How to Use Discord Slowmode

Q: How do I turn off Discord slowmode?

Set the slider to Off, or run /slowmode with 0 or off. /slowmodebulk settings has Disable slowmode for the channels in the picker.

Q: Why can mods still spam during slowmode?

They have Administrator or Bypass Slowmode. After 23 February 2026, Manage Messages alone is not enough. Turn Bypass Slowmode off on roles that should wait with everyone else.

Q: Does Discord slowmode work in threads?

Yes, as its own setting. It does not inherit the parent. /slowmode works in a thread you are standing in. /slowmodebulk settings can include public, private, and announcement threads.

Q: Is /slowmodebulk free?

No. The whole command is Shield. /slowmode on one channel is free.

Q: Will Discord slowmode stop a raid?

No. It slows hand-typed messages. Use /raidmode (Administrator) and /antiraid settings (Administrator) for join floods. Slowmode is the “keep #announcements readable” tool.

Discord slowmode is a per-person cooldown on one channel. After someone sends a message, they wait before they can send another there. They can still read, react, and talk in other channels. On desktop: channel cog → Overview → Slowmode → pick a delay → Save. On mobile: long-press the channel → Edit Channel → Slowmode Cooldown. You need permission to edit that channel. BetterAntispam does not replace Discord’s slider. Run /slowmode (Manage Channels) in the channel with 10s or off.

Editorial disclosure: This guide is published by BetterAntispam. We recommend BetterAntispam when you want Discord’s native cooldown plus raid, spam, and lock tools in the same slash-command stack, and we name the cases where Discord’s own slider, Dyno, Carl-bot, Wick, YAGPDB, MEE6, or ProBot may already be enough. Durations and the 6-hour ceiling come from Discord. Command options come from the bot’s source.

TL;DR: People searching discord slowmode, how to enable slowmode discord, how to turn on slowmode discord, discord slowmode command, slowmode discord mobile, and bypass slowmode discord want the slider, the permission, and a bot command that does not lie about Discord’s limit. Native path: Edit Channel → Slowmode, 5 seconds up to 6 hours. The cooldown is per member, not one shared clock. Threads have their own slider and do not inherit the parent. After 23 February 2026, Manage Messages, Manage Channel, and Manage Threads no longer skip the wait. Grant Bypass Slowmode on purpose. For a chat command, invite BetterAntispam and run /slowmode. For up to five channels at once, /slowmodebulk settings is Shield. Slowmode is not a raid stop. Use /antispam settings or /raidmode when the flood is automated.

Dark Discord-style channel settings with a teal Slowmode slider at 30 seconds and three members each holding their own hourglass

How to turn on Discord slowmode

This is the first body section: Discord’s screen, then the command.

Desktop or browser

Hover the channel. Click the cog (Edit Channel).
Stay on Overview. Scroll to Slowmode.
Pick Off, 5s, 10s, 15s, 30s, 1m, 2m, 5m, 10m, 15m, 30m, 1h, 2h, or 6 hours. Those are Discord’s presets, from the Slowmode FAQ.
Save. Members see the cooldown when they open the channel.

Mobile

Long-press the channel → Edit Channel.
Find Slowmode Cooldown. Drag the dial.
Save.

Threads have a separate Slowmode control. Right-click the thread (or the three dots) → Edit Thread. It does not copy the parent channel. Discord’s Threads Moderation FAQ is the official page: Manage Threads can set thread slowmode, and a channel’s own slowmode also limits how often a member can create a thread there.

Add BetterAntispam, then stand in the channel and run /slowmode (Manage Channels). The duration option is required. Examples the command accepts: 10s, 30s, 5m, 1h, 0, off. Discord’s API ceiling is 21600 seconds (6 hours). The bot clamps to that range. A 1d or 1w string parses, then gets cut down to 21600. That is Discord’s cap, not a BetterAntispam invention.

Docs: customer documentation. Support: Discord support server. There is no website login for this. Configuration stays in the slash-command panel.

What Discord slowmode actually does

Fixerhow’s 2026 how-to and Discord’s own FAQ agree on the shape. Slowmode is a rate limit on sending. It is not a mute, not a lockdown, and not antispam.

You wanted	What slowmode does	What it does not do
Slow a busy #general	Each member waits N seconds between messages	Stop a script that already fired 200 messages
Keep an event chat readable	Same cooldown for every human	Hide the raid in #offtopic
Slow a support queue	Members still read and react	Close the ticket
Punish one person	Nothing targeted	Timeout or mute that member
Stop a raid	Buy a few seconds if people are typing by hand	Replace /raidmode or /antiraid settings

The timer is per user, per channel. Alice’s 30 seconds do not block Bob. Reactions still work. Other channels are untouched.

Bots that set slowmode through Discord’s API can use any integer from 0 to 21600. The UI only offers the presets above. /slowmode uses the API, so 45s is valid even though the slider has no 45-second notch.

Bypass Slowmode: the 2026 permission

Until early 2026, Manage Messages, Manage Channel, or Manage Threads let staff skip the cooldown. Discord folded that into one permission: Bypass Slowmode. The old trio kept working until 23 February 2026. That date has passed.

Peakbot’s migration note matches the FAQ: after the cutoff, Manage Messages and Manage Channels do not skip slowmode on their own. Administrator still does. Everyone else needs the dedicated toggle.

Server Settings → Roles.
Open Moderator (or whoever should talk through a 5-minute event cooldown).
Permissions → Text Channel Permissions → Bypass Slowmode.
Save. You can also allow or deny it on one channel’s overrides.

If staff complain that /slowmode “broke chat for mods,” check this toggle before you blame the bot. The bot sets Discord’s rate limit. Discord decides who ignores it.

Give Bypass Slowmode to people who must coordinate during an incident. Do not give it to every helper role that only needed Manage Messages to pin.

`/slowmode` and `/slowmodebulk settings`

/slowmode (Manage Channels) edits the channel you ran it in. Text channels and threads only. The reply is ephemeral. The bot must have Manage Channel on that channel or the API call fails.

It writes a row to the Channels stream if /logging settings (Administrator) is on. The log shows who changed it and the before → after seconds.

/slowmodebulk settings (Manage Channels) is Shield entirely. It opens an in-Discord panel, not a website. Pick up to five text channels, announcement channels, or threads. Set a duration (30s, 5m, 1h, 0). Apply now writes the same Discord slowmode to each. Disable slowmode sets those channels to 0. Clear all empties the picker. Failed channels are listed; a missing channel does not stop the others.

Command	Scope	Permission	Plan
/slowmode	Current channel or thread	Manage Channels	Free
/slowmodebulk settings	Up to 5 channels or threads	Manage Channels	Shield
/lockdown	Lock a channel; lock-all is Shield	Administrator	Free core
/antispam settings	Floods, dupes, links, caps	Administrator	Free
/raidmode	Manual raid switch	Administrator	Free

Upgrade path: Shield in the application store. Single-channel /slowmode stays free.

Slash command /slowmode 10s beside a five-channel bulk panel and a Bypass Slowmode role toggle

Slowmode vs lockdown vs antispam

Use the smallest tool that matches the night.

5–10 seconds in a busy public channel. Humans barely notice. Scripted one-liners slow down.

30 seconds to 5 minutes during an event or a messy argument. Chat stays open. Staff with Bypass Slowmode can still post updates.

Lock the channel with /lockdown (Administrator) when you do not want anyone without override posting. That is a different command. The raid playbook is How to Stop a Discord Raid.

Antispam when the problem is volume, dupes, or links, not pace. /antispam settings (Administrator) defaults to 5 messages in 5000ms, 3 warnings, then a 5-minute mute. Slowmode will not delete the 200 messages that already landed. /purge or /nuke (Administrator, max 1000, Discord’s 14-day bulk-delete limit) is cleanup. See Delete All Messages in a Discord Channel.

Slowmode plus antispam is normal. Slowmode instead of antispam during a bot flood is not.

Other bots that already set slowmode

Keep the one you already tuned.

Bot	How it slows chat	Notes
Discord slider	Native cooldown, 5s–6h presets	Always there. No bot required
BetterAntispam	/slowmode, /slowmodebulk settings	Native Discord rate limit. Bulk is 5 channels, Shield
Dyno Slowmode	/slowmode discord is native. /slowmode user and /slowmode channel delete extra messages	Dyno’s own timers max at 2880s. Staff messages are not deleted
Carl-bot automod	!slowmode rate / per, then punishments	Soft rate limit with delete or mute. Not Discord’s slider
MEE6	Older !slowmode / !slowoff in moderator docs	Dashboard-first. Keep if XP already lives there
Wick / YAGPDB / ProBot	Security or automod stacks	Use them if they already own raids or automod. They are not why you opened this page

Dyno is honest in its own docs: bot slowmode deletes after the fact. Discord slowmode blocks the send. Do not run two bots fighting over the same channel’s rate limit.

Which Moderation Bot Should You Choose?

BetterAntispam if you want Discord’s real slowmode from a slash command, plus /antispam settings, /antiraid settings, /raidmode, and /lockdown without a website login.

Wick if a compromised moderator deleting channels is the nightmare, and you will finish Wick’s setup.

Dyno if Dyno Slowmode already lives on the dashboard and you accept delete-after-send for the user/channel modes.

YAGPDB if staff already enjoy Advanced Automoderator.

Carl-bot if reaction roles are the product and Carl’s automod already owns the rate limit.

MEE6 if the server already pays for MEE6 Premium and will not move XP.

ProBot if welcome images and ProBot automod are already the stack.

Do not install three slowmode bots. One native cooldown is enough.

FAQ

How do I turn on Discord slowmode?

Edit Channel → Overview → Slowmode → pick a delay → Save. Mobile: long-press the channel → Edit Channel → Slowmode Cooldown. Or run /slowmode (Manage Channels) with 10s.

How do I turn off Discord slowmode?

Set the slider to Off, or run /slowmode with 0 or off. /slowmodebulk settings has Disable slowmode for the channels in the picker.

What permission do I need for Discord slowmode?

You need permission to edit the channel (Manage Channels is the usual grant). /slowmode and /slowmodebulk settings default to Manage Channels. The bot also needs Manage Channel in that channel.

Why can mods still spam during slowmode?

They have Administrator or Bypass Slowmode. After 23 February 2026, Manage Messages alone is not enough. Turn Bypass Slowmode off on roles that should wait with everyone else.

Does Discord slowmode work on mobile?

Yes. Long-press the channel, Edit Channel, Slowmode Cooldown. Threads: Edit Thread. Same 5-second to 6-hour range.

Does Discord slowmode work in threads?

Yes, as its own setting. It does not inherit the parent. /slowmode works in a thread you are standing in. /slowmodebulk settings can include public, private, and announcement threads.

Is `/slowmodebulk` free?

No. The whole command is Shield. /slowmode on one channel is free.

Will Discord slowmode stop a raid?

No. It slows hand-typed messages. Use /raidmode (Administrator) and /antiraid settings (Administrator) for join floods. Slowmode is the “keep #announcements readable” tool.

Final Verdict

How to use Discord slowmode is not a plugin. Open Edit Channel, set Slowmode, Save. Grant Bypass Slowmode only to staff who must talk through a cooldown. Invite BetterAntispam and run /slowmode when you are already in the channel. Use /slowmodebulk settings when five channels need the same delay and you are on Shield. Keep Dyno or Carl if they already own that job. Turn on /antispam settings when the flood is a script, not a loud room.