How to make temporary voice channels in Discord

Members join one channel and get their own voice channel, which disappears once everyone has left. This guide sets it up with Horizon, a free Discord bot.

Discord has no setting for temporary voice channels, so a bot does the work. It watches one voice channel, usually called Join to Create, and opens a new channel for every member who joins it. When the last person leaves, the bot deletes that channel again. Your channel list only shows rooms people are actually using.

To add a bot, you need the Manage Server permission on that server.

  1. 1. Invite Horizon

    Open invite.horizon-bot.me, choose your server and confirm. Keep the permissions the invite asks for: Horizon needs them to create channels and move members into them.

    Right after joining, Horizon posts a welcome message on your server. Its Setup Horizon button does the same as the next step.

    Invite Horizon

  2. 2. Run /setup

    Type /setup in any text channel and click Setup Horizon. Horizon creates a category called Horizon Channels with two channels in it:

    • ➕ Create your channel: your Join to Create channel. Horizon calls it a generator channel.
    • #interface: holds the Horizon Interface, a message with buttons that channel owners use to manage their channel.
    The /setup command in Discord's command listThe setup message with the Setup Horizon buttonThe new Horizon Channels category with #interface and Create your channel

  3. 3. Join the channel

    Join ➕ Create your channel. Horizon creates a voice channel for you and moves you into it. The channel belongs to you.

    When everyone has left, Horizon deletes it. If someone just lost their connection for a moment, admins can let Horizon wait a bit before the channel goes.

    A member joins Create your channelHorizon moves the member into their own channelThe empty channel is deleted

  4. 4. Manage your channel

    As the owner you can rename the channel, set a user limit, lock it, hide it and choose who may join. Use the buttons of the Horizon Interface in #interface, or slash commands such as /name, /limit, /lock, /hide, /trust and /kick.

    If the owner leaves, anyone still in the channel can take it over with /claim. The docs list every channel command.

    The Rename button in the Horizon InterfaceTyping a new channel nameThe channel shows its new name

Make it fit your server

The defaults work as they are. To change them, open the Horizon dashboard, log in with Discord and pick your server.

Channel names
Set a name template. Placeholders like {OWNER_NICK} put the owner's nickname into the name.
User limit
Choose how many members fit into a new channel and how far owners may change that.
Who can join
Limit channels to certain roles, for example a verified role, so other members can't see or join them.
Owner tools
Decide which features owners may use. For public lobbies, an unmanaged generator creates channels without an owner, so nobody can lock others out.
More generator channels
A server can have up to three generator channels, each with its own settings, so a strict one and a relaxed one can run side by side.

Set up Horizon on your server

Horizon is free. After the invite, one command gets your first Join to Create channel running.

Invite HorizonRead the quickstart