Introduction

Discord released private threads in 2021, allowing users to declutter their servers and quickly have private one-to-one or group conversations.

They are a fantastic addition to Discord, and in this article, we will explain what Private threads are, how they work and why you should use them.

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What are private threads?

Most people will have come across public threads, but using private threads isn’t so easy to spot because they are private!

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They enable users to temporarily create a private line of communication between one or more users without needing to DM (direct message) or set up a new dedicated channel.

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What can private threads be used for?

Private threads can and should be used for temporary conversations that you want to keep confidential or not make visible to the whole community. 

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These could be one-to-one or group chats; for example, an internal team could use a new private thread to discuss an upcoming community event. Another powerful use case for private threads is for providing customer support.

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There are a handful of ticketing tools in Discord designed for customer support; however, they all use new channels vs. private threads, except for Mava. Mava advocates using private threads for customer support, given they have several advantages.

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What are their advantages?

There are four key benefits of private threads vs. public threads, DM’ing, or setting up a new channel:

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1. Saves time: it’s much quicker to open a private thread vs. asking a user or group of users to start a new DM or create a dedicated channel for a temporary conversation. Asking community members to DM also wastes time, especially when privacy settings don’t allow DM’ing without already being friends.
2. More Organized - Private threads can keep a server organized and avoid multiple redundant channels. Threads can be set to auto-archive after a certain period of time to keep things tidy.
3. Searchable - users can search private threads later. The message history will no longer be searchable if a separate channel is set up and then deleted; this isn't the case with private threads, which are easily searchable later.
4. More secure: asking community members to DM a moderator or team member opens up an attack vector for scammers impersonating your moderators and tricking users into new direct conversations away from your server with no Admin control

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Can anyone use private threads or do I need to boost my server?

Yes! Previously, unboosted servers could only have public threads and servers needed to be boosted to make use of private threads. However, Discord recently updated this to allow any server to create private threads.

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What permissions are needed to use Private Discord Threads?

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If you want to allow your community to create private threads they won’t need admin rights. You can update the permissions in ‘Server Settings -> Threads and select one of the following:

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• Use Private Threads – this permission will grant access to create and communicate in private Discord threads.
• Manage Threads – This grants permission to moderate threads. You can rename and delete Discord threads, amongst other things.

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How to Create Discord Threads

There are two ways to create Private threads in Discord.

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1. Select the ‘+’ symbol within the text entry field at the bottom of Discord; you can then name the thread and add Discord members. 

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Ticking the ‘Private Thread’ option will create the private thread. Remember, you need a level 2 boost for this feature.

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2. Use a customer support tool like Mava. When users open a ticket with the Mava customer support bot, a private thread will automatically be opened for them.

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How to Find Existing Discord Threads (Active or Archived)

Mava threads automatically archive themselves after 24 hours to keep your Discord clutter-free. If you want to find a recent or old Discord private thread, it’s quickly done.

1. Either navigate to the channel the threads were created and press the “#” on the top right of the channel. 

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Or type in the general search bar on the top right of the screen. 

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2. A dropdown window will then open up where you can see a list of all the threads that are either active or have been archived. Click on any of the threads or search to find the one you are looking for.

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Conclusion

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Private threads are a powerful Discord feature that offers many benefits over opening new channels and DMs, including: saving time, less clutter, searchability, and increased security. The main difference between public and private threads is that the latter can only be viewed by moderators or people invited. 

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Customer support tools such as Mava use these powerful private threads to help streamline customer support and reduce Discord clutter.

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You can learn more about Discord threads here.

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If you have any questions about Discord private threads or want to speak with the team to learn more about providing omnichannel customer support via Mava, then feel free to reach out to the team and book a demo.

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