Discord Won’t Open? Here’s The Fix

Some people have reported a rather bizarre issue haunting Discord. Upon launching, the app fails to open or, in some cases, displays the classic grey Discord window without any functionality.

The great minds at Discord have been scratching their heads in frustration at what is causing this with — as of the time of writing — no solution on the horizon.

All’s not lost, though: We’ve compiled a list of fixes that will have Discord up and running in no time.

Unfortunately, as the root of the problem is unknown, we can’t say for sure which one will resolve it in your particular case, so it’s a case of trial and error.

Without further ado, here’s what to do if Discord won’t open.

Close All Discord Services & Relaunch

Occasionally, a previous Discord session may not have shut down correctly, leaving it more or less open in the background, causing issues when you try to relaunch the app. To remedy this, close any lingering services linked to Discord. We recommend doing this before attempting any of the other fixes below.

1. Type Ctrl + Alt + Del on the keyboard.
2. Select “Task Manager” from the blue screen-backed options that appear.
3. In the Task Manager window, find and click on Discord among the listed services under “Apps.”
4. Click on the “End Task” button appearing in the bottom right-hand corner of the Task Manager window.
5. Wait for the services to terminate and then reopen Discord from the desktop icon or the Windows Start menu, depending on how you have it set up. Before launching Discord, we would even recommend restarting the PC and Windows for good measure.

Set Windows Date/Time To Automatic

Here we have a strange fix, but one that has worked for some people. Manually set Windows date/time info can interfere with Discord opening for reasons that are wholly unknown to us. Oh, the mystery! Gotta love technology.

1. Right-click on the digital time in the bottom right of the Windows task menu and select “Adjust date/time.”
2. In the “Date & time” window, make sure the “Set time automatically” option is toggled to “On.”
3. Restart the PC and launch Discord.

Disable Proxies

Discord doesn’t like VPNs and the like. As such, disabling any proxies in your connection to an ISP is a sure-fire way to clear out the piping for Discord to open correctly. Here’s how you go about doing that:

1. Right-click on the Windows start menu and click on “Search.”

2. In the search field, type “Control Panel” and select the option with the same name from the search results.

3. Choose “Network and Internet” from the Control Panel options.
4. Click on “Internet Options.”

5. In the “Internet Properties” window that appears, click on the “Connections” tab among the options running vertically along the top of the screen.

6. Under the “Local Area Network (LAN) Settings” section, click on “LAN Settings.”
7. Once the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings appear, find the “Proxy server” section and ensure the “Use a proxy server for your LAN” option is unticked.

8. Click the “Ok” option below, then once more in the “Internet Properties” window.
9. Launch Discord.

Remove Malware

The problem with Discord not opening might not be linked to the app itself, corrupted files, or a Windows setting, but instead to malicious software that has found its way onto the PC.

Forming part of any regular PC maintenance routine, running an anti-malware program such as Malwarebytes has been known to fix the Discord-not-opening problem.

1. Download and install Malwarebytes here.
2. Run the program to track down any unsuspected trojans or other malware threats and remove them as instructed.
3. Open up your antivirus software and perform a scan. Follow instructions to remove any suspected threats.
4. Launch Discord.

Update Discord

Visit the Discord website here and download the latest version of Discord. The app is continuously being improved and updated, meaning the newest iteration may include a coding rejig that could fix your particular issue.

Log In To The Discord Browser App

In a weird feedback loop that causes the login process to fail, Discord can be prevented from opening. To fix this:

1. Launch Discord on your desktop even if it won’t open.
2. Open your browser, and open the Discord browser app here.
3. Log in to your account with your details.
4. Discord will automatically link up the two sessions, resolving any login bugs on the desktop version by resetting the login details. You’ll be prompted to confirm whether you want to log in on the desktop app if it has worked. Do so to access Discord and your servers.

Delete LocalAppData

1. Close Discord via the method above using the Task Manager.
2. Right-click on the Windows Start menu and select “Run” from the drop-down options.
3. Type ” %localappdata% ” into the search field and click on “Ok.”
4. Find “Discord” among the list of files and right-click on it.
5. From the contextual drop-down menu, click on delete.
6. Relaunch Discord.

Uninstall & Reinstall Discord

Probably the most extreme solution in our guide, but we recommend uninstalling and reinstalling Discord if everything else seems to fail.

1. Right-click on the Windows Start menu and then on “Settings.”
2. In the Windows Settings window, click on “Apps,” the sixth icon on the list.
3. Under “Apps & Features,” find the entry for Discord and click on it.
4. In the expanded contextual menu, click on “Uninstall.”
5. Follow the steps laid out in the uninstall wizard.

6. Alternatively, right-click on the Windows Start menu and select “Search.”
7. Type ” Control Panel ” into the search field and click on the result of the same name.
8. In the Control Panel, click on the “Uninstall a program” option just below “Programs.”

1. Locate Discord from the list of programs and click on it.
2. Click on “Uninstall” just above the list and follow the prompts from the uninstallation wizard.

To make way for a fresh install, we need to remove all temporary Discord data by rinsing out the AppData folder. Note that you can bypass the uninstall step and try clearing the AppData Discord folder first to see if this fixes the issue.

It has been known to do so in specific instances. Make sure you close Discord and any associated services before beginning via Task Manager.

1. Right-click on the Windows Start menu and select “Run” from the drop-down options.

2. Type ” %appdata% ” into the search field and click on “Ok.”

3. Find “Discord” among the list of files and right-click on it.

1. From the contextual drop-down menu, click on “Delete.”

You may also want to do the same for the %localappdata% folder.

Now, to reinstall Discord:

1. Once complete, load up your favored browser and visit the download section of the Discord web site here.
2. Click on the “Download Now” button.

3. When prompted, click on “Save File.”
4. Once downloaded, double click on the “Discord Setup” executable file and follow the instructions provided by the installation wizard.
5. When complete, launch Discord.

DNS Reset

Another solution is to flush out the DNS settings on the PC being used to launch Discord. As an internet-based application, Discord can sometimes encounter connection issues that are quickly ironed out by following these steps:

1. Close all instances of Discord and any associated services via Task Manager as detailed above.
2. Right-click on the Windows Start menu and select “Run” from the drop-down menu that appears.
3. Type ” ipconfig/flushdns ” into the search field and click on “Run.” Windows will automatically clear out the DNS for you.
4. When complete, relaunch Discord.

If your Discord still won’t open, then you can view other fixes on PC Strike.