Discord does not work on Windows: how to solve? Discord is a freeware VoIP application and a digital distribution platform specially designed for video game players.
Basically it offers online chat functionality for players including text, images, videos, communications between users in a chat channel. Discord works on platforms like Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux and most web browsers. If Discord doesn’t open on Windows, we’ll try to help you out below.
A Discord app for Windows is available that appears to be faulty or has some problems with the operating system. Most Windows users face similar problems with the Discord app. Sometimes, the app works and shows a black background with no content that also seems to be quite irritating for a player. So in order to solve this problem, we have provided some of the possible alternative solutions below.
Discord does not work on Windows: How to Fix?
Fortunately, there are a couple of methods available that you can try on your computer to fix the problem with Discord not working.
1. Repair damaged system files
- You will need to download and run the Reimage Plus tool to look for corrupt files. If some files are found damaged and missing, you can repair them using this tool. If you have not resolved, follow the steps below.
Method 1: use Task Manager
- Press and hold down the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys to open the Task Manager.
- Go to Processes> Go to discord.exe.
- Then select discord.exe> Click Finish.
If you have multiple discord.exe processes running in the background, be sure to close them all. When finished, close Task Manager and restart the system. Then launch the Discord app, it should now work properly.
Method 2: use the command
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
- Then, search cmd in the search field and press Enter.
- Type the following command hit enter to apply:
taskkill / F / IM discord.exe
- This method will easily eliminate the activity running against the discord.exe background. Once done, restart the discord app and the app will work properly.
2. Use the web browser
It can also be helpful to log into your Discord account from the web browser on your PC. Make sure to delete cookies from your browser to correctly run the Discord app. After logging into your account, go to the Discord app and it should work.
When the Discord app shows a gray screen, you will need to run the web version of Discord and access it. It will most likely restore the account on the Discord app which will help you use it properly.
3. Delete the AppData files
If none of the above methods worked for you, you need to uninstall and reinstall the Discord app. The traditional way to uninstall and reinstall the Discord app will not help you. You will need to uninstall the app and then delete the AppData files which could solve the problem.
- Press the Windows + R key on your PC
- The Run> Type appwiz.cpl dialog will open and press Enter
- Select the Discord app from the list> then Click Confirm.
Note:If you receive notification that Discord cannot be uninstalled because it is already running, you will need to stop the discord activity from the background processes by following the first method. When finished, simply uninstall the Discord app.
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
- Type% appdata% and press Enter.
- Select the Discord folder > Right click on it and select Delete.
- Confirm the action and, once finished, restart your PC.
- Then, reinstall the Discord app on the PC and log into the account.
- Finally, check if Discord will not open on the Windows problem has been corrected or not.
4. Disable the proxy server
Discord often does not work properly due to VPN or proxy servers. Therefore, it is always recommended to disable or disable the VPN or Proxy Server service on the computer and then try to run the Discord app again to check if the problem has been solved or not.
5. Adjust date/time
Although most Windows PCs run the date and time automatically and correctly. But if the date/time settings are incorrect or do not correspond to the region, you will need to manually adjust the date/time settings. To do this, follow the steps below:
- Press the Windows + I button together to open the Settings menu.
- Click the Time and language option.
- Then, click Set Time Automatically On / Off to activate it.
- Finally, launch the Discord app and check for the problem.
6. If Discord does not work on Windows Reset DNS
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
- Now type cmd and press Enter to open a command prompt.
- Type the following command and hit enter:
ipconfig / flushdns
- Finally, wait for the process to end. Then restart your computer and start the discord app to check if the problem has been resolved or not.
That’s all guys. We hope you found this troubleshooting guide useful enough. Feel free to ask in the comments section below for any questions.