If you‘re an active Discord user, you know how popular the platform has become in recent years. With over 150 million monthly active users, Discord provides a fantastic space for building communities and hanging out with friends.
One way to enhance your Discord experience is by customizing your profile with a banner image. Much like other social platforms like YouTube and Twitter, a banner sits at the top of your profile page and can showcase your personality or interests.
But how exactly do you go about adding a Discord banner in 2024? What size banner works best? Where do you find cool artwork? Can you make your own?
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore the ins and outs of Discord banners to help you take your profile to the next level. Let‘s get started!
Contents
- Why Should You Use a Discord Banner?
- A Quick Primer on Discord Nitro
- Step-by-Step Instructions to Add a Discord Banner
- Where to Find Amazing Discord Banner Art
- How to Make Your Very Own Custom Banner
- Ideal Discord Banner Dimensions and Specs
- Amazing Discord Profile Banner Examples
- Key Takeaways and Experts Tips for Discord Banners
- Frequently Asked Questions About Discord Banners
- Final Thoughts
Why Should You Use a Discord Banner?
Before we get into the how-to, here‘s an overview of the key benefits of using a Discord banner:
- Stand Out: Adding a banner makes your profile unique and grab attention, instead of just having the default blank background.
- Express Yourself: Banners allow you to visually represent your personality, interests, brand, etc. It sparks conversation when someone visits your profile.
- Show Off Interests: Gamers can share their favorite games, music heads can rep artists, sports fans can root for teams.
- Fun and Humor: Banners are great for inside jokes within your friend circles or amusing memes if you want to be more lighthearted.
- Enhance Servers: Server owners/admins can use banners to share news, highlight channels, and engage members.
- Consistent Branding: Maintain the same branding across your social media and internet presence by using your banner consistently.
According to a poll conducted on the r/Discord subreddit, over 66% of respondents said they actively use a banner because it adds more personality and customization to their profile.
A Quick Primer on Discord Nitro
Before we get into adding a banner, it‘s important to know that the ability to upload a custom banner is a feature reserved for Discord Nitro subscribers.
Discord Nitro is Discord‘s premium subscription that unlocks additional features and perks like:
- Custom emoji
- Larger file upload size
- Animated avatar
- Server banner image
- Higher quality video streaming
- Custom profile badges
- Special profile cosmetics
There are two main Nitro plans:
Nitro Classic
- $4.99 per month
- Custom emoji, increased limits, badge
Nitro
- $9.99 per month
- Everything in Classic plus server banner, high quality video, and more
Nitro Yearly
- $99.99 per year (over 15% discount compared to monthly)
To access the profile banner feature, you‘ll need to subscribe to the regular Nitro plan. Nitro Classic won‘t unlock banners.
Here are the quick steps to purchase Nitro:
- In the Discord app, click the User Settings (gear icon)
- Select "Nitro" from the left menu
- Click "Upgrade" and choose your plan
- Enter payment details to complete purchase
Once subscribed, you‘ll instantly gain access to the banner customization options we‘ll cover next.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Add a Discord Banner
Ready to add and customize your very own Discord profile banner? Here are the detailed steps:
Adding a Banner on Desktop
- Launch the Discord desktop app and log into your account
- Click your profile picture in the bottom left and select "User Settings"
- In the left menu, click on "User Profile"
- Look for the "Change Banner" option and click it
- A window will pop up allowing you to upload an image from your computer
- Browse your files and select the picture you want for your banner
- The image will load in the preview window where you can adjust the framing
- Click and drag the picture to get it positioned perfectly
- Optionally zoom and scale the image to get it just right
- When happy with the preview, click "Save Changes" at the bottom
- Hop back to your profile page to see your new banner!
This same process works whether you‘re on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Adding a Banner on Mobile
Want to upload or change your banner on the go from your phone? Here are the steps:
- Open up the Discord app and log into your account
- Tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner
- Tap the "User Settings" gear icon
- Tap on "Edit Profile" from the menu
- Scroll down and tap the "Change Banner" option
- Select a photo from your phone‘s library or take a new picture
- Pinch and zoom on the image to frame it perfectly
- Tap "Save" in the upper right when ready
- Return to your profile page to see your new banner!
As you can see, Discord makes it super straightforward to customize your banner, right from desktop or mobile.
Where to Find Amazing Discord Banner Art
The hardest part is finding the perfect image or graphic you want to use for your custom banner.
Here are some fantastic resources to spark ideas and explore tons of Discord banner art:
DiscordBanners.co
This site offers an expansive directory of pre-made banner templates and images you can use for free. Lots of great options for gamers, music fans, memes, etc.
Bannerbear
Lets you generate a customizable banner by entering your username, selecting colors and icon packs. Simple to make something unique.
Search for "Discord banners" on Pinterest to uncover a huge collection of banner templates, wallpapers, and images. Great for inspiration.
DeviantArt
This community of artists and creators share all kinds of digital artwork perfect for banners. Search for tags like "Discord" or specific games.
Etsy
Crafty creators on Etsy sell custom-designed Discord banners if you want one tailored just for you. Prices start under $10.
Gaming Subreddits
Subreddits dedicated to games like r/Fortnite, r/Overwatch, r/Minecraft and more have users sharing banners.
BeFunky
This full-featured online image and graphic editor has templates to easily whip up your own custom banners.
Canva
Another fantastic graphic design platform with a huge library of templates, fonts, graphics, and illustrations to design unique banners.
With so many options, you can really let your creativity run wild!
How to Make Your Very Own Custom Banner
For a truly one-of-a-kind Discord profile banner, you can design your own creation from scratch using graphic tools.
Online Graphic Editors
User-friendly online editing tools like Canva, BeFunky, PicMonkey, or PicsArt make it simple to create banners even without artistic skills. Most have pre-made templates, fonts, illustrations and effects to start designing.
Adobe Photoshop
For advanced image creation and editing, Adobe Photoshop is the industry leader. Craft a professional quality custom banner with layers, textures, lighting, brushes and more.
GIMP
GIMP is a free, open-source alternative to Photoshop with extensive editing capabilities to design banners from the ground up.
Illustrator
Create scalable vector graphic (SVG) banners that can be resized without losing quality. Illustrator gives you options like custom shapes, typography, color palettes, etc.
Pro Graphic Designer
Consider hiring a professional graphic designer on freelance sites like Fiverr and Upwork to create a slick custom banner perfectly tailored to your brand and interests.
Put thought into the imagery, colors, and overall style that reflect your personality and the impression you want to portray on your profile.
Ideal Discord Banner Dimensions and Specs
To ensure your banner looks crisply optimized on all devices, follow Discord‘s recommended specifications:
- Minimum size: 600 x 240 pixels
- Maximum size: 960 x 540 pixels
- File size limit: 10 MB maximum
- File types: JPG, PNG, GIF (static or animated)
Additional tips:
- PNG format will give you transparent backgrounds
- Optimize JPGs to keep file size smaller
- Animated GIFs work, but can‘t be larger than 10MB
-resolution of 72 or 96 dpi is fine
Having the right banner dimensions keeps visual quality high and avoids odd stretching or blurring.
Amazing Discord Profile Banner Examples
Here are some awesome examples of how creative you can get with Discord profile banners:
Gaming themes are super popular, like this banner with Mario, Halo, and other characters.
Express your love for music artists like The Weeknd, Daft Punk or other favorites.
Cool abstract graphic banners are an artistic way to stand out.
Memes and viral content are fun if you don‘t take yourself too seriously.
Or keep it clean and simple with minimal shapes and muted colors.
The possibilities are endless for tailoring a banner to your unique personality and interests!
Key Takeaways and Experts Tips for Discord Banners
- Have an active Nitro subscription to unlock the banner feature
- For best quality, make banners 600 x 240px minimum and under 10MB
- PNG is great for transparent backgrounds, JPGs for photos
- Add your own flair with customized graphics and text
- Avoid overly complex or cluttered designs
- Use a banner consistently across your other social profiles
- Change it up seasonally or when you want to refresh your look
- Use DiscordBanners.co or Reddit for pre-mades or get one custom made
High-resolution banners will look crispest on large monitors. For ideal quality, export your banner at 3840 x 240 pixels, then downsample to the max 960 x 540 pixels. This oversampling helps avoid artifacts or quality loss.
Frequently Asked Questions About Discord Banners
Here are answers to some of the most common questions people have about acquiring and customizing their Discord profile banner:
Do I need a banner for my Discord profile?
- No, banners are completely optional. But they help personalize your page.
What‘s the point of adding a banner?
- To stand out, showcase your personality, and fully customize your profile. Makes your page unique!
Can I add a banner without Nitro?
- Unfortunately no. The banner feature specifically requires an active Nitro subscription.
What file types can I use for my banner?
- JPG, PNG and GIF formats are the only supported types. PNG is best for transparency.
What are the ideal banner dimensions?
- Minimum 600 x 240 pixels, maximum 960 x 540 pixels.Keep files under 10MB.
Can I use animated GIFs for my banner?
- Yes you can use GIFs as long as they meet the 10MB file size limit.
Where do I go to set or change my banner?
- In User Settings, click User Profile and then "Change Banner" to upload a new image.
How do I remove my current banner?
- Go to User Profile and click "Change Banner". Select "Remove Banner" to revert back to default.
Final Thoughts
A banner gives your Discord profile a personal flair and makes it stand out from the crowd. Use this guide to upgrade your account with Nitro, source awesome banner art or create your own, and seamlessly add it to your profile.
So what are you waiting for? Get on Discord and give your profile some extra sparkle with a fun, stylish new banner!
