How to Add Apps to Your Discord Server
- Open your server settings on the desktop version of Discord and click on “App Directory”.
- Find the app you want, then click "Add to Server".
- Give the app the permissions it needs by clicking "Allow".
- Start using your app by typing / (slash) in any text channel.
By adding apps to your Discord server, you can automate server administration tasks and add new features to your server. It makes your server a fun place to be, and we'll show you how to do just that.
In this section:
What is a Discord app?
A Discord app is a third-party service that integrates with your server and allows you to perform special actions on the server. For example, you can add an application that greets each new member of the server, saving you time that you would otherwise spend greeting members manually.
To be clear, you are not installing these Discord apps on your computer or smartphone. These apps tie into your Discord server via an API (essentially everything works online).
Where do you find Discord apps?
Now that you know what Discord apps are, the next step is knowing where to find these apps. After all, you need to find these apps and then add them to your server.
There are two places where you can find these apps: Discord's official app directory and third-party app websites. We strongly recommend that you install your apps from the official app directory because you can trust these apps. However, if you can't find a specific app you need there, you can get it from the app vendor's website or from an unofficial app directory. Remember that Discord has not verified these apps, so you are risking your server's security by using them.
How to add an app to your Discord server
To link an app to your Discord server, you must have the Manage Server permission. If not, ask your server administrator to grant you the required permissions. If you are the server administrator, you already have the required permission.
With that out of the way, let's take a look at how to add apps from the official app directory and third-party sites to your Discord server.
From the Discord apps directory
Launch Discord on your computer. You can use the web version of Discord or the desktop app for this procedure (you can't use the mobile app for setup). Then, in the left sidebar of the app, select your server.
In the upper left corner of the server page, next to your server name, click the down arrow icon and choose "Application Directory".
You will see Discord's "App Directory" page. Here, search for the app you want to add or select an app from the list. For the demonstration, we will be using the Midjourney Bot application (which uses AI to generate images on your server).
On the application page that opens, choose “Add to server”.
You will see a prompt asking if you want to add the selected app to your Discord server. Choose "Continue".
Review the list of app permissions and choose "Allow".
Confirm the captcha and your app is now added to your Discord server. Scroll down to the section below to learn how to use this app.
From a website
To add an app from a site, navigate to that site in your favorite web browser on your desktop. There are several sites hosting various Discord apps, and we will be using the Top.gg site.
On the site, select the app to add. Then choose “Invite”. You are essentially inviting the application to your server.
If you are not logged into Discord for Web, you will be prompted to do so. Next, review the app permissions, click the "Add to Server" drop-down menu, choose your server, and select "Continue."
Check the app permissions and choose "Allow".
Confirm the captcha to complete adding your selected app to your Discord server.
How to start using a Discord Server app
Once you've added an app, you'll want to learn how to use it on your Discord server. This is easy because all you have to do is run the app commands on your server.
To do this, go to your server and open a text channel. Type / (slash), select your app from the list, and you'll see the commands you can use to trigger that app.
Another way to find commands to launch your application is to select your application in the right pane of your server. You'll see your app's overview panel, outlining a few commands to help you get started with the app.
In our example, if we want to use the Midjourney Bot application, we will enter the following command. THE /imagine part triggers the app and the text that follows tells the app to draw a laughing man.
/imagine drawing a laughing man
Your application will display the result of your commands in the same text channel. And you are ready.
