Discord is preparing a major change to how content from some of its public communities can be found online. Starting next month, the platform will begin giving Discoverable Servers their own public web pages, eventually allowing selected messages from those communities to appear in Google and other search engines.

Until now, much of the information shared on Discord has remained difficult to find outside the platform. Even when a server is public, people generally need a Discord account and have to join the community before they can read its conversations. The upcoming system will change that for Discoverable Servers, potentially making useful discussions about games, technical problems, fandoms, and other topics accessible directly from the web.

The rollout will begin on November 16, when Discoverable Servers receive dedicated Server Web Pages. These pages can include automated summaries of discussions happening inside eligible public channels. Discord currently has more than 63,000 Discoverable Servers, so the change could eventually bring a significant amount of community content onto the open web. The feature will be enabled by default in most regions, while others (EU, UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, South Korea) will require users to manually to enable it.

What can be found in Google searches?

It’s worth noting that only newer messages will be included, meaning Discord isn’t planning to suddenly make years-old server conversations publicly available through this feature. Usernames and profile pictures will also not appear alongside published messages.

That said, Discord is giving both server administrators and individual users some control over the feature. Server admins can decide which public channels are included through the Web Presence section of Server Settings. They can also prevent all of their server’s channels from participating if they don’t want their community’s conversations appearing on the wider web.

Users can separately prevent their messages from being displayed by going to User Settings > Data & Privacy and disabling the option that allows message content from Discoverable channels to appear on web pages. However, turning the setting off only applies to messages sent afterward. Messages posted while the option was enabled may still be eligible to appear unless they are deleted.

It’s important to keep in mind that this change doesn’t apply to everything on Discord. Private servers, direct messages, group DMs, private threads, and private forums will remain excluded. The change is specifically aimed at public Discoverable Servers, giving their communities a way to reach people searching the wider internet without requiring them to join Discord first.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.