How to schedule messages on Discord
Discord is testing its own scheduled messages with a small group of users. Here's what that beta does and doesn't do, and how to have a bot post in a channel at 09:00 every day, which works for anyone today.
A scheduled message goes out at a time you pick, not when you press Enter: daily reminders, weekly event posts, or news that lands at 9 in the morning.
The short answer
- One message, later, from your own account: Discord's scheduled messages beta does this, if Discord has switched it on for you.
- A message that repeats (every day, every Friday, every 3 hours): use a bot. Discord's beta doesn't cover repeats.
- Everyone on your team, without waiting for a beta: a bot again. In BotGhost you make an event that runs on a schedule and sends the message, in about five minutes.
Discord's scheduled messages beta
Discord has started testing scheduled messages built into the app. It's listed under Active Beta Features in Discord's own Beta Programs FAQ, so it's real, but most people don't have it yet.
What it does
Discord describes it in one line: you set a time in the future, and your message sends then. It works in DMs and in server channels, and the message comes from your own account, the same as if you'd typed it at that moment.
Who has it
- A small random group of users. You can't sign up, and support can't add you.
- Other betas (Bookmarks, Favorites) don't mean you have this one.
- Discord can change it or take it away before everyone gets it.
How to tell if you have it
Discord marks beta features in the app. If you're in the test, you'll see a popover introducing it and a beta tag next to the feature. No tag anywhere near your message box means your account isn't in the group right now.
Discord hasn't published the full steps yet. Its help center has one line in the Beta Programs FAQ and nothing yet on where the option sits, how far ahead you can schedule, or how many messages you can queue. Other sites quote limits Discord hasn't confirmed, so treat those as guesses. If you're in the test, the beta tag marks where the feature is.
What it leaves out
So far it's for single messages. It doesn't cover:
- Repeats, like a post every day or every Friday.
- Posting as the server. The message comes from your account, not a bot with the server's name.
- Your team. A moderator without the beta can't take over your schedule.
- Extras like pinning the post or deleting yesterday's one first.
Which way to pick
| You want to | Discord's beta | A BotGhost bot |
|---|---|---|
| Send one message later | Yes, if you have it | Yes |
| Repeat every day, week, or few hours | Not covered | Yes |
| Post under the bot's name and picture | No, it's your account | Yes |
| Use it today, on any account | Only the test group | Yes |
| Embeds, buttons, and role pings | Not documented | Yes |
| Cost | Free | Free plan works |
To have a bot post a morning message in a channel at 09:00 every day, you need a BotGhost bot in your server. If you don't have one yet, how to make a Discord bot without coding takes about fifteen minutes.
1Start a scheduled event
In BotGhost, an event is something your bot does when a thing happens. Here the thing that happens is the clock reaching the time you pick.
Open the Event Builder
- Sign in to the BotGhost dashboard and pick your bot.
- Open Custom Events in the menu on the left.
- Press Start building. A window opens asking what starts the event.
Pick Run on a schedule
Type timed in the search box, then pick Run on a schedule.
- 1Type timed
- 2Pick Run on a schedule
2Set when it runs
The next screen asks when the event should run. Pick one of the two cards at the top.
Repeat every few hours
Repeat every runs the event on a gap you choose: every 30 minutes, every 6 hours, every 2 days. The shortest gap is 10 seconds, though a channel that gets a message every few seconds will annoy people fast.
- 1How often
- 2Which days
At set times of day
For a morning post, pick At set times:
- Set the clock to 09:00 AM and press Add time. You can add more than one time, say 09:00 and 18:00.
- Under On these days, leave every day on, or turn some off. Click Sat and Sun to skip weekends.
- Read the line at the bottom. It says what will happen in plain words, and which time zone it uses.
- Press Create event.
- 1Set the time, then Add time
- 2Check the summary and time zone
- 3Create event
Check the time zone first. The times follow your bot's time zone, not each member's. Ours says Australia/Sydney. If most of your members are in New York, 09:00 Sydney time is the evening before for them. Change it in Settings before you save.
Pick the server
A scheduled event isn't started by anyone in a server, so BotGhost asks which server it belongs to. Press Select Server, pick yours from the list, and press Save Server Configuration.
- 1Pick your server
3Add the message
The canvas now shows a block saying When a timed event is executed. Everything you connect under it runs each time the schedule comes round.
Send or Edit a Message
- Find Send or Edit a Message at the top of the blocks on the left.
- Drag it onto the canvas under the timed event block.
- Drag from the dot under the timed event block to the dot on top of the new block, so a line joins them.
- 1Drag from this dot
- 2The message block
Pick the channel
- Click the block to open its settings on the right.
- Press Write the message and type what it should say. You can add an embed, a picture, buttons, or a role ping.
- Under Where it goes, keep Channel and pick the channel from From the server.
- 1Write the message
- 2Channel
- 3Pick the channel
At 09:00 the next morning, your bot posts something like this:
Save it and test it
- Press Save Event in the top right. The schedule starts from then.
- To check it without waiting until tomorrow, open the event's settings and press Run now beside the schedule. It runs once straight away.
- If nothing arrives, open Error Logs in the dashboard. A missing channel permission is the usual cause: the bot needs to see the channel and send messages in it.
Things people schedule
- Daily reminders: a question of the day, a vote reminder, or "check in" posts for a study server.
- Weekly events: game night every Friday at 20:00, with a role ping an hour before.
- Rules and FAQs: repost the rules every few days in a busy channel so new members see them.
- Shop or rotation resets: a post at the same time a game resets its store or map.
- Clean ups: delete yesterday's message before posting today's, so the channel only shows the latest one.
Some of these already have a ready-made module, no schedule needed:
- Birthdays posts on each member's day.
- Giveaways picks winners when the timer runs out.
- YouTube and Twitch alerts post when a video or stream goes live.
Tips that save trouble
- Design it first. Build the post in the free Discord embed builder, copy its JSON, and use Paste JSON in the Send or Edit a Message block.
- Show times everyone can read. Put a Discord timestamp in the message, like
<t:1794128400:t>, and each member sees it in their own time zone. The Discord timestamp generator makes the code for you. - Don't spam. Discord can rate limit a bot that posts too often, and members mute channels that never stop. Once or twice a day is plenty for most servers.
- Ping a role, not everyone. Make a role like "Game night" and ping that, so only people who want the reminder get it.
- Keep the bot online. On the free plan a bot that does nothing for 2 days gets switched off. A daily post counts as activity.
Questions people ask
Can you schedule messages on Discord?
Yes, in two ways. Discord is testing its own scheduled messages with a small random group of users, which sends one message later from your account. For everyone else, and for messages that repeat, a bot does it: you set the time once and it posts every time it comes round.
How do I get Discord's scheduled messages beta?
You can't ask for it. Discord picks a small group of users at random, and its support team can't add anyone. If the beta goes well, Discord says it may roll it out to everyone.
Can a scheduled message repeat every day or week?
Discord's beta description only covers setting one future time for a message. To post every day, every Monday, or every few hours, use a bot. In BotGhost that's an event set to Run on a schedule.
Do I need Nitro to schedule messages?
Discord doesn't list Nitro for the scheduled messages beta; it lists Nitro only for its personal widget beta. A BotGhost bot doesn't need Nitro either, and scheduled events work on the free plan.
What time zone does the schedule use?
BotGhost runs scheduled events in your bot's time zone, shown under the times when you set them. You can change it in Settings. To show a time that reads right for every member, put a Discord timestamp in the message.
Is a Discord Scheduled Event the same thing?
No. A Scheduled Event is a calendar entry in your server that members mark as Interested, with a reminder when it starts. It doesn't post a message in a channel by itself. If you want both, a bot can create the event and post about it.
Will the message still send if my computer is off?
Yes. BotGhost runs your bot on our servers, so nothing has to stay open on your PC or phone. On the free plan, a bot with no activity for 2 days gets switched off, and a scheduled post every day keeps it busy.
