- First, work out what kind of Discord problem you have
- Checking Discord's status and your own connection
- Restarting Discord fully and clearing the Discord cache
- When Discord freezes on the loading screen
- Discord JavaScript errors on a Windows PC
- Fixing Discord update and install problems
- Discord not working on a phone or tablet
- Voice, microphone and video faults inside Discord
- Telling a Discord fault from a status or setting
- When Discord still isn't working: contacting support
- Frequently asked questions
When Discord isn't working, start with Discord's Status page, then check your internet connection, fully restart Discord and clear its cache. Discord's troubleshooting guide treats connection, audio and install or update problems separately, so match your symptom first. If a fresh reinstall doesn't help, contact Discord's support team through its Help Center.
Discord going wrong at the wrong moment is infuriating, especially when your community, your team or your clients are waiting in a voice channel. The good news is that Discord's own help pages break the problem into a short list of causes, so you can work through them in order instead of clicking around at random.
This page follows Discord's troubleshooting guide, its error message guide and its mobile crashing article. I've kept to the steps those pages give, and I've flagged the places where your own device menus will look different.
First, work out what kind of Discord problem you have
Discord's guide makes one distinction that saves a lot of time. A troubleshooting issue is a common problem that standard fixes can solve, such as a connection problem, an audio fault or a display setting. A bug is unexpected behaviour in the software that those fixes can't resolve, and it needs Discord's development team.
So the plan is to rule out the everyday causes first. Only if they all fail does it make sense to treat the problem as a bug and report it.
Checking Discord's status and your own connection
- Look at Discord's Status page. Discord says to check it first when you suspect an app error, to see whether the problem is isolated or system-wide.
- Test your internet connection with a speed test, and try a different network if you can.
- If the servers still won't connect, try switching to a different DNS server. Discord's help pages recommend Google Public DNS and Cloudflare for this.
If the status page shows an outage, there's nothing to fix on your side. Wait it out and try again later.
Restarting Discord fully and clearing the Discord cache
Discord's list of common steps is short and worth following in order.
- Fully close Discord. On a computer that means checking Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (Mac), not only closing the window.
- Wait about half a minute before opening it again.
- Clear Discord's cache. For a walkthrough of each device, see my guide to clearing the Discord cache.
- Update Discord, and download a fresh copy from Discord's website if needed.
- Check your system meets Discord's requirements.
When Discord freezes on the loading screen
If the app opens but never gets past the loading screen, Discord lists three things to try:
- Clear Discord's cache and temporary files.
- Run Discord as administrator (right-click the shortcut on Windows and choose Run as administrator).
- Turn off hardware acceleration in User Settings > Advanced.
Discord JavaScript errors on a Windows PC
A JavaScript error on launch has its own fix in Discord's error message guide. It's a short job but it deletes Discord's local data, so you'll need to log in again.
- Press the Windows key and R together, type %appdata% and press enter. Find the Discord folder and delete it.
- Press the Windows key and R again, type %LocalAppData% and press enter. Delete the Discord folder there too.
- Reinstall Discord.
Fixing Discord update and install problems
Discord groups update trouble into its own list. Force quit Discord from Task Manager or Activity Monitor, delete the Discord AppData folder (Windows) or Application Support folder (Mac), turn off any proxy or VPN while installing, and check your firewall. If you're stuck on updating specifically, I've covered that in more depth elsewhere on the site.
Discord not working on a phone or tablet
For crashing or install trouble in the mobile app, Discord's article gives this order:
- Restart your device.
- Update your phone's operating system.
- Make sure you downloaded Discord from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store; Discord says the mobile app isn't available anywhere else.
- Check you've got enough free storage.
- Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data in case the network is the issue.
- If the app still crashes, turn off automatic playing of GIFs, animated emojis and stickers in Accessibility settings.
On Android, Discord also describes clearing the Google Play Store's cache and data if the app won't install. It warns that clearing data signs you out of the store, so you'd log in again afterwards.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Voice, microphone and video faults inside Discord
If Discord opens but voice or video is the part that's failing, the fixes live in Voice & Video settings: check your input and output devices, test your mic, and try the Standard and Legacy audio options. I've given those their own pages, because the steps differ between hearing others and being heard.
Telling a Discord fault from a status or setting
Not everything that looks like a fault is one. A yellow moon beside someone's name, for instance, is a status and not an error, as I explain in what idle means on Discord. And if you're only missing messages in one server, the server's mute or notification settings are a likelier cause than the app.
When Discord still isn't working: contacting support
If you've tried the steps that match your symptom, Discord's error guide says to contact its support team. Gather these before you do: screenshots or a recording, any error message text, the steps that make the problem happen, your device and system details, and whether anyone else is affected.
A calm, specific report gets a faster answer than "Discord is broken".
Frequently asked questions
Why is Discord not working?
Common causes in Discord's help pages are a Discord outage, your internet connection, a stuck cache, a failed update or an app that needs a restart. Check Discord's Status page first.
How do I fix Discord stuck on the loading screen?
Discord suggests clearing its cache and temporary files, running Discord as administrator and turning off hardware acceleration in User Settings > Advanced.
How do I fix a Discord JavaScript error?
Delete both Discord App Data folders (%appdata% and %LocalAppData%) on Windows and then reinstall Discord.
Why does Discord keep crashing on my phone?
Discord suggests restarting your device, updating the operating system, checking storage, switching between Wi-Fi and data and downloading the app only from the official app stores.
Do I need to reinstall Discord?
Reinstalling is one of Discord's steps for update, install and JavaScript problems, but try the quicker checks first.
Who do I contact if Discord is still not working?
Discord says to reach its support team through its Help Center contact form if the troubleshooting steps don't fix the problem.
