How to Delete All Messages in Discord

Discord has become one of the most popular communication platforms, with over 150 million active users. As more conversations happen on Discord, message management becomes increasingly important.

There are many valid reasons why Discord users may want to delete messages, whether it’s to remove clutter, reinvent themselves, or eliminate years of casual conversations. However, Discord has restrictions around message deletion to prevent abuse.

This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to safely and responsibly delete all messages in Discord without running afoul of Discord’s terms of service.

Before mass deleting Discord messages, it’s important to carefully consider the implications:

Deleting messages prevents you from referencing conversations later. Make sure you don’t need them.
You may inconvenience or confuse other users who rely on deleted messages.
Breaking Discord’s terms of service could get you banned from the platform.

It’s best to manually review messages before deleting them and communicate with relevant parties about your intent to remove messages.

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Reviewing Discord’s Policy on Message Deletion

Discord’s Stance on Using Bots and Scripts for Deletion

Discord prohibits using bots or scripts to automatically delete messages. Their Developer Terms of Service explicitly bans:

Self-bots that perform automated tasks
Bots that delete messages without user initiation
Automating normal user behavior

Bots are only allowed to delete messages when directly commanded by a user. So bulk automated deletion using bots violates Discord’s policy.

Violating Discord’s Developer Terms of Service

If Discord discovers you violating their terms of service by unsafely deleting messages, the consequences can include:

Banning your Discord user account
Banning specific Discord servers you manage
Legal action in severe cases

That’s why it’s critical to follow Discord’s guidelines around message deletion.

How to Delete All Messages in Discord

Cloning a Channel to Remove Messages

One safe way to delete all messages from a Discord channel is cloning:

On Desktop: Right-click the channel name > Clone Channel
On Mobile: Tap channel name > More Options > Clone Channel
Delete the old channel so all previous messages disappear

This adheres to Discord’s policy by not directly deleting messages. However, it’s disruptive to users, so only do it if necessary.

How to Use Bots to Delete Messages in Bulk

Using a bot like MEE6 allows admins to safely delete messages in bulk when manually activated by a user. Here is how:

Add the MEE6 bot to your server
In the channel, type the command: !clear 100 (replace 100 with number of messages to delete)
Bot will delete the latest 100 messages

This remains compliant with Discord’s policy, as the bot only acts when commanded by admin user. But repeatedly doing large deletions may still attract attention.

Deleting Direct Messages: What You Need to Know

Limitations on Bulk Deletion of Direct Messages

Discord allows users to delete direct messages (DMs) through their API, but limitations include:

Can only mass delete messages under 14 days old
Deletes sync across devices of sender and recipient
Doesn’t inform another user that messages were deleted

So bulk DM deletion is possible but has downsides to consider before proceeding.

Manual Deletion

A safer way to delete old DMs is to manually do it message-by-message. This avoids potential issues with bulk deletion methods.

Go to each DM channel and delete messages individually. It takes longer but is less disruptive to other users.

Conclusion

Discord gives server owners flexibility to manage communities. But with great power comes great responsibility.

Before deleting swaths of messages, server admins should carefully weigh both sides of the decision. Acting unilaterally can undermine trust within server communities.

With some prudence and discretion, Discord admins can keep their servers tidy without misusing their privileges or aggravating members.