How to Archive a Discord Server Without Deleting It
- Teacher Nine
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
Discord servers can hold years of conversations, resources, images, announcements, projects, and community history. But what happens when a server is no longer active and you don't want to delete everything that happened there?
Maybe a project has ended. Maybe your community has moved somewhere else. Maybe you're stepping away from managing the server but still want to preserve what everyone created. Old servers can contain shared artwork and media, tutorials and resources, important announcements, project documentation, memorable conversations, and years of community history that may be difficult or impossible to recreate.
Deleting the entire server can feel unnecessarily permanent when all you really want to do is put it away. Archiving gives you another option: preserve the history now and decide what you want to do with it later.
Unfortunately, Discord does not have a built-in Archive Server button. However, you can effectively archive a Discord server without deleting it by making the server read-only, preserving its existing channels and message history, and organizing it so that it no longer functions like an active community.
What Does It Mean to Archive a Discord Server?
Archiving a Discord server means preserving what is already there while preventing the server from continuing to operate normally.
The goal is usually to:
Preserve old messages, files, images, and conversations
Prevent members from starting new conversations
Keep useful community history available for reference
Retire an inactive server without deleting it
Keep the server available in case you need it again later
Think of it as closing the doors without demolishing the building. Everything inside can remain where it is, but the server is no longer being used as an active gathering place.
Method 1: Make the Discord Server Read-Only
For most server owners, making the server read-only is the closest thing Discord currently offers to archiving an entire server.
Instead of deleting channels one by one, you can change permissions so members can still see existing conversations but can no longer add new ones.
How to Make a Discord Server Read-Only
Open the Discord server you want to archive.
Click the server name and open Server Settings.
Go to Roles and select the @everyone role.
Review the permissions that allow members to actively participate in the server.
Disable permissions that allow regular members to create new activity, particularly messaging and other posting permissions.
Save your changes.
Review any additional roles in the server that may still have permission to send messages, create threads, manage channels, or otherwise create new activity.
Once the appropriate permissions have been removed, members can continue viewing the server's existing history without continuing the conversations.
Why This Works
Making the server read-only allows you to preserve the server almost exactly as it existed when it was active.
Old conversations remain available. Channels stay organized. Shared resources can still be referenced. And because the server itself has not been deleted, you retain the option to reopen it later by changing the permissions again.
This makes read-only archiving especially useful for old communities, completed projects, gaming groups, event servers, creator communities, study groups, and other servers with history worth preserving.
Keep a Backup of What Matters
If your Discord server contains years of conversations, images, files, and community history worth preserving, consider keeping an offline copy on dedicated storage. The Samsung T7 Portable SSD 1TB offers plenty of space for archived files in a compact drive, with transfer speeds up to 1,050 MB/s.
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Method 2: Lock Down Categories and Channels
Depending on how your roles and permissions are configured, changing only the @everyone role may not completely freeze your server.
Discord allows permissions to be controlled at the server, category, and individual channel level. Members with additional roles may therefore still have permissions that allow them to interact with certain parts of the server.
If you want the entire server truly frozen, review your categories and channels as well.
How to Lock Down Your Existing Channels
Open a category or channel's settings.
Select Permissions.
Review the roles that have access to that category or channel.
Remove permissions that allow regular members to send messages, create threads, add reactions, or otherwise contribute new content.
Keep View Channel enabled if you want members to continue accessing the archive.
Repeat the process for categories or channels with custom permission settings.
This is especially important in larger Discord servers where moderators, subscribers, VIPs, team members, or other groups may have permissions beyond those assigned to @everyone.
If you want a deeper walkthrough of channel archiving specifically, see our guide on How to Effectively Archive Your Discord Channels Without Losing Valuable History.
Method 3: Hide or Organize an Archived Discord Server
Sometimes the problem isn't preserving the server. You simply don't want an inactive server cluttering your Discord sidebar.
So, can you hide a Discord server without deleting it? Not completely. If you own the server and remain in it, it will still appear in your server list. However, Discord lets you organize servers into folders, so you can create an Archive folder and keep it collapsed when you don't need it.
How to Create an Archive Folder for Discord Servers
Click and hold the server icon.
Drag it over another server icon to create a server folder.
Open the folder settings and give it a name such as Archive, Inactive Servers, or Old Servers.
Move any other inactive servers into the same folder.
Collapse the folder when you don't need to access those servers.
This doesn't change anything inside the server. It simply gets inactive servers out of the way while keeping them accessible whenever you need them.
If you also want to limit what other members can see, that's handled through channel and category permissions rather than server folders. You can keep archived channels visible but read-only, or remove the View Channel permission from specific channels or categories if they contain material regular members should no longer be able to access.
What If You Want an Offline Backup of the Server?
Making a Discord server read-only preserves the server on Discord, but it does not create an independent backup of your data.
If your goal is to preserve important conversations or files outside Discord, you will need a separate archival process.
Third-party Discord export tools exist, but they vary considerably in what they preserve. Some may export message history without locally saving attached images and media, while others may handle attachments differently. Before relying on an export, test it on a small section of your server and make sure the resulting archive actually contains what you expect.
This is particularly important if the server contains years of community-created material that cannot easily be replaced.
Can You Unarchive a Discord Server Later?
Yes.
Because this method does not delete the server, you can reverse the process later. Restore the appropriate role, category, and channel permissions, and members can begin participating again.
That is one of the biggest advantages of archiving instead of deleting. You are putting the server into retirement, not erasing it.
Discord may not provide a dedicated archive button for entire servers, but you can achieve essentially the same result with permissions and a little organization. Making the server read-only preserves its history, locking down individual categories prevents new activity, and placing inactive servers inside a folder keeps your own Discord sidebar organized.
Most importantly, you do not have to choose between keeping an old server active forever and deleting years of history. Sometimes the best option is simply to close the doors and keep the records.
Tips Before Archiving a Discord Server
Tell members that the server is being archived before locking it down.
Decide whether members should still be able to view old conversations.
Check custom roles before assuming the entire server is read-only.
Review channels containing private or sensitive information.
Keep administrator access available in case you need to restore the server later.
Consider creating an offline backup if the history is especially important.
Rename the server or add an archived notice so members understand that it is no longer active.
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