Migration Guide: From Discord to Matrix

Moving your communities from Discord to Matrix is a gradual process that lets you enjoy the benefits of a decentralized platform without leaving your friends behind. The key is bridging, which connects a Discord channel to a Matrix room.

The Core Strategy: Set Status, Bridge, and Switch

1. Set Your Status: Let everyone on Discord know where to find you on Matrix.

2. Bridge Communities: Connect your favorite Discord channels to Matrix rooms so you can participate from your new client.

3. Switch: Start using a Matrix client like Element as your primary chat application.

Step 1: Get a Matrix Account

• If you haven’t already, follow the Getting Started in the Matrix guide to create your account.

Step 2: Set Your Custom Status on Discord

This is the most visible way to let your Discord contacts know you’ve moved. Your status appears next to your name everywhere on the platform.

1. Open your Discord client (desktop or mobile).

2. Click on your profile picture in the bottom-left corner and select “Set a custom status” (the little + sign beside your profile picture).

3. In the text box, write a clear message, for example:

   • “I’ve moved to Matrix! Find me at @username:matrix.org”
   • “Not active here. Message me on Matrix: @username:matrix.org”

4. You can stop here, but if you wanna go the extra mile, you can bridge your matrix and discord to not make a hard cut-off from discord, read how in the next step.

Step 3: Bridge Your Discord Channels (optional)

This method uses a free, public bridge service (t2bot.io) to connect a Discord channels (not direct message) to a Matrix room. Here are the steps to set the t2bot.io bridge bot up (these are the same steps as t2bot.ios own guide). You can also set up your own bridge, see more here (this is needed for direct messages).

1. Create a new, unencrypted Matrix Room: In your Matrix client, create a new room. Name it something related to the Discord channel you want to bridge. Important: The room must be unencrypted for the bridge to work.

2. Invite the Bridge Bot to Matrix: In your new Matrix room, invite the bridge bot. Its address is: @_discord_bot:t2bot.io

3. Invite the Bridge Bot to Discord: Use this link to invite the bridge to your Discord server.

4. Get Your Discord Channel Info:

   • In your Discord desktop or web app, go to User Settings > Advanced and enable Developer Mode.
   • Right-click on the server icon and select “Copy Server ID”.
   • Right-click on the specific channel name and select “Copy Channel ID”.

5. Link the Room: Back in your Matrix room, type the command: !discord bridge <ServerID> <ChannelID>

6. Get Administrator approval: An administrator in the Discord channel will need to click a confirmation link, and then the bridge will be active.

Migration FAQ

Do my friends on Discord have to do anything?

No. If you bridge a channel, they will just see a “bot” with your name posting your messages. They can continue using Discord as they always have.

Is bridging secure?

The connection between your Matrix client and your homeserver (Matrix server) is secure, but the bridge itself needs to be able to read the messages to relay them. This is why the Matrix room cannot be end-to-end encrypted. For this reason, bridging is best for public or semi-public community channels, not for highly sensitive private conversations, especially using a public bot from like the one from t2bot.io for that you need to instead setup your own bridge.

How do I bridge private conversations/direct messages?

You’ll to setup your own bridge which you can read more about here.