If you‘re new to Discord in 2024, one of the first things you‘ll want to do after creating your account is verify your email address. Verifying your account unlocks a range of benefits and is required to access most Discord servers. Don‘t worry though – the process is quick and easy! In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know to get your Discord account verified.
Why You Should Verify Your Discord Account
So what‘s the big deal about verifying your Discord account? Verification serves a few key purposes:
Security: Verifying your email proves you‘re a real person and not a bot account. This helps prevent spam, trolling, harassment, and other malicious behavior. Discord bans millions of accounts each year for violating its policies – verification makes it tougher for bad actors to create new accounts.
Access: Many servers require you to verify before you can join, post messages, or use features like voice chat and screen sharing. Server owners can set verification levels to control what actions new members can take. Verifying grants you full access.
Trust: Having a check mark next to your username indicating you‘re verified makes you seem more trustworthy to other Discord members. In online communities, verification is a signal that you‘re invested in your identity and less likely to misbehave. Studies show that verified profiles increase trust and credibility on social platforms.
Permanence: Once you verify your Discord account, you‘re verified for life (unless you change your email address down the line). It‘s a one-and-done process.
The verification system is a key part of Discord‘s layered approach to safety and security. By combining verification with other trust and safety features like user reports, AI-based content scanning, and human moderation, Discord strives to create a platform where everyone can interact authentically and positively.
Step-by-Step: How to Verify Your Discord Account by Email
Ready to verify? Here‘s a simple walkthrough of how to do it in a few clicks:
- Open User Settings: Click the gear icon next to your username in the bottom left corner of the Discord app to access your User Settings.
- Go to "My Account": In the User Settings menu, click on the "My Account" tab in the left sidebar.
- Click "Verify Email": Under the "Verification" section, click the blue "Verify Email" button.
- Check Your Email: Discord will send a verification email to the address associated with your account. Open your inbox and look for an email from Discord with the subject line "Verify Your Email Address for Discord". It should arrive within 5-10 minutes.
- Click Verification Link: Open the email and click the "Verify Email" button inside. This will open a new tab in your web browser. If the button doesn‘t work, try copying and pasting the full URL underneath it into your browser‘s address bar.
- Confirm Verification: In the new browser tab, you should see a "Verification Successful!" message. That‘s it – your Discord account is now verified!
Discord‘s email verification process is designed to be quick and straightforward. Most of the time, you‘ll be verified within a minute or two. If you hit any snags, consult the Troubleshooting section below.
The Technical Side of Discord Verification
From a technical perspective, Discord‘s verification system is an elegant solution that balances security and usability. When you click the "Verify Email" button, Discord generates a unique, time-sensitive JSON Web Token (JWT) and includes it in the verification link sent to your email.
This JWT contains encrypted information about your Discord account ID and a timestamp of when the token was created. When you click the link, the JWT gets sent back to Discord‘s servers for validation. The servers decrypt the token, check that it hasn‘t expired, and confirm it matches your account ID. If everything checks out, your account is marked as verified.
This process protects against spoofing and tampering. Even if a malicious user intercepted your verification email, they couldn‘t alter the JWT to verify a different account – it‘s cryptographically signed by Discord. And since the tokens expire after a short period, there‘s minimal risk if a link gets leaked or stolen.
Discord also rate limits verification attempts to prevent bots from abusing the system. If too many verification requests come from the same IP address in a short time span, Discord will temporarily block further attempts to deter automated attacks.
By using industry-standard encryption, secure communication protocols, and intelligent rate limiting, Discord‘s verification system strikes a balance between making it easy for legitimate users to verify and hard for bad actors to exploit the process.
Discord Phone Verification
Did you know you can also verify your Discord account by adding a phone number? Phone verification is an optional extra step you can take for added security. Some Discord servers may require phone verification for accessing certain channels or features.
To verify your account by phone:
- Go to User Settings > My Account
- Under "Phone Number", click "Add Phone Number"
- Enter your phone number and click "Next"
- Enter the 6-digit verification code sent to your phone via SMS
- That‘s it – your phone number is now verified!
Phone verification provides an extra layer of trust, as it requires access to a physical device. It‘s useful if you ever lose access to your verified email address and need to recover your account. Just be aware that you can only have one phone number registered per Discord account.
Troubleshooting Discord Verification Issues
While verification usually goes smoothly, you may occasionally run into issues. Here are fixes for common verification problems:
Verification email not arriving: Double check that you‘re looking in the inbox for the correct email address. If you don‘t see the email after 10 minutes, try checking your spam or promotions folder. You can also return to User Settings > My Account and click "Resend Verification Email" to prompt Discord to send a new one. Make sure your email address is entered correctly in your account settings.
Verification link not working: First, try copying and pasting the full URL from the email into your browser‘s address bar, as sometimes the "Verify Email" button can be finicky. If you get an "Invalid or expired" error, the verification link may have timed out – go resend the email and use the new link. Verification links are only valid for 24 hours after they‘re sent for security reasons.
Verified email not updating: On rare occasions, you may still see a "Verify your email" message in Discord even after verifying successfully. Updating often requires a hard refresh of the app by pressing Ctrl+R (Windows) or Cmd+R (Mac). If the message persists, try logging out of Discord and logging back in to force a refresh.
Lost access to verification email: If you no longer have access to the original email you signed up with, you can update your email address in User Settings > My Account, then resend the verification link to the new email. If you can‘t log in, you may need to contact Discord Support for help recovering your account.
If none of these solutions work, consult the Discord Support center or reach out to their support team for further assistance. They can investigate deeper technical issues preventing verification.
Benefits of Verifying Your Discord Account
To recap, here are the key benefits of taking a minute to verify your Discord account:
Increased security: Verification deters trolls, spammers, and other bad actors by making it harder to create throwaway accounts. A study by Indiana University found that verified accounts are 80% less likely to engage in harassment or hate speech compared to unverified accounts.
Greater access: With a verified account, you can join exclusive servers, participate in more communities, and unlock features like voice chat, screen sharing, and custom emojis. Over 75% of active Discord users have verified their accounts to expand their access.
Boosted credibility: The verification badge signals to other users that you‘re invested in the platform and can be trusted. Psychology research shows that people subconsciously place more trust in verified profiles online. Verified Discord users also tend to accrue more social connections and positive interactions.
One-time setup: Verification is a permanent, one-and-done process. Once your account is verified, you retain that status indefinitely (unless you update your email address or phone number down the line). Discord will never sell or share your email/phone with third parties or send you marketing spam – they only use it for verification and important security alerts.
Future-proofing: As Discord continues to grow rapidly, hitting over 350 million registered users in 2021, verification will play an increasingly important role in moderation and spam prevention. Getting verified now safeguards your account for the long haul as the platform scales and matures.
All together, verification is an important step that improves the Discord experience at both the individual and community level. It‘s a quick, easy way to upgrade your account and get the most out of the platform.
Final Thoughts
I hope this ultimate guide has convinced you of the importance of verifying your Discord account and given you all the info you need to complete the process smoothly. With a verified account in hand, you‘ll be ready to dive into Discord‘s vibrant constellation of communities and conversations with full confidence.
Remember, verification is just one piece of practicing good security hygiene online. Always enable two-factor authentication when possible, use strong unique passwords, and be cautious about sharing personal information, even in supposedly private chats. Together, we can help keep Discord a safe and enjoyable place for all.
Now get out there and start exploring all that Discord has to offer! And as always, if you have any other questions or thoughts, feel free to drop them in the comments below. Stay secure and happy chatting!
