If you are trying to work out how to add friends on Discord on PC, most of the confusion comes from what to type.
People search for how to add friends on Discord using an ID, a friend code or a link, but Discord's own help center describes three routes: a username, a profile, and a server member list. The username is the one that works anywhere.
Discord announced in May 2023 that it was dropping the four-digit tags (name#1234) in favor of unique usernames, and from March 4, 2024 it began assigning new usernames to accounts that had not picked one. So if a friend gives you an old name with a tag, ask for their current username first.
This guide walks through sending a request on PC and mobile, where to find your own username, how to accept and cancel requests, and how to add friends on Discord without a server in common.
When Discord add friend is not working, the table maps each error message to its cause and fix, and the checklist covers unfamiliar requests, fake Nitro links and QR code tricks. The last steps get you from a new friend to an actual match together.
Short answer: all you need is their username
Your Discord username is unique, lowercase, between 2 and 32 characters, and can only use letters, numbers, underscores and periods.
The bigger name you see in chat is the display name, which does not have to be unique and can include spaces, symbols and emoji, so it will not work in the Add Friend box.
On PC, click the Discord logo in the top left, make sure the Friends tab is selected, click Add Friend, paste the username and press Send Friend Request. On mobile, open Messages (the chat bubble), tap Add Friends, then Add by Username.
You can add friends on Discord without a server in common as long as the other person allows requests from Everyone, which covers anyone who knows their username. If they only allow Friends of Friends, you need a mutual friend; if they only allow Server Members, you need a shared server.
What about adding friends on Discord using an ID? The long number you copy with Developer Mode is a user ID that Discord support may ask for, and you do not need it to use Discord or to send a request. For friending, your ID is your username.
Before you send or accept a request
- Username, not display name: the Add Friend box needs the lowercase username made of letters, numbers, underscores and periods. Server nicknames only show inside that server and friend nicknames only on your own screen, so neither works in the Add Friend box.
- Their friend request settings: under User Settings, Content & Social, Friend Requests, people choose Everyone, Friends of Friends and Server Members. If all three are off, no request can reach them.
- Unfamiliar requests: if someone shares no mutual friends and no small server with you, Discord warns you before you accept, and that warning cannot be turned off. Match their display name and username to someone you actually know.
- Scam signals: links that promise free Nitro or games are often built to steal your login. So are messages from someone posing as Discord staff who offers to appeal action on your account, then asks for personal details, a payment or a change to your login. Discord staff never contact users directly through the app for support matters.
- QR codes: the QR scanner in the Discord app is for logging in on another device. Do not scan a code someone sends you as a way to add them, and cancel any login approval screen you did not start yourself.
- Unwanted requests: Ignore hides someone's messages and notifications without telling them, while Block cuts contact. If requests keep piling up, allowing only Friends of Friends is a quieter setting.
Discord add friend not working: error, cause, fix
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Hm, didn't work. Double check that the username is correct." | A typo, a display name or server nickname instead of the username, or an extra space | Check every letter, number, underscore and period, or copy and paste the username your friend sent |
| "Friend Request Failed" | The other person has their Friend Requests setting switched off | Send them your username and have them add you instead |
| An old name#1234 does not work | Tags were removed and accounts moved to new usernames | Ask for their current username and try again |
| Request sent, but they are not in your list | They have not accepted yet | Check Pending; once accepted they move to All |
| Cannot find Add Friend on your phone | The mobile layout differs from desktop | Messages, Add Friends, or You, Your Friends, Add Friends |
| You cannot send any more requests | Accounts are capped at 1,000 friends and 1,000 pending outgoing requests | Cancel old pending requests or tidy up your friends list |
| You want to add back someone you blocked | They are still in your Blocked list | Unblock them from the Blocked list, then send a new request |
From friend request to first match: 6 steps
- 1Find and share your usernameOn PC, open User Settings with the gear at the bottom left and look under My Account. On mobile, tap You at the bottom right and open the Account menu. Copy the username and paste it into whatever app you use to talk to your friend, so there is no chance of a typo.
- 2Open the Add Friend screenOn PC, click the Discord logo in the top left, select the Friends tab and press Add Friend. On mobile, tap the chat bubble for Messages, then Add Friends, then Add by Username. The mobile app also has Find Your Friends, which matches your phone contacts, but people only show up when both of you have turned it on.
- 3Paste the username and send the requestPaste their username and press Send Friend Request. If you already share a server or group chat, opening their profile and pressing Send Friend Request avoids typos entirely. On PC you can also right-click their name in the member list, or a message they sent, and choose Add Friend; there is no confirmation pop-up.
- 4Accept requests sent to youOn PC, go to Friends, then Pending, and click the checkmark to accept or the X to decline. On mobile, open the Notifications tab at the bottom and tap Accept. Requests from people who share no mutual friends and no small server (under 200 members) with you come with a warning before you accept, so check both their display name and username.
- 5Cancel a request you sent by mistakeOn PC, open Friends, then Pending, and click the X next to the request. On mobile, tap You, then Your Friends, then Friend Requests, and tap the X next to the sent request; a confirmation pops up and it leaves your pending list. Once a request has been accepted it can no longer be cancelled.
- 6Start playing togetherOnce you are friends you can call straight from your DM, or create a group DM for a full party. Looking for more people to play with? Use the League Discord server finder to pick an active, safe community and add the people you click with from their profiles. Queue up League of Legends or VALORANT, and if you want the call in the video too, read how to record Discord voice with your game.
After you add them: record the match with DOR and send it
DOR is a free Windows game recording app. When you and your new Discord friend play League of Legends or VALORANT, DOR detects the game, records the whole match on its own and collects automatic highlight clips (kills, multikills and objectives in League, kills in VALORANT) in My Clips.
For a match you played together, a party clip combines each friend's point of view into one highlight video. Instead of uploading a big video file to Discord chat, send a dor.gg link and your friend can play it right in a phone browser; sharing clips on Discord explains how.
If you connect Discord in DOR, DOR users who share a Discord server with you show up as suggested friends you can follow to watch their videos. Each suggestion card shows their Discord display name and username along with the icons of the servers you share, so you can tell who is who.
