diff --git a/src/commandDetails/admin/ban.ts b/src/commandDetails/admin/ban.ts
index 8a44aaf3..bd609799 100644
--- a/src/commandDetails/admin/ban.ts
+++ b/src/commandDetails/admin/ban.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
 } from '../../codeyCommand';
 import { banUser } from '../../components/admin';
 import { vars } from '../../config';
+import { pluralize } from '../../utils/pluralize';
 
 // Ban a user
 const banExecuteCommand: SapphireMessageExecuteType = async (client, messageFromUser, args) => {
@@ -31,13 +32,11 @@ const banExecuteCommand: SapphireMessageExecuteType = async (client, messageFrom
       );
     }
     const days = <number>args['days'];
-    // Get the GuildMember object corresponding to the user in the guild
-    // This is needed because we can only ban GuildMembers, not Users
+    // get Guild object corresponding to server
     const guild = await client.guilds.fetch(vars.TARGET_GUILD_ID);
-    const memberInGuild = await guild.members.fetch({ user });
-    if (await banUser(memberInGuild, reason, days)) {
+    if (await banUser(guild, user, reason, days)) {
       return `Successfully banned user ${user.tag} (id: ${user.id}) ${
-        days ? `and deleted their messages in the past ${days} days ` : ``
+        days ? `and deleted their messages in the past ${days} ${pluralize('day', days)} ` : ``
       }for the following reason: ${reason}`;
     } else {
       throw new CodeyUserError(
diff --git a/src/components/admin.ts b/src/components/admin.ts
index d003633f..f54f43d2 100644
--- a/src/components/admin.ts
+++ b/src/components/admin.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { GuildMember } from 'discord.js';
+import { Guild, User } from 'discord.js';
 import { vars } from '../config';
 import { logger } from '../logger/default';
 import { pluralize } from '../utils/pluralize';
@@ -19,16 +19,28 @@ a reason why you think you should be unbanned.
 `;
 
 /* Ban a user, returns whether ban was successful */
+// Bans user from guild even if they are not in server
+// makeBanMessage is only sent to User if they are in server (in Discord, you cannot send direct messages to users who are not in any mutual servers)
 export const banUser = async (
-  member: GuildMember,
+  guild: Guild,
+  user: User,
   reason: string,
   days?: number,
 ): Promise<boolean> => {
   let isSuccessful = false;
   try {
-    const user = member.user;
-    await user.send(makeBanMessage(reason, days));
-    await member.ban({ reason, deleteMessageDays: days });
+    try {
+      await user.send(makeBanMessage(reason, days));
+    } catch (err) {
+      logger.error({
+        event: "Can't send message to user not in server",
+        error: (err as Error).toString(),
+      });
+    }
+    await guild.members.ban(user, {
+      reason: reason,
+      deleteMessageSeconds: days == null ? 0 : days * 86400,
+    });
     isSuccessful = true;
   } catch (err) {
     logger.error({