You're hanging out in your Discord server, playing a game, chatting to your friends... and then Discord crashes or freezes at a vital moment. While most of the time Discord works smoothly, sometimes you might encounter an issue that leaves you banging your head trying to resolve it.

If your Discord client crashes or freezes, either regularly or at unexpected moments, we're here to help. Run through each of these troubleshooting steps in turn and Discord should return to normal.

1. Update Discord

Whenever you encounter an issue with any software, not just Discord, you should ensure that you're running the latest version. This is not only so you can enjoy new features, but also because it might include bug fixes.

Oftentimes, you can update a program through its settings. Discord is different because it checks for updates every single time you launch the app. As such, right-click the Discord icon in your taskbar and click Quit Discord. Then, launch Discord. It'll display a Checking for updates window, and it'll then install if applicable. Note that the process is so quick you might miss it.

2. Disable Hardware Acceleration in Discord

Discord offers hardware acceleration by default, which is where the client uses your graphics card's power to make Discord smoother. In some instances, hardware acceleration can lead to crashing and freezing, so it's worth turning it off to see if this resolves the issue.

discord advanced settings

To do so:

  1. Click the cog icon in the bottom-left.
  2. Select Advanced from the left-hand menu.
  3. Toggle Hardware Acceleration off.
  4. Click Okay to quit and relaunch Discord to apply the setting.

If this doesn't fix anything, go ahead and turn hardware acceleration back on, since it's a handy feature.

3. Enable Legacy Mode in Discord

If Discord crashes or freezes while you're in a voice channel, the problem could be that your hardware is incompatible with Discord's audio subsystem. This often happens if you have an older headset or microphone. If this is the case, you should change to a different audio subsystem. To do this:

discord audio subsystem
  1. Click the cog icon in the bottom-left.
  2. Select Voice & Video from the left-hand menu.
  3. Use the Audio Subsystem dropdown and select Legacy.
  4. Click Okay to quit and relaunch Discord to apply the setting.

If this makes no difference, revert to the Standard audio subsystem.

4. Clear the Discord Cache

As you use Discord, it builds a cache as you send and receive media messages. The cache is helpful because it means that Discord doesn't have to freshly load this data every time. However, if the cache becomes damaged or corrupted in any way, it could cause Discord to crash or freeze.

Deleting Discord cache files

As such, it's worth clearing your Discord cache. To do this:

  1. Press Windows key + R to open Run.
  2. Input the following: %appdata%\discord
  3. Press OK.
  4. Enter the Cache folder.
  5. Press Ctrl + A to select everything, then press Delete.
  6. Back out of the folder and do the same for the Local Storage folder.

5. Disable Conflicting Software

You might find that Discord crashes and freezes because of conflicts with other software. This is especially likely if the software communicates with your microphone or camera, or if it provides an overlay.

For example, programs that have caused an issue with Discord include Xbox Game Bar, MSI Afterburner, Steam, and Google Meet. Ordinarily, these types of programs shouldn't cause an issue with Discord, but it's worth closing them to test.

To do this quickly, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Go to the Processes tab and highlight any program you wish to close, then click End task. Repeat this until you're satisfied, then close Discord and relaunch it.

6. Update Windows and Drivers

By default, Windows keeps the operating system and drivers up-to-date. You can always manually check for updates. To do this, press Windows key + I and go to Update & Security > Windows Update (Windows 10) or Windows Update (Windows 11). However, Windows Update isn't guaranteed to keep all drivers in check.

As such, it's best if you go to the manufacturer's website for your graphics card, microphone, and webcam, then download and install the latest drivers. It's generally good to use the latest drivers so that you can benefit from improved performance and bug fixes.

On the other hand, perhaps Discord started freezing and crashing after an update. In this case, refer to our guide on how to roll back drivers in Windows so that you can go back in time to a driver that didn't cause a conflict with Discord.

7. Uninstall and Reinstall Discord

As a penultimate step, you should remove Discord from your system entirely and start over fresh. First, clear out the App Data and Local Storage folders using our instructions in step four above.

Next, to uninstall Discord:

  1. Press Windows key + I.
  2. Select Apps.
    1. If you're on Windows 11, then select Apps & features.
  3. Find Discord on the list. On Windows 10, select it. On Windows 11, click the three vertical dots.
  4. Select Uninstall and follow the uninstallation wizard through.

Next, go to the Discord website, download the client, and install it to your system. With any luck, Discord no longer freezes or crashes.

8. Use Discord's Browser Version

Have you tried all these steps and your Discord client still crashes or freezes? As a final step, try using Discord in your web browser instead. While it's generally preferable to use the downloadable client if you can, Discord still offers plenty of great functionality through the browser.

discord website

Simply go to the Discord website, click Open Discord in your browser, and you're away.

Is It Time to Use a Discord Alternative?

If you've followed every troubleshooting step here, hopefully Discord is now back to normal and no longer crashes or freezes. If the problem does still occur, you should contact Discord's support team through its website, who might be able to provide further advice.

Alternatively, you might decide that you've had enough of Discord and that it's time to move on to another chat application. While Discord might be one of the most popular, there are plenty of great alternatives out there for text, audio, and video chatting.