Midjourney Tutorial: Set Up Discord Channels, Generate Images via DM, and Memorize Key Commands

This Midjourney tutorial focuses on the practical basics: how to bring Midjourney into your own Discord channel, how to generate images via direct messages (DMs), and how to quickly remember the most commonly used commands. Many people aren’t struggling with prompt writing—they get stuck on “where do I send commands, who do I send them to, and where do I find my images?” Set things up with the steps below, and you can lock in a repeatable workflow and spend less time scrolling through chat logs.

Before You Start: Account, Subscription, and Basic Discord Setup

To follow this Midjourney workflow smoothly, you’ll need a Discord account and to complete authorization on the official Midjourney website. Currently, Midjourney generally requires an active subscription to generate images; if you can see the generation queue and the image buttons, your access is working. It’s recommended to install the Discord desktop app first, since notifications and image previews tend to be more stable.

After joining Midjourney on Discord, get familiar with the server list and channel list on the left: your images will appear in the same channel where you send your commands. For easier organization later, it’s best to generate images in a dedicated channel or even a dedicated server from the beginning, so you avoid the noise of public channels.

Generating in a Channel: Create a Personal Server and Invite the Midjourney Bot

The most reliable approach in this Midjourney tutorial is to create your own Discord server, then create a new channel specifically for image generation. After creating the server, give the channel an easy-to-remember name in the channel settings, such as “mj-create”. That way, every time you enter this channel, you’ll see your complete generation history.

Next, invite the Midjourney Bot: in the official Midjourney server, click the bot’s avatar, choose “Add to Server,” then select the server you just created and authorize it. Back in your channel, type “/imagine” and add your prompt to generate your first image; all U/V buttons (upscale/variations) will appear under the image.

Generating via DM: Cleaner Conversations and Easier Image History

If you want your chat history to be strictly personal, this Midjourney tutorial also recommends using direct messages (DMs): find the Midjourney Bot in Discord and send “/imagine” directly. The advantage of DMs is a cleaner interface—you won’t get flooded by other people’s generations, and reviewing your work is more straightforward.

Note: not all accounts allow DMs to bots by default. If you can’t send messages or don’t see buttons, first check Discord’s privacy settings (allow DMs from server members) and whether the bot appears in your visible list. Images generated in DMs can also be viewed and downloaded in one place on your Midjourney website gallery page.

Quick Command Cheat Sheet: /settings, /imagine, and Where to Put Parameters

This part of the Midjourney tutorial only covers what you’ll use most: use /imagine to submit prompts; use /settings to choose common modes and default styles—once you change it, it stays in effect. Parameters typically go at the end of your prompt; for example, common aspect ratios include “--ar 16:9” or “--ar 1:1,” which makes them easy to copy and reuse.

When you want to “roll multiple times with the same prompt,” just send /imagine several times, or use the variation buttons on the previous image to continue expanding. It’s recommended to turn your most-used prompt into a template (subject + style + lighting + lens + material + background + parameters). Later, you’ll only need to swap the subject, and your efficiency will improve significantly.

Common Sticking Points: Can’t Find Images, Buttons Disappear, Channels Get Messy

After following this Midjourney tutorial, if you “can’t find your images,” first go back to the channel where you sent the command and scroll up, or go straight to your history on the Midjourney website gallery page. If “buttons disappear,” it’s usually a message-loading failure or a network issue—refreshing Discord, switching networks, or re-entering the channel often restores them.

If your channel becomes increasingly messy, the simplest fix is to split channels by purpose (portraits/products/posters) and pin a dedicated “template channel” that stores prompt examples only. Once your generation environment is organized, writing prompts and iterating will feel genuinely smooth.