Discord shows link previews by default, but you can turn them off in your user settings
When you paste a link into Discord, the app automatically displays a preview — the page title, description, and thumbnail image appear in a box below your message. If you want to send links without these previews showing, you can disable the feature in your settings. The preview still appears to you while you're typing, but once you send the message, no preview box will show to other people in the server or direct message.
This is useful if you're sharing many links and want a cleaner chat, or if you're pasting URLs you don't want to draw attention to. The setting is per-account, so it affects all servers and conversations you're in.
Key Takeaways
- Open Discord settings, go to Text & Images under User Settings, and toggle off "Show website preview info" to hide link previews from appearing below your messages.
- Disabling previews is account-wide — it affects every server and direct message you send links in.
- Other people will see your message with the link, but the preview box with the title, description, and image will not appear.
- You can still see the preview while you're typing the message; it only hides after you send it.
Step-by-step: turning off link previews on desktop
Open Discord and look for the gear icon in the bottom left corner of the window. This opens your User Settings. Scroll down the left sidebar until you find Text & Images under the User Settings section. Once you're in that menu, look for the toggle labeled Show website preview info. Click it to turn it off. The toggle will no longer be highlighted, which means previews are now disabled.
After you change this setting, any link you send will appear as plain text with no preview box below it. The change takes effect immediately — you don't need to restart Discord or log out. You'll notice the difference the next time you paste a link into a message.
Turning off previews on mobile
On mobile, tap your profile picture at the bottom right of the screen to open your User Settings. Scroll down and tap Text & Images. Look for the toggle labeled Show website preview info and tap it to turn it off.
The setting syncs across all your devices, so if you disable previews on your phone, they'll be disabled on desktop too. You don't need to make the change separately on each device.
What happens when previews are turned off
When you paste a link with previews disabled, the message shows only the URL. No title, description, or image appears below it. Other members of the server or the direct message conversation will see the same thing — just the link with no preview box.
If someone else in the conversation has previews turned on in their own settings, they will still see previews for links that other people send. Your setting only controls what appears when you send links, not what other people see when they send links to you. Each person's preview setting is independent.
Hiding a single link preview without changing your settings
If you want to send one link without a preview while keeping previews on for other links, you can wrap the link in angle brackets. Type the link like this: <https://example.com>. Discord will not generate a preview for that specific link, even if you have previews enabled in your settings.
This method is useful when you want to share a link but don't want it to take up space in the chat with a preview box. You can use angle brackets for individual links while leaving your account setting unchanged, so previews will still appear for other links you send.
Turning previews back on
If you change your mind, go back to User Settings and find Text & Images. Toggle Show website preview info back on. Links you send after that will display previews again.
The setting change happens instantly, so you don't need to wait or refresh anything. Your next message with a link will show the preview box as normal.
Why Discord shows previews by default
Link previews help people understand what a link leads to before they click it. The preview shows the page title, a short description, and often a thumbnail image, which gives context without requiring a click. Discord includes this feature to make sharing links more useful in conversations and to reduce the number of surprise clicks.
However, not everyone wants previews visible — some people find them cluttered, others want to share links without drawing attention to them, and some are concerned about privacy or bandwidth. That's why Discord lets you turn them off at the account level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off previews?
No. Other members will just see your message with a link and no preview box. They won't receive any notification that you have previews disabled in your settings. They'll only see the result — the absence of a preview.
Can I hide previews for just one link instead of all links?
Yes. Wrap the link in angle brackets like this: <https://example.com>. This prevents Discord from generating a preview for that specific link only, even if you have previews enabled in your settings.
Do previews use more data or bandwidth?
Previews do require Discord to load additional information from the linked website, but the amount is small. If you're on a limited data connection, disabling previews may save a small amount of bandwidth, though the difference is usually not noticeable in normal use.
What if I turn off previews but someone else in the chat has them on?
Your setting only affects links you send. If another person sends a link and they have previews enabled, their preview will show to everyone who has previews turned on in their own settings. Your disabled previews don't affect what other people see when they send links.
Does turning off previews affect embedded images or videos?
No. The preview setting only controls website link previews — the title, description, and thumbnail that appear when you paste a URL. Images and videos you upload directly to Discord, or embedded content from services like YouTube, are not affected by this setting.