How to Fix It When Discord Won't Open (2024)

>

Trending Videos

When Discord won't open, you lose all of the functionality provided by the desktop and mobile apps, like the system-wide push to talk, so it's important to get it up and running again as fast as possible.

What Causes Discord to Not Open?

The most common issue that prevents Discord from launching is that it never shut down all the way in the first place. When you close Discord, it sometimes leaves a remnant process running in the background. That keeps the app from opening again until you kill the process.

Other issues can also prevent Discord from opening, like internet connectivity issues, a virtual private network (VPN) and proxy incompatibility, incorrect system settings, and even corrupt data in your temporary files or the Discord app itself.

How to Fix It When Discord Won’t Open

If you're having trouble opening Discord, follow these steps in order to get it working again.

1. Force quit the Discord task. When you close an app like Discord, it's possible for parts of the app to continue running in the background. You won't see Discord on the taskbar or in the system tray, but a remnant of it may still be running. When that happens, it's impossible to open a fresh copy of Discord without first getting rid of the remnant.

   From the Windows task manager, look for any instances of Discord, select them, and then click End Task.

   If you're using Discord on macOS, you can use Force Quit to get rid of a malfunctioning instance of Discord. You can also kill the Android app if you're having trouble with Discord on Android. For Discord problems on Android and iOS, restarting the device may also help.

2. Delete temporary files. Corrupt temporary files can prevent the Discord app from opening and functioning normally. To fix this problem, you'll need to delete all of the files in your AppData and LocalAppData folders.

3. Try the web version of Discord. To log in from a browser, go to https://discord.com/ and select Open Discord in your browser or go here and log in: https://discord.com/channels/@me. If the web client works just fine, then there probably isn't an issue with your internet connection. In that case, it's more likely that there is a problem with the Discord app on your computer. If the web client doesn't work, however, you probably have an internet issue.

4. Disable your VPN or proxy. If you're using a VPN or connecting to the internet through a proxy, that can prevent Discord from working. To rule this out, disconnect from your VPN or disable your proxy, reestablish your normal internet connection, and then check to see if Discord works. If it does, try switching the VPN server you connect to, or try different proxies.

   To disable or disconnect from a VPN, use your VPN app.

   To disable proxies on a Windows computer, go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Internet Options. Select the Connections tab, and click LAN Settings. If the box next to Use a proxy server for your LAN is selected, deselect it. Click OK and then Apply.

5. Flush your DNS. If you are recovering from an internet connectivity problem, or you have just shut off your VPN or disconnected from a proxy, then you may need to flush your DNS to see results.

6. Fix your date and time settings. If you have manually set the date and time of your computer, and your settings aren't accurate, that can prevent Discord form working correctly. Instead of setting things manually, set your Date and Time to automatic. After you have done so, restart your computer before attempting to open Discord.

7. Scan your computer for malware. Malware can be designed to prevent certain apps and utilities from launching, and it can also prevent apps from running as an unintended byproduct or by using too many system resources. Using a high quality anti-virus or anti-malware app, scan your computer for infections, and fix anything that you find.

8. Check for Windows updates. In some cases, running an outdated version of windows can cause unexpected app behavior. If that's the source of your problem, then downloading and installing any available system updates will fix the problem.

   If you're having trouble opening Discord on a Mac, make sure to check for any available macOS updates.

9. Check for Discord updates. If you can see the icon for Discord in the notification area by the clock, but it won't open, right-click it and choose Check for Updates to see if that works first. It's much faster than going to the site and downloading the latest version. But if that doesn't work, then visiting the download page is the next best option.

10. Uninstall Discord and perform a fresh install. If nothing else works, then you will need to uninstall the app, download the latest Discord installer, and reinstall it. If your problem was caused by corrupt data in the Discord app, this will get things working again.

What If Discord Still Won’t Open?

Since the Discord app is essentially just a wrapper for the web client, any disruptions in the web service can prevent the app from opening. That means there may be an issue on Discord's end that you will have to wait for them to iron out, or you could have an internet connectivity issue. In that event, you should check if Discord is down for everyone, or if it's just you.