Timeout, Kick or Ban a Member: What Is the Difference?
Timeout, kick and ban on Discord compared: what happens, which permissions you need, how long it lasts and how to undo it.
Last checked for accuracy: 21 October 2026
Discord offers three levels for dealing with rule violations. Choose the mildest one that solves the problem.
At a glance
| Action | What happens | Undo |
|---|---|---|
| Timeout | The member cannot write, speak or react for a while. | Expires by itself or is lifted early. |
| Kick | The member is removed but can return through a link. | With a new invite. |
| Ban | The member is removed and cannot return. | Unban under Server Settings, Bans. |
How to do it
- Open the member's profile by right-clicking the name.
- Choose Timeout, Kick or Ban.
- For a timeout set the duration; the presets range from 60 seconds to one week.
- For a ban you can choose whether recent messages are deleted.
Permissions and order
You need the permissions Timeout Members, Kick Members or Ban Members. Also your highest role may only affect members with a lower role (see role order).
Good practice
- Start with a warning or a short timeout.
- Document the reason. It helps the team and with complaints.
- Do not rely on memory alone: the audit log records actions.
With Kage
Kage adds a warning system to Discord with escalation, case history and mod log: several warnings automatically lead to a timeout, kick or ban. All commands are in the wiki under Moderation, the setup in the guide Set up a warning system.
Related Kage modules
- ModerationIncluded in Basic
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