How to Completely Customize Your Discord Background and Theme in 2024
Are you tired of staring at the same old Discord background day after day? Do you wish you could give your Discord experience a fresh coat of paint with a sick new theme? Well I have good news for you – it‘s totally possible to change your Discord background and theme. But I also have some bad news – doing so requires using a third-party client mod, which is technically against Discord‘s rules.
In this guide, I‘ll walk you through exactly how to customize your Discord background using the BetterDiscord mod. I‘ll also discuss the risks involved with using client mods, speculate on if and when Discord might add theme customization natively, and share some tips for finding and creating the best custom themes. Let‘s dive in!
Discord‘s Built-In Appearance Options
First, let‘s talk about what you can change about Discord‘s appearance without using any mods or third-party tools. Sadly, there‘s not much. In the appearance settings, you have two options: light theme and dark theme. The light theme has a bright white background, while the dark theme has a sleek gray background. You can also adjust the accent color used for interactive elements like buttons and sliders. But that‘s pretty much it in terms of built-in customization.
So if the dark and light themes aren‘t doing it for you, and you want something more personalized and fun, you‘ll have to take matters into your own hands with a client mod. The most popular mod for Discord customization is called BetterDiscord.
What is BetterDiscord?
BetterDiscord is a free, open-source modification for the Discord desktop app. It injects custom CSS and plugins into Discord to enable a ton of extra features the base app doesn‘t have. One of those features is themes, which allow you to completely change the look and feel of Discord.
With a custom theme, you can change the background image, the colors of every UI element, the fonts, the spacing and sizing, and much more. The level of customization is really only limited by your knowledge of CSS.
But I know what you‘re thinking – is this allowed? Custom client mods seem kind of sketchy. And you‘re right to be cautious. BetterDiscord is against Discord‘s terms of service. Using it could theoretically get your account banned. However, Discord has stated they don‘t actively seek out and ban users for client mods. They just can‘t guarantee the safety of your account when using third-party software.
Basically, you use BetterDiscord at your own risk. Thousands of users do so without any problems, and the developers try hard to keep it undetectable and safe. But there are no guarantees. If you‘re willing to take the risk in the name of pretty backgrounds, let‘s talk about how to actually install this thing.
Installing BetterDiscord
To install BetterDiscord, head over to their official website and download the latest version for your operating system. Run the executable file and follow the installation instructions. You‘ll need to have Discord installed already for it to work. The installer will ask you to confirm that you want to modify the Discord client, so click "Install" to proceed.
Once BetterDiscord is installed, open up the Discord app. You should see a new settings section called "BetterDiscord" on the left sidebar. This is where you can manage your plugins and themes. To change your background with a custom theme, click on the "Themes" tab.
Finding and Installing Themes
In the themes tab, you can browse and install themes you‘ve downloaded. But where do you find good themes? There are a few great libraries with tons of awesome themes to choose from:
- BetterDiscordLibrary: The official theme library for BetterDiscord with hundreds of user-submitted themes.
- Discordthemelist.com: Another huge library of high-quality themes for Discord.
- /r/discordthemes: A subreddit dedicated to sharing and finding custom Discord themes.
When you find a theme you like, download the file and save it somewhere on your computer. Then, back in the BetterDiscord themes settings, click "Open Themes Folder". This will open up the folder where BetterDiscord looks for theme files. Simply drag and drop your downloaded theme into this folder, and it will show up in the list of installed themes. Click the switch to enable the theme, and boom – your Discord is now super stylish.
Some of my personal favorite themes are "ClearVision" for a sleek, transparent UI, "Discord Reborn" for a colorful, modern style, and "Emerald" for a classy green aesthetic. But there are literally thousands out there to suit any taste.
Advanced: Making Your Own Theme
If you‘re handy with CSS, you could even make your own Discord theme from scratch. All a theme file consists of is a CSS stylesheet that overrides Discord‘s default styles. You can use your browser‘s developer tools to inspect Discord‘s UI and see what styles you need to override.
For example, here‘s a super simple theme that changes the background to a solid color and makes the text red:
:root {
--background-primary: #ff0000;
--background-secondary: #ff0000;
--background-tertiary: #ff0000;
--text-normal: #ff0000;
}Discord uses CSS variables for most of its colors, so changing them in the :root selector is an easy way to reskin the entire app. Of course, a good theme involves a lot more than just changing some colors. But this demonstrates the basic idea of how themes work.
If you want to get started making your own theme, I recommend using an existing theme as a base and modifying it to learn how it works. The Discord Theme Generator is also a great tool for building your own theme without writing any code.
Why Do We Love Custom Themes?
So what‘s the big deal about themes anyway? Why do so many users want to change Discord‘s appearance? I think it boils down to two main reasons: personalization and expression.
We spend a ton of time in apps like Discord, and staring at the same UI every day can get old. Being able to personalize that space and make it our own is a way to keep things fresh and interesting. It‘s like decorating your bedroom – you want your surroundings to reflect your personal style and tastes.
Customization is also a way to express yourself. By sporting a unique theme, you can show off your creativity and personality. It‘s a way to stand out from the crowd and make a statement, even in a virtual space.
Plus, let‘s be real – some of these themes just look really freakin‘ cool. Have you seen the animated ones with video backgrounds? Straight up mesmerizing.
Customization in Other Apps
Discord is hardly the only app where users crave customization. Plenty of other social and chat apps let you personalize your experience to varying degrees.
Slack, for example, lets you change the sidebar theme to a variety of colors and even upload your own images for the background. Telegram has robust theme options for changing the chat background, message bubbles, and accent colors. WhatsApp lets you set custom chat wallpapers for individual conversations.
But very few apps allow the same level of customization as BetterDiscord does for Discord. I think this is partly because web-based apps are harder to mod than desktop apps. But it‘s also a deliberate choice by the app developers to maintain a consistent, polished experience for all users.
That said, I wouldn‘t be surprised if we see more customization options coming to apps like Discord in the future. Personalization is a huge trend right now, and users are clearly hungry for ways to make their online spaces unique. Discord has already shown some interest in this area with the introduction of server banners and customizable profiles.
So who knows? Maybe someday Discord will have native support for custom themes, and we won‘t need to rely on risky third-party mods anymore. Fingers crossed!
Conclusion
In the meantime, BetterDiscord remains the best way to completely overhaul your Discord experience and make it truly your own. Just remember to use it at your own risk, since it is against Discord‘s terms of service.
But if you do decide to take the plunge, have fun exploring all the incredible themes out there! Whether you prefer something sleek and minimal or loud and colorful, there‘s bound to be a theme that speaks to you. And if you can‘t find one, you can always flex your CSS skills and make your own.
At the end of the day, custom themes are all about letting your creativity shine and making your online home feel like, well, home. So go forth and make Discord look fabulous! Just don‘t be surprised if all your friends start asking you for theme recommendations.
