What Does @here Do In Discord

What Does @here Do In Discord?

Last Updated: September 20, 2020

Discord is a simple system to use but a more complex system to master. The basic use of servers and channels is super-simple but once you get under the surface and begin digging around in what's possible, complexities soon appear. One such complexity is the @here mention. Like @everyone, @here is often misused and can seriously annoy other members. So what does @here do in Discord and why can it be so annoying?

Gaming

The @here mention is a shout out to everyone who is online on your server at the time. It differs from @everyone by limiting mentions to those members actually online. One of the reasons @everyone is so annoying is that it will send a message regardless of status. So if you're Idle, you still see them.

In theory, being able to message everyone who is online at any given time is a good thing. In most cases it is but on some servers it's a royal pain. If the @here and @everyone mentions are enabled, you will see dozens of inane or pointless mentions throughout your time on the server. If that happens, it's down to the mods or admins to stop it but that doesn't always happen.

Using mentions on Discord

Used sparingly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using @here or @everyone. If the message is important and you need people to know, use them. The trouble comes when people use mentions too much or for pointless messages. Then they become annoying. Ask any Discord user about these two mentions and you will see either nonchalance or a sigh and eye roll. Much depends on how well servers are managed.

If you need to mention often, you may be better off mentioning users or roles. These are a more direct message and will not fill up your text window with line upon line of mentions or send Discord's audio alerts crazy.

If mentions are out of control on your server, you can suppress them if you have admin permissions.

Disable @here and @everyone mentions

There is a server and a channel setting you can use if you have admin privileges on a server to suppress both @here and @everyone mentions. You cannot suppress them individually but as they are so closely related, a single setting will disable both mention types.

If you set it at the server level, everyone with the same permissions will be blocked on all channels on that server. If you do it at the channel level, you block @here and @everyone mentions just for that one channel.

Suppress @here and @everyone mentions

Suppressing @here and @everyone mentions may be easier than disabling them and is a single server setting. It is one of two ways to minimize these mentions and may be enough for your situation.

Select your server and select Notification Settings.
Select Supress @here and @everyone and toggle it to off.
Select Done to save the setting.

This is one of the few settings where you have to save it before it is implemented. Make sure to select Done otherwise your change won't stick. Once done, you should no longer see the mentions or get an alert when someone tries to use them.

Disable @here and @everyone mentions at the server level

The setting is similar for both server and channel but one supersedes the other. Disabling these mentions at the server level will need to be done per role.

Select your server and access Server Settings.
Select Roles from the left menu.
Select the role you want to modify and toggle Mention Everyone to off.
Repeat for every role you want to block these mentions for.

If you have a problem with these mentions, you may get away with blocking it in just the @everyone role. If admins or mods are making most of these mentions, education is needed, not blocking!

Disable @here and @everyone mentions on a channel

Blocking these mentions on a channel is very similar to doing it at server level.

Right click the channel you want to block and select Edit Channel.
Select Permissions from the left menu.
Select a role from the center.
Select Message Everyone from the list on the right and toggle to off.
Repeat for all roles you need to block.

The effect is the same as at server level but this restricts the mention block to a single channel instead of all channels within the server.

@here and @everyone mentions can be a force for good when used responsibly and a royal pain when not used responsibly. Now you know how to control them on your server, hopefully you can ensure your channels are the former and not the latter!