“Discord won’t open, and I can’t think of a proper fix. Can anyone out there help me fix it? Thanks in advance!”
The above question is extracted from a query we received from one of our readers lately. As we have realized, the above situation is not that rare.
In other words, many individuals say that their Discord won’t open for some reason. So, we thought of composing this article with solutions to fix this issue for our readers’ benefit.
Discord Not Opening
It’s no secret that Discord has become the bee’s knees for gamers and communities worldwide. However, the ‘Discord Not Opening’ issue can rain on your parade. Why does this happen, you ask? It could be a result of software glitches, outdated applications, or sometimes, your operating system throwing a spanner in the works.
Understanding the Issue: Discord Not Opening
Common Signs of the Problem
- Discord is stuck on the loading screen.
- You’re encountering the ‘grey screen’ issue.
- The application refuses to open, no matter how many times you try.
What Causes the Discord Not Opening Issue?
Common culprits include:
- Outdated Discord application.
- Discord running in the background.
- Corrupt files in your Discord folder.
- Incompatibility with your operating system.
We should emphasize that there is more than one way to fix this issue. So, you can try all these solutions one after the other and overcome this issue.
DIY Solutions for Discord Not Opening
Solution 1: Kill the Task from Task Manager if Discord Not Opening
In some instances, Discord won’t open just because it hasn’t started properly. Well, the truth is that the app gets started, but it runs only in the background without any features.
So, what you should do is locate the app, stop the process, and give it a fresh start. In fact, this solution has worked for many instances in which Discord is not open.
Also, this solution is not complex at all. Therefore, this method should be tried as the initial solution.
Besides, if you want to know how to get Discord unblocked website for school, then you are at the right place. Here, you can learn how to get Discord unblocked.
Listed Below Are the Options You Should Use and Stop Discord from Running in the Background.
- Launch Task Manager in your system. To do that, you can use the “Ctrl” + “Shift” + and “Esc” key combinations.
- Once the Task Manager window is opened, you can select the “Process” tab.
- Now, scroll down the list on the screen and locate the item labeled “discord.exe.” This icon represents the ongoing background process related to the Discord messaging platform.
- Select that item and click on the option called “End Task.”
- In general, you are supposed to see only one “discord.exe” process in the Task Manager window. However, some users claim that they have seen multiple instances of discord.exe. If that is the case with you, it is strongly recommended to kill all those tasks. You can repeat the steps above until you kill all those ongoing processes.
- After killing all those tasks, you should close the Task Manager. Then, you should relaunch the Discord app. If everything goes fine, it should work properly.
Solution 2: Use Task Kill to Fix Discord Not Opening
If you find it difficult to follow the abovementioned steps, you can use “Task Kill.” Just follow the below steps to use that feature and kill Discord.
- First, launch the “Run“ utility. To do that, you can simultaneously use the “Windows” key + “R” key on the keyboard.
- Once the “Run“ utility is opened, you should enter the text “cmd” and hit “Enter.”
- You can see the command line interface now. On that interface, you can enter the line below.
"taskkill /F /IM discord.exe"- Then, you should press “Enter.”
This process will kill the Discord app that runs in the background. After getting it done, you should relaunch the app to see if everything is working correctly.
Solution 3: Log in with the Browser-based App
For some users, the problem may have occurred because of an issue related to sessions or cookies. In that case, signing into Discord through its browser-based version can be a solution.
You should first sign in using the browser-based version and then use the app-based version. If it goes right, you can open the Discord app without any issues at all.
So, first, run the Discord platform on your computer. When Discord won’t open as expected or displays a grey screen, use the browser-based version to sign in.
This method will reset your Discord account on the app. As a result, the app will start to run without trouble.
Solution 4: Delete the Contents of the Discord App Data
This can be a good solution if none of the above methods have worked for you. In this solution, you will be uninstalling and reinstalling the Discord app. But you should know that a regular reinstallation will not solve this issue.
Instead, you should uninstall the app, delete Discord AppData contents, and reinstall the app. When all the app’s contents are deleted, reinstallation will take place with a fresh approach.
So, Just Follow Up on the Below Steps to Perform This Solution.
01. Go to the “Run” utility simply by pressing and holding the “Windows” key and “R” key on the keyboard.
02. Once the “Run” utility is open, you should enter the text “appwiz.cpl“ and hit “Enter.” That will direct you to the window that allows you to uninstall programs on your computer.
03. Now, you should locate the “Discord” app from the available list of programs. Select the app and choose to uninstall it. If a message prompts you to confirm your action, just confirm it.
Also, if you see a message saying that Discord cannot be uninstalled because it runs already, kills it first. You can follow “Solution 01” or “Solution 02” to do that. Then, proceed to the uninstallation process.
04. Your Discord app will be uninstalled from the program directory.
05. Launch the “Run” utility once again by using the “Windows” + “R” key combination as you did before.
06. You can enter the text %appdata% now and hit Enter.
07. If you don’t see any folders, you should follow the below steps.
- Press the “Windows” key and the “E” key simultaneously.
- Select the option “View” from the top, navigate to “Hidden Items,” and check it.
- You can try to locate the Discord folder now, as mentioned before, and it will be there. Then, right-click on the folder & choose “Delete.” If you get any prompts, confirm them and proceed.
08. After this process, you should reboot the computer.
09. Now, your computer doesn’t even have a trace of the old Discord app that had some not opening issues. You can now reinstall a fresh copy of Discord, and it should work fine.
Solution 5: Disable any VPNs or Proxies
If you are using a proxy or a VPN, that can create some trouble for Discord. That is because Discord doesn’t go smoothly with proxies or VPNs, according to our knowledge.
So, you should disable your VPN or Proxy for a while and see if Discord works properly.
Solution 6: Adjust the Date and Time
Although this solution might sound pretty weird, it has worked for some users to overcome the issue. This solution is pretty simple.
If you have not changed the Date/Time settings on your computer to “Automatic,” just do it. Please follow the below guide to get it done.
- Use the “Windows” and “I” keys at once.
- Go to “Time and Language.”
- Click on the option “Set Time Automatically” and turn on the option.
- That’s it. Now you can launch your Discord app and see if Discord won’t open.
Solution 7: Reset Your DNS Settings
Sometimes, the culprit might be the wrong DNS settings. When you use a computer for a while, the DNS settings can change for various reasons. As a result, it can prevent some apps from accessing the internet.
In that case, you should reset the DNS settings to get back to normal mode. Please follow up on the detailed guide to do it.
- Open the “Run” box by using the “Windows” + “R” keys.
- Enter the text “CMD” and hit enter so you will enter the command-line interface.
- Type “ipconfig/flushdns” in the CLI interface and hit “Enter.”
- Wait for a while so that the process will be completed.
- Now, you can open “Discord” and see if you can work with it.
Solution 8: if There Are Any Link Blockers, Disable Them
Sometimes, Discord may not be able to perform as expected because of the link blockers. So, if you have any link blockers, you should just disable them and see if you can open Discord.
If you cannot use Discord yet, just try to disable the antivirus program temporarily and see if Disable works as expected.
FAQs
Q: Why is my Discord not opening?
A: This could be due to outdated software, running Discord in the background, or corrupt files.
Q: What can I do if Discord won’t open on my PC?
A: You could try updating the application, closing it from running in the background, deleting corrupt files, or running it in compatibility mode.
Q: How do I fix the ‘Discord Not Opening’ issue?
A: Refer to our DIY solutions above for a detailed step-by-step guide.
Q: Can I prevent the ‘Discord Not Opening’ issue from recurring?
A: Regular updates and ensuring Discord is not running in the background when not in use could help prevent this issue.
Q: What causes the ‘grey screen’ in Discord?
A: This could be due to compatibility issues, corrupt files, or running Discord in the background.
Q: How do I run Discord in compatibility mode?
A: Right-click on Discord, select ‘Properties’, go to ‘Compatibility’, and select ‘Run this program in compatibility mode’.
Conclusion
So, those are the solutions you should try if Discord not opening on your computer. If you have succeeded with other methods when Discord won’t open, please share them with us. Also, please take a minute to leave a comment below.
