How to Delete a Discord Server (Or Hand It to Someone Else)
Only the owner can, and transferring is usually the better move
Staff Writer · · 2 min read
Only the server owner can delete a server, and Administrator permission isn't enough. That surprises a lot of people who have run a server day to day for years without ever owning it.
If you're not the owner, then either the owner has to do it, or they have to transfer ownership to you first.
Deleting on desktop
Click the server name at the top of the channel list, then Server Settings. Scroll to the bottom of the left-hand menu and choose Delete Server.
Discord will ask you to type the server name to confirm, and if you have two factor authentication enabled it asks for your code as well. Once you confirm, it happens immediately, and there's no undo, no grace period, and no way to get it back through support.
Deleting on mobile
Tap the server name, then the settings icon. Scroll to the bottom and choose Delete Server, then confirm the same way.
What happens to the messages
Everything goes with it: channels, messages, roles, uploaded files, emoji, and the invite links. Anyone who saved an invite will just get an invalid invite error.
Messages your members sent in that server disappear from their side too. Discord doesn't have any export built in, so if there's anything in there you want to keep, save it before you delete rather than after.
Transferring ownership instead
If the server has real members in it, transferring is usually a better move than deleting. A community that took two years to build shouldn't end just because the person who made it lost interest.
Open Server Settings, then Members. Find the person, click the three dots next to their name, and choose Transfer Ownership. You'll be asked to confirm, and to enter your 2FA code if you have it enabled.
The transfer is instant and you can't reverse it from your side. Once it's done they can remove you, so only hand a server to someone you genuinely trust.
If the owner is gone
There's no way to claim an abandoned server, which is the frustrating part. If the owner's account is deleted or they've gone inactive and never transferred ownership, the server stays in that state permanently. Discord support won't transfer ownership on request, and that holds even when the entire community asks together.
The practical answer is to make a new server and invite everyone across. It's worth knowing this before it happens to you, because the fix is transferring ownership early rather than appealing afterward.