7+ quick fixes to open Discord again on your PC or Mac

by Vlad Turiceanu

Vlad Turiceanu

Editor-in-Chief

Passionate about technology, Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world. Coming... read more

Published on May 19, 2022

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Discord won’t open? Make sure you verify this guide completely because it’s dedicated to you.

Despite a great development team behind Discord, some peculiarities keep surfacing up. Constant updates and fairly fast bug fixes don’t always solve the problem, as is the case today.

A most interesting problem that is haunting the app’s developers is that upon launching, Discord won’t open. A lot of users have complained already regarding this problem, and more are showing up every day.

With this in mind, we compiled a list of solutions that worked for many users over time and should work for you, too.

Why won’t Discord open in Windows 10 or 11?

• Discord is blocked by another program. The most common scenario is a different application blocking Discord from launching properly. The best example of this is antivirus applications. So, we suggest checking your software.
• Discord is down – This is a rare situation, but you have to be aware of it. This usually mean a temporary Discord outage.
• A game is running on your device – Keep in mind that the in-game overlay may stop you from opening the app while a game is already running, as it may cause conflicts for game players. To discover how to disable the Discord overlay, make sure you check our dedicated guide.
• Damaged or missing files – There’s a possibility that your Discord files are corrupt, damaged, or missing. These files will certainly need to be restored before you can launch Discord again.
• Windows-related issues – Last, but not least, remember that some general errors can also interfere with Discord from time to time. In this case, you should consider not having enough hardware space, overloaded CPU or poorly configured Internet connection.

What can I do if Discord won’t open in Windows 10 or 11?

1. Update your system

1. Use the following keyboard shortcut to open Windows Settings: Windows + I.
2. Navigate to Update & Security.
3. Remain on the Windows Update page, then look at the right window pane, and click on Check for updates.
4. Wait a few seconds and if any updates are found, you’re going to be notified.

2. Make sure that Discord isn’t down

If Discord won’t open in Windows, you should check if there are server issues or outages. In this matter, we recommend verifying Discord’s status page.

There, you’ll be allowed to see if the client is currently experiencing or has experienced server issues and if any of its services (or APIs) are affected and check if a fix has been deployed.

Major outages are indicated by the red lines, while partial ones are indicated by yellow lines.

3. Update Discord

1. Hit the Windows key, type Discord, then open the first result.
2. When Discord opens, it will automatically check for new updates. If an update is available, it will download and install it for you.

4. Configure Windows Date and Time

1. Right-click on the Date and time in the lower-right of your screen.
2. Click on Adjust date/time.
3. Make sure you turn on the Set time automatically option.
4. Restart your PC.

Besides, if you’re running Windows 11 version on your PC and Discord won’t open, you can still use this solution similarly by right-clicking on the date and time widget on the right side of your screen.

In case you need more in-depth instructions and screenshots showing the exact steps, you can check our guide on how to change time on Windows 11.

5. Try the Discord web version

1. Navigate to Discord’s official page and choose to Open Discord in your browser.
2. Now, enter your username, agree with Discord’s terms and conditions, then hit the Enter key.
3. Agree with the captcha notification.
4. After that, the Windows 10 Discord app should work properly.

Considering some users reported that using the web version resets the Discord session on your Windows 10 app, we strongly recommend using the above steps.

6. Kill the Discord task

1. Press Windows + R keys.
2. Type cmd and then click OK.
3. In the cmd window that appears type: taskkill /F /IM discord.exe
4. After the process finishes, relaunch Discord.

You can do the same thing by using Task Manager on Windows 10:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del key.
2. Then, select Task Manager.
3. In the Task Manager find Discord.
4. Click on it, then choose to End Task.
5. Relaunch Discord.

If you are using Windows 11 to kill the Discord task, you can follow these steps:

1. Type in Task Manager in the Search bar and press Enter. 
   
2. Find all the Discord processes in the list.
3. Right-click on Discord and press End task. 
   
4. Make sure there are no other Discord active procesess in the list. 
   
5. Close Task Manager and open the Discord app again.

7. Clear AppData and LocalAppData

1. Close Discord using the solution above.
2. Use the following keyboard shortcut: Windows + R keys, then type %appdata%.
3. Then hit the Enter key.
4. In the new window that appears, find Discord folder and delete it.
5. Relaunch Discord.

NOTE

If Discord still won’t open, you may repeat the process to clear the LocalAppData by typing %localappdata% instead of %appdata% at step 2.

8. Check your Proxies

1. Hit the Windows key, type Control Panel, then open the first result.
2. Click on Network and Internet.
3. Select Internet Options.
4. An Internet Proprieties window should appear.
5. Click on the Connections tab.
6. Under Local Area Network (LAN) settings section, click on LAN Settings.
7. Under Proxy server section, uncheck Use a proxy server for your LAN.
8. Click OK, and then Apply.
9. Relaunch Discord.

In many instances, Discord won’t open grey screen / stuck on gray screen because of VPNs. So, if you are using a proxy or a VPN, this may be the case of your apps not opening. Now the problem should be gone.

9. Uninstall and reinstall Discord

1. Hit the Windows key, type Control Panel, then open it.
2. In the Control Panel, click on Programs.
3. Now, navigate to Programs and Features.
4. Locate Discord from the list of installed apps. Select the app and click on Uninstall.
5. Click on OK.
6. Once uninstalled, reboot the computer.
7. After the restart, go to the Discord download page and get the latest version available.
8. Run the installer and follow on-screen instructions to install the app.

What other Discord problems should I be aware of?

Even if now you have several solutions to use when Discord won’t open in Windows 10 and Windows 11, keep in mind that you can encounter many other related issues. To discover the most common ones, make sure you check the following list.

• Discord keeps freezing – Our first presented issue may occur due to multiple reasons, such as hardware acceleration, key binds or the compatibility mode.
• Can’t hear anyone on Discord – This is one of the most annoying problems, because you won’t be able to communicate with your teammates. If you encounter it, we suggest verifying our dedicated guide.
• Discord search not working – If you’re experiencing issues with Discord’s search function, then the app will display a we dropped the magnifying glass error. As you expected, we also compiled a list of efficient fixes.
• Discord not opening links in browser (This is pretty common and it often happens that Discord does not open links at all or that it opens links in the wrong browser. Make sure you assign a default browser for opening links in order to solve this issue. You might want to check for duplicate browsers as well).
• Discord not opening on startup (We feel this issue is a bit more complex – but not impossible to tackle! – and thus, we dedicated a separate section to this topic. Check it out below.)

How to enable Discord on startup?

Many users complain that Discord is not opening or loading on startup despite the setting being activated. It turns out, this behavior is triggered by a missing key in the Windows registry.

Here’s how to add it manually and fully enable Discord on startup:

1. Open the File Explorer and use it to copy the path to the Discord executable file. Make sure you choose the latest version available.
2. Next, open the Run menu and type this command: regedit.exe
3. Once the Registry Editor loads, navigate to this key: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
4. Open the Run folder and right-click on an empty space to create a New String.
5. Paste the route of the Discord executable you copied at step 1 and name it (the name should be different than Discord simple).
6. Finally, add the Discord.exe mention at the end and make sure to add quotation marks before and after the path if your username also contains blank spaces.
7. Click OK to apply the new key and remember to delete it once the issue is permanently addressed by Discord.

Hope that one of the solutions provided helped you get back on track. Don’t forget to leave any other questions you may have in the comments section below.

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