“Discord Not Opening”: Explained and Solved

Spotlight

• Even though Discord runs on many devices, many users are facing ‘Discord won’t open error’, especially on Windows 10.
• The issue can be fixed by clearing app data and local app data or logging in with the web version.

Discord is one of the top gaming chat platforms globally. It is an application that is used widely and everyone can take advantage of it. It is free, instant, and gives access to ease in communication which makes the app very reliable. Furthermore, it is easy to use. But, it can be a big issue for many if it doesn’t open or gets stuck. Discord doesn’t open for users and nothing happens if they double-click the executable file. While for some users, it does open but won’t show anything on the screen whereas others are complaining about seeing just a plain background. Some users have tried to reboot or completely reinstall, but that doesn’t help either. We don’t know yet what exactly causes this to happen, but there are some possible reasons that might be leading to this problem. Discord might be trying to log the users in but gets stuck in the process and that, well, it can’t log in the user. The good news is, whether Discord is showing a blank screen or not opening at all, there are fixes for this issue and not just this, there might be multiple issues with Discord but each one of them has its fixes. The reasons for this happening and some helpful methods are discussed in the article below.

Reasons for Discord Not Opening

While all the causes are not known yet, there can be some reasons that possibly may lead to Discord’s not opening issue. The following can be some probable reasons:

• Windows-related issues – Common errors can also get in the way of Discord like insufficient storage in hardware, bad internet connection, or an overloaded CPU.
• Games running in the background – Discord offers many features that sync with games that are being played on the device. But, the overlap in the game stops the opening of Discord while the game is already running in the background, which may cause problems for other players.
• Discord is down or server outage – Although it is rare, Discord’s own server can be down sometimes. The users can type ‘Is Discord down?’ and search to get real-time results.
• Missing or damaged files – Another possible reason why Discord is not opening can be its damaged, corrupted, or missing files which need to be restored before relaunching the Discord app.
• Discord is blocked by another program – The most common reason is Discord being blocked by another application, preventing it from launching. For instance, by antivirus applications.

Fixes for Discord Not Opening

There are a couple of known reasons due to which Discord is not opening or getting stuck for updates etc. on Windows. There will be no harm to the Windows or device of the users, hence, they can follow the methods given below. The Discord servers, Nitro subscription, profile picture, friends, etc. everything will be there as it was earlier. Let’s get started with the methods:

Do the System File Checker Scan

The System File Checker command is a scan built into the Operating System for checking corruption in files and scans the integrity of all protected system files by replacing the damaged, changed and corrupted versions with the right ones. It is also called SFC scan, which immediately searches the defective files and helps in solving a plethora of other issues. The steps for the process are as given below-

1. Press Windows + R which will then bring up the run utility box.
2. Then, type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt with administrative permissions.

3. Then, click Yes to allow the Command Prompt to make changes on your device, if prompted.
4. Type the: sfc /scannow command after you enter the Command Prompt and press Enter to execute it.

5. It might take a long time for SFC to scan all the files and repair the corrupted ones, so the user has to wait and make sure not to shut down the system till the process finishes.
6. Then the user can restart their device and check if the issue has been resolved or not.

Close Discord with the Command Prompt

When Discord gets stuck but appears to be running, and won’t open, then all the user can do is stop the process and restart Discord all over again. This can be done easily by entering Command Prompt simply as given below:

1. Press Windows + R and open Run.
2. Then, as discussed in the earlier method, type cmd and press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys, which will launch Command Prompt.

3. Enter the: taskkill /F /IM discord.exe command and press Enter.

4. Then try opening Discord after closing the Command Prompt.

Clear the Local App Data

In Windows, the cache files are stored in the AppData folder. In order to store Discord’s necessary cache, and if the system is running out of storage, then the user has to clear the folder and make space for Discord files by following the given steps:

1. Press Windows + R and the Run utility will appear.
2. Then type %appdata% and click on the OK button. This will redirect the user to the AppData folder in File Explorer.

Alt Tag: Enter %appdata% and press OK.

(taken from internet)

3. Look for the Discord folder, then right-click on it and select Delete.

4. Then restart the computer and see if Discord works.

Stop the Discord Process via Task Manager

As discussed in the second step, the user can end the process through Task Manager and try opening it afterward. The steps for the method are as follows:

1. Right-click anywhere in your taskbar and then select Task Manager from the menu.

2. Select the more details button in the bottom left of the window if Task Manager launches in a compact view.
3. Then click on Discord from the Apps folder.
4. Select the End Task button.

5. Then try to reopen Discord after closing the Task Manager.

Launch Discord directly from Installation Spot

Launching Discord directly from its original installation folder has proved to be helpful to some users after they did it. So let’s see how the other users can do the same method:

1. Go to File Explorer.
2. Then navigate to: C:ProgramData%user%Discord folder and replace the user with local account username.
3. Double-click on the discord.exe file and Discord will be launched. Right-click on it and select run as administrator if the former doesn’t work.

Discord Facts

• Discord has 6.7 million active users excluding the gaming population.
• In the year 2021, Discord doubled its worth within a year, valued at $7 billion.
• An average of 4 billion messages are sent daily over the platform.
• As of 2021, the estimated value of Discord is $15 billion.
• The largest Discord server is Fortnite which consists of 180,000 members.