Links, timestamps & commands
Add a timestamp, a link, a slash command, or one of Discord's own interface shortcuts without leaving the message box.
Some of Discord’s formatting points outside the message: a timestamp that localizes itself, a link to a command, and shortcuts into the server’s own screens. Discord writes these tokens for you when you use its pickers, but you can also type them by hand.
Timestamps
A timestamp is a Unix time in seconds between angle brackets. Add a format letter after a second colon to choose the shape.
<t:1700000000:F>| Letter | Shows |
|---|---|
t | Short time |
T | Long time, with seconds |
d | Short date |
D | Long date |
f | Short date and time |
F | Long date and time, with the weekday |
R | Relative time |
Discord converts the number to each reader’s own timezone and date format, so one message reads correctly in every locale. The same instant can be shown as a clock time, a calendar date, or a relative phrase, so pick the form that fits the sentence. The R form is the relative one, such as in 2 hours or 2 years ago.
Slash commands
Type / at the start of a message to open the command picker. Pick a command from the list; Discord inserts the command name for you. The picker also shows the command’s description and options. An app command only runs if that app is in the server. A slash typed in the middle of a sentence is plain text; the command has to start the message.
You can also point at an app command in text with </name:id>, where the id belongs to the app. Discord renders the token as /name.
</info:905987126099836938>Pseudo-mentions
Discord’s own interface links use the same angle-bracket shape. They look like mentions but open a server screen instead of pinging someone.
<id:info>or<id:guide>opens the server guide.<id:browse>opens channel browsing.<id:customize>opens channels and roles.
<id:guide> · <id:browse> · <id:customize>These tokens are fixed names, not numbers. They are the same in every server that has the matching screen.
Message links
A message link has the server, channel, and message ids in that order: https://discord.com/channels/<server>/<channel>/<message>. Right-click a message and choose Copy Message Link to get the exact URL. The URL is plain text; Discord turns it into a link when the message sends. Copy the link from the client; typing the ids by hand is easy to get wrong.
The link only works for people who can see the channel; it does not bypass permissions.
Masked links
A masked link puts a readable label over a URL: [text](https://example.com). The reader sees the text; the URL opens when they click.
The URL must start with http:// or https://. Without the scheme, Discord does not turn the token into a link.
[the guide](https://example.com)Watch out
A timestamp takes seconds, not milliseconds. A 13-digit value is in milliseconds; divide it by 1000 before you paste it, or the date lands tens of thousands of years away. A 10-digit value is the safe shape for dates near today. JavaScript’s Date.now() returns milliseconds, so divide before you build the token.