | Access to conversations, voice channels, or other spaces |
Limit who sees your full profile
Profile Privacy is in User Settings > Data & Privacy > Profile Privacy on desktop and browser, and in the equivalent menu on mobile. It offers three visibility levels:
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| Choice | Who sees your full profile |
|---|---|
| Friends & All Servers | Your friends and members of any server you join |
| Friends & Small Servers Only | Your friends and members of servers with 200 or fewer members |
| Friends Only | Your friends |
The “small server” threshold is 200 members, as stated in Discord’s Profile Privacy help article. Discord prompts you to align this with Activity Sharing, but you can set the two independently, and it is worth doing so deliberately.
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What stays visible regardless of the setting
Profile Privacy does not make your account invisible. Discord lists these items as still visible to people who can see your profile at all:
- Avatar and banner
- Display name and username
- Server tag
- Account age
- Mutual friends and mutual servers
Private profile status also does not stop direct messages or friend requests. Those are handled in the sections that follow.
Control who sees your activity
Activity Sharing is a separate setting from Profile Privacy, and Discord documents it in its Activity Sharing help FAQ. The menu location can vary by platform and rollout, so search your settings for “Activity Sharing” if you do not see it where you expect. You can:
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- Turn activity sharing off globally.
- Choose a default audience of Friends Only, Friends & Small Servers Only, or Friends & All Servers.
- Adjust sharing for individual servers.
- Control supported connected accounts and games separately, since they can have their own sharing options.
Why a server-specific “off” is not a full hide
Discord warns that switching activity off for one server does not prevent someone from seeing your activity if they are also your friend or share another server where sharing is allowed. If you want activity hidden from a particular person, the global setting or the friend-level audience is the more reliable lever.
Default audiences by age group
Discord’s documented defaults start teen-age-group accounts on Friends & Small Servers, and adult or unconfirmed accounts on Friends & All Servers. Defaults can vary by region and can be changed, so do not assume your account matches these defaults. Check the current value directly.
Reduce unwanted direct messages
By default, anyone who shares a server with you may be able to DM you. You can change that globally or per server:
- On desktop or browser, open User Settings > Content & Social > Social permissions. On mobile, open Settings > Content & Social.
- To stop server DMs everywhere, turn off server DMs globally.
- To keep them for some servers only, leave the global option on and customize server DMs for each server you want to adjust.
- Check a server you have recently joined, because a new server may inherit a permissive setting you did not intend.
Server DM permissions govern contact from server members. They do not replace blocking an individual account, which is covered below.
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Friend-request permissions are under User Settings > Content & Social > Friend Requests. You can choose among three audiences:
- Everyone
- Friends of Friends
- Server Members
To prevent people from sending you friend requests at all, deselect all three options. This stops new requests; it does not change who can DM you or who can see your profile.
Understand Message Requests
Message Requests are a separate mechanism from the DM switch described above. Discord’s Message Requests help article describes the following:
- Message Requests are on for everyone by default.
- Teen-age-group and unconfirmed users cannot turn them off until they confirm they are an adult.
- Adults can turn Message Requests off globally or for an individual server.
- Messages from non-friends go to the Message Requests inbox. For adults, mutual-friend and small-server exceptions can apply, so some non-friend messages may arrive directly.
- Before you accept, you can preview the text. Attachments are not accessible in the preview, and links appear as plain text.
Block individual accounts
Blocking is the tool for a specific person. Discord’s Blocking & Privacy Settings guide describes it as an individual-user action. Use it when one account is the problem, and use the permission settings above when the problem is a category of contact, such as strangers from shared servers.
Sensitive content filters: what they cover
Discord’s sensitive content help article describes filters for image-based sensitive media only. Adults can choose to show, blur, or block detected media in DMs, with separate choices for DMs from friends, DMs from others, and server channels. In server channels, the options described are Show or Blur, and blocking is handled through each server’s safety settings.
The filters do not scan text messages, voice, or calls, and they do not guarantee that unwanted media is caught. Treat them as one layer of protection rather than a general content filter.
Data-use opt-outs: what they do and do not do
Data controls are under User Settings > Privacy & Safety > How We Use Your Data, which Discord’s Data Privacy Controls hub links to. Two of the switches here are often misunderstood.
Use Data to Improve Discord
Turning this off stops Discord from collecting new information about how you use and navigate Discord for the stated purposes of understanding and improving its products. Discord says it may continue to use information collected while the setting was enabled. The setting applies to your account across devices. It is not a deletion request, and it does not turn off all data processing.
Use Data to Personalize Discord
Turning this off means account-specific information will no longer power recommended content or promotions. According to Discord, it does not affect your access to conversations, voice channels, or other spaces.
Requesting your data
Discord’s Your Discord Data Package article explains how to request a ZIP archive of your account data, including categories such as activity, messages, servers, and account data. This lets you inspect what Discord holds. It is not a privacy switch and will not change any setting.
Troubleshooting: you are still getting unwanted contact
- Messages from a server member you do not know: Check the server DM permission for that server, then block the account if the contact continues.
- Friend requests still arriving: Confirm that all three Friend Requests options are deselected. Requests from accounts you have already befriended are not affected by that choice.
- Messages from non-friends appear as requests: This is expected while Message Requests are on. Adults can turn them off globally or per server. Teen-age-group and unconfirmed accounts cannot turn them off until adult age-group confirmation.
- Your avatar, display name, or mutual servers are visible: These remain visible under Profile Privacy by design. Changing the server or friend audience will not hide them.
- Someone you did not expect can see your activity: That person may be a friend, or may share a server where sharing is allowed. Adjust the friend-level audience or turn activity sharing off globally.
- A setting is missing or labeled differently: Availability depends on age group, region, platform, and rollout. Check Discord Support’s help articles for the current label, or compare the desktop and mobile menus.
Discord’s help articles on profile privacy, activity sharing, Message Requests, and sensitive content were updated in September 2026 and its data controls hub in July 2026, so verify menu names against Discord’s current pages if you are reading this later.
