Discord started experimenting with its new design on February 3rd, 3 PM EST. The feature is currently rolled out to 6% of all Discord users on desktop.
The new design experiment doesn’t include mobile, so if you’re using the mobile version and like what you see in the article, you might have to wait a while.
Let’s take a look at how the design has changed and what are the differences that stand out.
What changed?
The new Desktop Visual Refresh experiment changes a lot, but not in a destructive way. Of course, opinions differ - many people have been saying that they don’t like the new design on social media, but we beg to differ.
We think the new design of the Discord desktop is much more modern than ever. After looking at the new design for a second, the old design feels too old and outdated.
This is because the new design utilizes some modern graphic styles like higher border-radius on boxes, higher contrast rates, and darker colors.

When people take a look at the new design, the first thing most people notice is how much darker it is. Then they see the new chat input, and most just don’t like it.
But don’t be afraid, there are two versions of the new design - again, Discord is just experimenting with designs for now. One of the designs has the new chat input styling as the image above, and the other one keeps the styling of the old chat input styling.
Discord design has more than one version
As we mentioned, there are two versions of the new Discord design: one with a new chat input design and one with the old.
While the new chat input has two rows, one for the message input and one for attachments, emojis, GIFs, etc., the old chat input version looks very much like the legacy version of the chat input.

These two versions also have their own sub-versions where users can collapse the sidebar on the left, which holds the channels of the server you’re viewing (or your DMs if you’re on the Direct Messages tab).
The Direct Messages page has been redesigned
The Direct Messages page on the desktop version is aligned with the new modern changes made to the user interface. It has slightly bigger border-radiuses, and popups have been improved.
There’s now a 'current page' tab with the inbox button next to it
There’s now a header bar at the top of the app, and it has three things in it: the server you’re currently viewing, the inbox, and the help button.
The “currently viewing” indicator shows what server you’re currently viewing, but it won’t display any information about which channel you’re in. Therefore, it also doesn’t change when you’re DMing different people - if you’re viewing DMs, it just says “Direct Messages.”
The inbox and the help buttons, which were previously located next to the search bar at the top right, have been moved to this header bar.
The overall color scheme is now darker
The cool and famous main color of Discord’s UI was #313338, dark gray - the new design uses #2e2e34, a darker one. The main difference between the colors is that the new design color is a has bit more blue and green in it, while the red ratio is slightly lowered.

The search bar design has changed
Following the general color and styling changes, the new search bar has a lighter color and bigger border radius, making it look much more modern. This change can be seen across all popups on the new design.

The voice channel mini-dashboard redesigned
Instead of the built-in look of the old voice channel mini-dashboard, the new design looks separated from the sidebar, almost like a popup. While the current mini-dashboard design has some issues with the new collapsible sidebar feature, it’ll probably be fixed before the new design is fully rolled out.
Find and monetize Discord servers with Whop
Whop is home to thousands of great Discord servers where you can find like-minded people and premium content. Signing up to Whop and finding the first Discord server that will blow your mind takes less than 5 minutes. Join us today.
However, if you have a Discord server of your own, you should consider learning how to monetize your Discord server with Whop so that you can get paid by selling access to your server.
Discord’s new design FAQ
How do I get access to Discord’s new design?
There’s no way to manually gain access to the new design. Discord is probably going to expand the rollout, and you just have to wait to get access.
When will I get access to Discord’s new design?
The current rollout plan for the visual redesign is unknown.
Who has access to Discord’s new design?
6% of all Discord users on desktop have access to the new design.
Is Discord still a web app in the new design?
Discord is still a web app in the new design.
Are there any new or removed features?
There are no new or removed features on the new design.