Fix: Discord Won’t Open

Is your Discord app not opening? There are multiple fixes you need to try if your Discord won't open. The first one does the trick most of the time.

Discord is a perfect communication platform for gamers, students, educators, pals, and everyone else. It’s simple to navigate, efficient, and seldom creates technical problems.

Unfortunately, Discord isn’t always problem-free. You might encounter situations where the application won’t open. In these moments, you could start frantically searching through Google to find an answer.

Instead of wasting your time searching the internet for a fix, we have created a list of some of the most successful solutions for the times when Discord won’t open.

Table of ContentsShow

1. Restart Your Computer

Windows 10 Restart PC

This might not sound like the most technical advice, but it should usually be the first fix you try. The problem could be caused by issues with the communication between the app and your operating system, so it can help to restart the computer.

This is an easy way to resolve some of your issues with Windows 10.

If this basic solution doesn’t work, you can move on to the next fix.

2. Close Discord With Task Manager

Sometimes, it appears Discord won’t open when you click the icon, but a process could already be running in the background.

This process might be bugged or have had a buggy launch, so you will need to close it manually.

Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and click Task Manager. The alternative shortcut to Task Manager is Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Once you are in Task Manager, click More Details.

Discord Wont Open Task Manager More Details

From here, in the Processes Tab, find the Discord process. Select it and press End Task at the bottom right of the window.

Discord Wont Open Task Manager End Task

By doing this, you have manually ended the Discord process, and it should open next time you try.

Alternatively: Press Windows Key + R, type cmd, and then enter taskkill /F /IM discord.exe

3. Clear LocalAppData and AppData Cache

Discord and many other Windows 10 applications place cache files in the LocalAppData and AppData folders. This is intended to provide a quicker and smoother experience to the user.

Discord accesses the cache, which allows it to load contacts, images, text, and other data far more quickly.

The cache can sometimes become corrupted, which causes several issues, such as not being able to start Discord.

To clear the cache, you need to delete the cache folder.

Press Windows Key + R and type %appdata% (shortcut to the folder).

Windows Opening Command Prompt

Remove the Discord folder. If you’re unable to remove the folder, consult Fix 2 to shut down the application entirely.

Go one folder back to view the App Data folder. Open the Local folder and delete the Discord folder there too.

Discord Wont Open Deleting Discord Folder

You have successfully removed all Discord-related caches, and you can now try opening the application again.

4. Make Sure You Have Enough RAM Available

Discord is not a challenging program to run on your computer. Even while participating in a call and chatting, the program rarely utilizes more than 200 to 300 MB of RAM. CPU usage is also fairly low.

Even so, if you are using a system with a small amount of RAM, you may experience issues running it properly. Systems with only 2GB or 4GB of RAM, for example, might struggle to run the application smoothly.

To successfully start Discord, try closing some of your other background applications.

Browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and others can use a lot of RAM if you have too many tabs open.

Discord Wont Open Task Manager RAM or Memory Usage

Also, try closing any games you might have running in the background.

5. Use the Web Version

If none of the above fixes are working for you, try using the web/browser version of Discord. This version is very similar to the desktop app, with just a few features missing.

While it isn’t ideal, it might be useful if you want to hop on a voice channel with your friends. This could be a temporary solution while you try to fix the real problem.

Bear in mind that some issues with Discord might not be on your end. Discord could also be experiencing troubles with their servers or the specific application version you’re using.

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Branko Gapo

Keeping up with the incredibly fast evolution of computer technology is impossible. Branko aims to use his knowledge on this matter to share news and information on all the latest essential technological innovations and advancements.