'Audio Not Working in Discord' Issue
While initially, Discord was a tool geared towards PC gamers with its high-quality VoIP (Voice over IP) mainly, the platform has outgrown its targeted market and now places among the top social platforms overall. With the user base surpassing 250 million registered accounts as of 2019, one of its users' most common problems is when the audio stops working suddenly. There can be several different issues causing the 'Audio Not Working in Discord' issue and we will go over the most widespread ones.
The first measure is to check if the issue is not related to the Discord server itself. To do so, visit the https://status.discordapp.com/ and look for any outages or problems. If everything seems to be in working normally, users should then start examining their own setup. A quick check to see if the muted/deafened features haven't been left on by accident should be followed by a scan for any potential Discord client updates that may have been issued. Although it is a bit more time-consuming, users also might try to uninstall and then perform a clean install of their audio drivers, a piece of software that often causes hiccups and audio glitches.
It may appear as a longshot, but restarting the computer experiencing the issue also is worth a try.
Like most applications, Discord is not free from bugs and errors. There are several common audio problems with Discord, but most of these problems are easy to solve. If your microphone isn’t working, your audio output isn’t working, or the sound is coming from the wrong device, here is some tips to solve the “audio not working in Discord” issue.
Table of Contents
Check the Discord Server Status
The first step is to make sure that Discord is working correctly. You can see if Discord is down or not on the Discord Status site; https://status.discordapp.com/.
If you see outages on the network, it could be that your connection – and your audio – aren’t working correctly. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to be done about this problem. The only solution is to wait until the Discord servers are working correctly again. This problem is entirely server-side, meaning nothing you do will have any impact on it.
Check Audio Device Settings
Have you enabled your speakers, microphone, and headphones in Windows Settings? You would be surprised how often devices become unplugged or disabled without you realizing it. In such a case, Discord wouldn’t be able to recognize and use the devices. Check the Sound Settings on your computer to ensure that the devices are plugged in and working correctly. Enable them if necessary, check to see if they work with other applications and websites, and then try relaunching Discord.
Check Internet Connections
Discord sometimes mutes the input and output devices if connection speed dips too low. Check to see if your device is still connected. There is an icon at the bottom left of the Discord window that tells you if you are connected or not.
Change Default Configurations
Open the Sound Settings on your computer and check the default communication devices. Change them to the devices you are using if necessary. Open Discord and then change the sound settings from “default” to your preferred devices and back again. Sometimes manually choosing the right device works while leaving Discord to use the default device doesn’t. It’s as if Discord can access specific devices but gets confused when asked to pull the system default.
Check If You are Muted/Deafened
Checking to see if you are muted is another solution that seems too obvious. Even so, enabling and disabling the mute/deafen feature can sometimes correct the problem. You may have accidentally muted yourself, or Discord may have done it due to a bug. Either way, this simple fix will set everything right.
Check to see if Discord is Muted in Sound Settings
You may have muted the application in the Sound Settings on your computer. This means the application doesn’t make any sound. Check the Sound Settings on your computer. Check the volume mixer to see the sound levels of individual apps. Unmute Discord or turn the volume up if necessary.
Update Discord
Even though Discord generally auto-updates, you might have to download the newest version manually. Check the Discord download page to see if there is a new version of the app available. Program updates routinely fix errors like bugs, so having the latest software version is a must.
Restart Your Computer
You can solve most computer problems by restarting your computer. If you’re still having trouble with Discord audio and nothing is working, restart the computer to see if it fixes the problem. At the very least, you’ll give yourself a fresh start at solving the problem if it persists after a restart.
Update Audio Drivers
It’s unlikely audio isn’t working on Discord because of an audio driver problem, but there’s still the possibility. Check to ensure that the drivers on your computer are all updated. Several driver update software solutions are out there to consider, or you can manually check for updates through Windows Update and Device Manager. Updating your drivers ensures your devices stay compatible with Discord.