Discord Not Opening: Here’s How to Fix it Easily

Task kill Discord if it won't open by following these steps

by Vlad Turiceanu
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
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Reviewed by Alex Serban
Alex Serban
Alex Serban
Windows Server & Networking Expert
After moving away from the corporate work-style, Alex has found rewards in a lifestyle of constant analysis, team coordination and pestering his colleagues. Holding an MCSA Windows Server... read more
Affiliate Disclosure
  • No matter how many updates the app gets, some users still report that their Discord won't open.
  • A simple solution that will solve Discord not opening is to close the app from the Task Manager.
  • Try clearing your AppData and LocalAppData Discord files and see if the problem persists.
  • You could also check your Proxy and VPN settings to prevent the Discord app not opening issues.
FIX: Discord won’t open in Windows 10 [EASY GUIDE]
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Discord won’t open? Make sure you verify this guide entirely because it’s dedicated to you.

Despite a great development team behind Discord, some peculiarities keep surfacing. Constant updates and relatively fast bug fixes don’t always solve the problem, as evidenced in issues like Discord causes high CPU usage.

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

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

Why won’t Discord open?

➡️Discord is blocked by another program: The most common scenario is a different application stopping Discord from launching correctly. 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 means 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, check our dedicated guide.

➡️Damaged or missing files: There’s a possibility that your Discord files are corrupt, damaged, or missing. These files will undoubtedly need to be restored before relaunching Discord.

➡️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, an overloaded CPU, or a poorly configured Internet connection.

Moreover, here are some error variations that you may encounter, but nonetheless, fix with the solutions below:

  • Discord not working / not lauching / not loading on PC
  • Discord doesn’t start – Discord stuck on starting
  • Windows 11, Windows 10 Discord not opening
  • Discord not opening on startup
  • Discord website not loading
  • Grey screen Discord not loading
  • Discord not opening links
  • Discord not opening properly

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Opera GX keeps you logged in, so you won’t have any authentication issues. Moreover, if you do, you may always change access servers by using Opera’s free built-in VPN feature.

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What to do if Discord is not opening?

In this article

1. Update your system

  1. Press the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
  2. Navigate to Update & Security.
  3. Remain on the Windows Update page, look at the right window pane, and click on Check for updates.
  4. Wait a few seconds, and you will be notified if any updates are found.

If Discord won’t open on your desktop computer or laptop, it might be down to an outdated operating system. Ensure to restart your PC after the update before opening the app again.

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 experiencing server issues or if its services (or APIs) are affected and check if a fix has been deployed.

Expert tip:

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Some PC issues are hard to tackle, especially when it comes to missing or corrupted system files and repositories of your Windows.
Be sure to use a dedicated tool, such as Fortect, which will scan and replace your broken files with their fresh versions from its repository.

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

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 changing 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.

If the Discord app won’t open on your PC, you should try to use the web version on your browser. This is because the problem might be with glitches with the app.

6. Kill the Discord task

6.1 Use CMD

  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.

6.2 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 End Task.
  5. Relaunch Discord.

6.3 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 processes in the list. 
  5. Close Task Manager and open the Discord app again.
Note icon NOTE
The Discord won’t open on Windows 11 error is caused by similar factors as on Windows 10. The issue is usually due to an outdated operating system, problems with the app, or server problems on Discord’s part.

You can fix this issue by applying the detailed fixes in the earlier section of this guide.

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 the Discord folder and delete it.
  5. Relaunch Discord.
Note icon 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.

What is a Discord cache?

The cache is a set of temporary files created by programs while performing operations to deliver better performance.

As is the case with other apps, Discord, too, creates cache, be it for messages, images, videos, emojis, or GIFs. As per some reports, Discord creates a lot of cache which takes up considerable storage space on the disk and can sometimes lead to storage problems.

What happens if you clear Discord cache?

Experts recommend clearing the cache periodically to boost performance, and the same applies to Discord. Also, a wide array of errors can be fixed by simply clearing the Discror cache.

Besides, it will free up storage space on the computer, and in case you are running low on it, this would be beneficial.

It might take slightly more time to load the files in Discord the first time after clearing the cache, but in most cases, it would be insignificant and not even noticeable.

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 the Local Area Network (LAN) settings section, click on LAN Settings.
  7. Under the 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 the on-screen instructions to install the app.

What other Discord problems should I be aware of?

Even if you now have several solutions to use when Discord won’t open in Windows 10 and 11, keep in mind that you can encounter many other related issues. To discover the most common ones, 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, the app will display we dropped the magnifying glass error. As you expected, we also compiled a list of efficient fixes.
  • Discord not opening links in the browser (This is pretty common, and it often happens that Discord does not open links at all or opens links in the wrong browser. To solve this issue, make sure you assign a default browser for opening links. 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 activated setting. It turns out, that 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 a 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.

The Discord won’t open issue can be frustrating, as it stops you from getting across to your community. But with the solutions in this guide, you should get back on track quickly.

If you are facing other issues like Discord Audio keeps cutting, check our detailed guide for the quick fixes to apply.

Don’t forget to leave any other questions you may have in the comments section below.

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