How to Permanently Delete Your Discord Server (Desktop & Mobile)

Have you ever wondered if you can delete a Discord server? As a server owner, you may eventually want to remove a server that is no longer active or restart fresh with a new community.

Deleting a Discord server is possible, but it‘s irreversible – once it‘s gone, that data is lost forever!

In this comprehensive 3000 word guide, I‘ll show you how to permanently delete a Discord server from both desktop and mobile apps.

We‘ll cover:

• Step-by-step deletion instructions

• What happens when a server is deleted

• Alternatives to try before deleting

• Recovering a deleted server (hint: not possible!)

• And much more

By the end, you‘ll know exactly how to delete a Discord server when the time is right. Let‘s get started!

Why Would You Want to Delete a Discord Server?

First, let‘s discuss a few reasons why you may want to delete a Discord server as the owner:

• The community is inactive. If your server has low engagement and most members have left, you may want to delete it rather than keep an empty server.

• You want to start fresh. Deleting your current server gives you a clean slate to create a new community or server with an improved structure.

• The server has problematic members. Deleting the server can be a way to quickly remove members who are toxic, break rules, or harass others.

• You‘re done with the topic. If you created a Discord server around a specific game, TV show, hobby etc. that you are no longer interested in, you may want to remove the no-longer-relevant community.

• You don‘t have time to manage it. As a server owner, managing and moderating a Discord can be time consuming. Deleting it removes the responsibility.

• You broke Discord‘s terms of service. Any illegal, dangerous, or TOS-breaking servers are risky to keep and should be deleted immediately.

Those are some of the most common reasons to delete your Discord server as the owner. Next, let‘s look at how to actually delete a server.

Step-by-Step: How to Delete a Discord Server on Mobile

Deleting a Discord server through the mobile app only takes a minute. Here is the full process on both iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android devices:

Step 1: Open the Discord Mobile App

Launch the Discord app on your mobile device and log into your account if needed.

Step 2: Open the Server Menu

Tap the hamburger menu icon in the top left corner to open the server list.

Step 3: Select the Server to Delete

Scroll through your server list and tap on the specific server you want to delete. This will open the selected server.

Step 4: Open the Server Settings

Tap the three dot menu next to the server name, then tap "Server Settings"

Step 5: Scroll Down and Tap "Delete Server"

Scroll down to the bottom of the settings menu and tap the red "Delete Server" option.

Step 6: Confirm Server Deletion

A popup will appear to confirm that you want to delete the server. Tap "Delete Server" again to confirm.

Step 7: Enter 2FA Code If Enabled

If you have 2FA enabled on your Discord account, you will be prompted to enter your 6-digit authentication code before the server can be deleted.

That‘s it! After entering the 2FA code if required, your Discord server will be permanently deleted.

The full deletion process takes less than a minute on mobile. Now let‘s look at how to delete a Discord server from the desktop app.

How to Delete a Discord Server on Desktop (Mac & Windows)

Deleting a Discord server is nearly identical on the desktop apps for Mac and Windows, as well as the web version:

Step 1: Open the Discord Desktop App

Launch the Discord app on your Mac or PC, or visit discord.com to use the web app. Log into your account.

Step 2: Select the Server to Delete

In the left sidebar, click on the server that you want to delete. This will open the selected server.

Step 3: Open Server Settings

Click the arrow next to the server name, then click "Server Settings".

Step 4: Scroll Down and Click "Delete Server"

Scroll down and click the red "Delete Server" button under the "User Management" section.

Step 5: Confirm Server Deletion

A confirmation popup will appear. Click "Delete Server" again to confirm that you want to delete the server.

Step 6: Enter 2FA Code If Enabled

If 2FA is enabled on your Discord account, you will need to enter the 6-digit authentication code before the deletion can complete.

After entering your 2FA code if required, the Discord server will be permanently deleted from all members‘ accounts and your account.

As you can see, deleting a server is quick and straightforward on both mobile and desktop. But before we move on, let‘s briefly discuss server archiving.

Should You Archive Your Server Instead of Deleting?

Before pulling the trigger and deleting your Discord server entirely, consider archiving it instead.

Archiving a Discord server preserves the server data and messages while making it read-only. Members can still look back through historical messages for reference.

Some key benefits of archiving a server vs. deleting include:

• Keeps years of message history intact
• Allows former members to lookup old info
• Preserves attachments, images, files
• Maintains server structure and channels
• Lets you access data if needed

So if you still need occasional access to the server data or want to preserve the history, archiving is a better option than deleting your Discord server entirely.

However, archiving still removes the ability for members to post messages or upload new content. It‘s read-only access.

To archive a Discord server:

1. Open server settings
2. Click "Community" tab
3. Toggle "Read-Only" mode on

This transforms your server into a searchable archive. Now let‘s look at what happens when a server is deleted.

What Happens When You Delete a Discord Server?

Deleting a server is permanent – the data and content are gone forever. Here‘s what happens when a Discord server is deleted:

• Instantly disappears: The server vanishes from all members‘ Discord apps immediately.

• No member notification: Members don‘t receive any message or warning when the server is deleted.

• Content is destroyed: All messages, attachments, channels, roles, and settings are permanently destroyed.

• Analytics removed: All analytics data associated with the server is deleted from Discord‘s systems.

• Server name freed up: The server name/URL becomes available to be reused for new servers.

• Invite links deactivated: Any existing invite links to the server are deactivated and invalid.

So in summary, deleting a Discord server erases its existence across the board. There is no way to access or restore any data from a deleted server.

The decision is permanent and irreversible. Now let‘s look at how to recover a deleted server (or if it‘s even possible).

Is There Any Way to Recover a Deleted Discord Server?

This is the question many server owners ask after accidentally deleting their server – is it possible to recover it?

The short answer is no. Once a Discord server has been deleted, there is no way to recover or restore it. The data is permanently destroyed from Discord‘s systems.

Here are a few recovery options you could try, but they likely won‘t help:

• Contact Discord support: Discord does not keep copies of deleted servers. Their policy is that deletion is permanent.

• Check other members‘ chat history: Members might have portions of chat history still accessible, but never the full server content.

• Look for archived invite links: Deactivated invite links cannot restore deleted servers.

• Find bots that archive servers: Most don‘t record all activity, just snippets.

• Recreate the server: You can make a new server and reinvite members, but won‘t have the old history.

So unfortunately, if you have deleted your Discord server, consider that content gone forever with very slim chances of recovery.

This is why it‘s critical to backup your server data externally before deleting your server.

Backing Up Your Discord Server Before Deleting

Since it‘s impossible to recover a deleted Discord server, the only way to preserve the content is creating backups before you delete:

• Use spreadsheet export to save message history, user lists, channels, emojis, bans, and more in a Excel doc.

• Take screenshots of important settings pages, member lists, and conversations to have visual records.

• Export invite links so you have a record of customized invites for the server.

• Save media files by downloading any images, videos, audio, attachments, and documents posted in your server that you want to keep.

• Run chat logging bots like Dyno which can record all messages in text logs before deletion.

• Transcribe voice channels using bots like Anthropic to get text transcripts of past voice conversations.

Combining these backup techniques ensures you‘ll have as much data as possible from your server before permanently deleting it.

Now let‘s look at alternatives to try before resorting to deleting your Discord server entirely.

Alternatives to Try Before Deleting Your Discord Server

Deleting a server is permanent, so consider these alternative options first:

Transfer Ownership of the Server

Instead of deleting the server, you can transfer ownership to another active admin or moderator. This preserves the community while removing your own management responsibilities.

Kick All Members from the Server

Kicking every member instantly removes the users while keeping settings, channels, bots, and some message history intact. You can always invite members back later.

Restrict Access with Verification

Enable a verification system that requires approval for any new members who join. This prevents unwanted users from accessing the server.

Prune Inactive Members

Regularly prune inactive members who have stopped using your Discord server to maintain only an engaged user base.

Make Sections Read-Only

Rather than deleting, you can make individual channels or categories read-only to limit posting abilities while preserving history.

Enable Slow Mode

Slow mode limits how frequently members can post messages, which can reduce spam and off-topic content.

Trying solutions like these before taking the drastic step of deleting your entire Discord server allows you to improve the community without destroying it entirely.

But if you do decide deletion is right for your server, let‘s go over some final recommendations.

Final Tips Before Deleting Your Discord Server

Here are my top tips before you permanently delete your Discord server:

• Inform members the server is closing and they should save any important messages.

• Create backups using the techniques outlined earlier to preserve data.

• Double check that deletion is the right choice rather than alternatives.

• Have another owner or admin delete the server so blame doesn‘t fall on you if members are upset.

• Delete during a slow time when few members are online to minimize frustration.

• Make a new server if you want to retain community members after deleting the old one.

Those best practices will allow you to delete your Discord server smoothly and minimize any issues for your members.

Now let‘s wrap up everything we‘ve covered.

The Bottom Line on Deleting Discord Servers

As the owner, you have the ability to permanently delete your Discord server when the time comes.

In this comprehensive guide, you learned:

• The reasons why owners delete Discord servers

• Step-by-step deletion instructions for mobile and desktop

• What happens when a Discord server gets deleted

• Backup methods to preserve server data

• Alternatives to try before deleting your community

• And that deleted Discord servers are gone forever!

The most important takeaway is to be absolutely certain before deleting your server, as there is no way to recover it.

But when you are ready, deletion just takes a few clicks on mobile or desktop. Now you have all the knowledge to delete your Discord server smoothly.

I hope this guide gave you confidence in how to fully remove a Discord server when needed! Let me know if you have any other questions.