How to Restart Discord

Discord occasionally needs a restart to fix issues or apply updates. Whether you’re experiencing lag, connection problems, or just need to refresh the app, knowing how to properly restart Discord can solve many common problems. To restart Discord on Windows, simply press Ctrl+R or click on the three dots in the top-right corner and select “Restart” from the dropdown menu.

For Mac users, restarting Discord involves clicking on the Discord icon in the menu bar and selecting “Quit Discord,” then reopening the application. Mobile users can restart by fully closing the app from their recent apps list and launching it again. This process clears temporary files and refreshes connections to Discord servers.

Restarting Discord regularly helps maintain optimal performance by clearing cache files and memory usage. It’s a simple fix that often resolves connectivity issues, voice chat problems, and slow message loading without needing to reinstall the entire Discord application.

Why Restart Discord?

Sometimes Discord doesn’t behave the way it should. Maybe your messages aren’t sending, voice chat is lagging, or features aren’t loading properly. In most cases, a simple restart can fix these glitches. Restarting Discord refreshes the app, clears out temporary issues, and often restores things back to normal—without you needing to dive deep into troubleshooting.

Whether you’re on a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, or Android device, restarting Discord is quick and easy. Let’s walk through the steps.

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How to Restart Discord on Windows or Mac (Desktop App)

Method 1: Fully Quit and Relaunch Discord

1. Close Discord Completely
   • Click the “X” in the top-right corner (Windows) or the red close button (Mac).
   • Discord usually minimizes to the system tray instead of closing fully. You’ll need to manually quit it.
2. Quit from the System Tray
   • On Windows, click the up arrow in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar.
   • Right-click the Discord icon and select “Quit Discord”.
   • On Mac, right-click the Discord app in your Dock and choose “Quit”, or press Command + Q.
3. Relaunch Discord
   • Reopen Discord from your desktop shortcut, Start menu, or Applications folder.

Method 2: Use Task Manager or Activity Monitor

If Discord is frozen or unresponsive, you can force it to quit:

• Windows:
  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Find Discord in the list.
  3. Right-click and select End Task.
• Mac:
  1. Open Activity Monitor (use Spotlight Search or find it in Applications > Utilities).
  2. Locate Discord, click it, then hit the X button to force quit.

Once you’ve closed it, restart Discord as usual.

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How to Restart Discord on Mobile (iPhone & Android)

iPhone

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or double-press the Home button on older models) to open the App Switcher.
2. Swipe left or right to find Discord.
3. Swipe up on the Discord preview to close it.
4. Return to your Home Screen and tap Discord to reopen it.

Android

1. Open Recent Apps by tapping the square navigation button or swiping up (depending on your device).
2. Locate Discord and swipe it left or up to close it.
3. Head back to your app drawer or home screen and tap Discord to restart.

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Bonus Tip: Restarting Discord in Your Web Browser

If you use Discord Web through Chrome, Firefox, or another browser:

1. Simply close the browser tab where Discord is open.
2. Optionally, clear your browser’s cache if things are acting weird.
3. Reopen the browser and navigate back to discord.com to sign in again.

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What to Do If Restarting Discord Doesn’t Fix the Issue

If Discord is still misbehaving after a restart, try these additional steps:

• Check for Updates: Go to User Settings > Updates (desktop) or update through your app store (mobile).
• Clear Cache: On desktop, clearing Discord’s cache can fix stubborn problems. Navigate to C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\discord\Cache and delete the files.
• Reinstall Discord: Uninstall and reinstall Discord for a clean slate. This often resolves deeper issues.
• Check Discord’s Status: Visit Discord Status to see if there’s a known outage.

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Final Thoughts

Restarting Discord is often the fastest way to fix common glitches—whether you’re having trouble connecting to voice chat, your server list isn’t loading, or you’re just experiencing lag. By following these simple steps, you can refresh the app and get back to chatting with friends, gaming, or running your community smoothly.

If issues persist, don’t worry—Discord’s support and community forums are full of helpful resources. Sometimes, the fix is just a few clicks away!

Key Takeaways

• Restarting Discord can fix performance issues including lag, message delays, and voice chat problems.
• Different platforms have unique restart methods with Windows using Ctrl+R and Mac requiring a full app quit and relaunch.
• Regular restarts help maintain Discord’s functionality by clearing cache files and refreshing connections to servers.

Understanding Discord

Discord is a communication platform designed primarily for gaming communities but has expanded to serve various interest groups. It offers text, voice, and video communication capabilities in organized spaces called servers.

Discord’s Role for Gamers and Communities

Discord has become an essential tool for gamers and community builders since its launch in 2015. The app provides a centralized space where players can coordinate strategies, share gameplay tips, and build lasting relationships through both text and voice channels.

Gamers particularly value Discord for its low-latency voice chat that works smoothly during intensive gaming sessions. The platform allows users to create dedicated servers for specific games or interests, with customizable roles and permissions.

Communities benefit from Discord’s organizational features including:

• Text channels for different topics
• Voice channels for live discussions
• Screen sharing capabilities
• Rich media embedding
• Bot integration for automation

These features help maintain active communities around shared interests, making Discord more than just a chat app but a social hub.

Common Issues Leading to Restart

Despite its robust design, Discord users occasionally encounter problems that require restarting the application. These issues often manifest as audio glitches, message loading failures, or connection problems.

Some of the most frequent issues include:

• Black screens where the interface fails to load properly
• Voice disconnections during critical gaming moments
• Message delivery delays affecting real-time communication
• Frozen interface preventing normal interaction with the app

Many of these problems stem from memory leaks, cache buildup, or conflicts with other applications. Users might notice increasing lag or resource consumption the longer Discord runs without restarting.

Discord’s frequent updates can sometimes introduce bugs that cause crashes, especially on older hardware or with certain system configurations. Background processes may continue running even after attempting to close the app, necessitating a complete restart.

How to Restart Discord on Windows

Restarting Discord on Windows can be done through multiple methods depending on your situation. The application sometimes continues running in the background even after you close the main window, requiring specific steps to fully restart it.

Via Taskbar and System Tray

When using Discord on Windows, the app typically continues running in the background after closing the main window. To fully restart Discord, you first need to close it completely.

Click the “X” button in the upper-right corner of Discord to close the main window. This doesn’t fully close Discord – it just minimizes to the system tray at the bottom-right of your screen (near the clock).

Find the Discord icon in the system tray, right-click on it, and select “Quit Discord” from the menu. This completely closes the application.

To restart Discord, simply click the Start button, type “Discord” in the search bar, and click on the Discord app in the search results to launch it again. You can also restart Discord by double-clicking the Discord icon on your desktop if you have one.

Using Task Manager

When Discord becomes unresponsive or you need a more forceful restart, using Task Manager is the most effective method. This approach terminates all Discord processes before starting fresh.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete on your keyboard and select “Task Manager” from the options. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager directly.

In Task Manager, look for Discord under the “Processes” or “Apps” tab. Select it and click the “End task” button at the bottom-right of the window. You might need to end multiple Discord processes if they exist.

Once all Discord processes are terminated, relaunch the application through the Start menu, desktop shortcut, or by searching for Discord in the Windows search bar. This method ensures a complete restart that can resolve many common issues with the application on your PC.

How to Restart Discord on macOS

Restarting Discord on a Mac follows several simple methods that quickly resolve common issues like freezing, audio problems, or notification glitches. Each approach varies in complexity and effectiveness depending on your specific situation.

Using the Dock

The Dock provides one of the fastest ways to restart Discord on macOS. To use this method, locate the Discord icon in your Dock at the bottom of your screen. If Discord is running, you’ll see a small dot beneath the icon.

Right-click (or Control-click) on the Discord icon in the Dock. A menu will appear with several options. Select “Quit” to close the application completely.

Wait a few seconds for Discord to fully shut down, then click the Discord icon in your Dock again to relaunch the application. This simple restart often fixes common Discord issues like connection problems or interface glitches.

Force Quitting from Apple Menu

When Discord becomes unresponsive, the Force Quit option from the Apple menu becomes necessary. This method works even when Discord freezes completely.

Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen. From the dropdown menu, select “Force Quit.” Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Command+Option+Escape to open the Force Quit Applications window directly.

In the Force Quit window, select Discord from the list of running applications. Click the “Force Quit” button, then confirm your choice when prompted. After Discord closes, relaunch the app by clicking its icon in the Dock or using Spotlight.

Spotlight and Force Close

Spotlight offers another effective method to restart Discord when combined with force closing. First, ensure Discord is fully closed by using one of the methods above.

Open Spotlight by pressing Command+Space on your keyboard. Type “Discord” in the search bar, and the Discord application should appear in the results.

Press Enter or click on Discord to launch the application. If Discord still experiences issues after relaunching, you might need to check Discord’s status page to verify there isn’t a widespread outage affecting all users.

For persistent problems, consider clearing Discord’s cache files or reinstalling the application completely to resolve deeper technical issues.

Restarting Discord on Mobile Platforms

Mobile users often need to restart Discord to fix connection issues, clear glitches, or update the app. The process differs slightly between iOS and Android devices but remains straightforward on both platforms.

iOS Devices: iPhone and iPad

Restarting Discord on iOS involves completely closing the app rather than just minimizing it. This forces the app to reload completely when reopened.

To restart Discord on an iPhone or iPad:

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle (on iPhone X or newer models) or double-click the Home button (on older models)
2. Locate the Discord app in the app switcher
3. Swipe the Discord app upward to close it completely
4. Wait 5-10 seconds
5. Tap the Discord icon on your home screen to relaunch the app

If Discord continues to have issues after a simple restart, users can try restarting their entire device to clear system resources that might be affecting the app’s performance.

Android Devices

Android users have multiple ways to restart Discord, including using the app drawer or device settings.

The simplest method is using the recent apps view:

1. Tap the recent apps button (usually at the bottom of your screen)
2. Find Discord in the list of recent applications
3. Swipe Discord away to close it
4. Wait a few seconds
5. Open Discord again from your app drawer or home screen

For more persistent issues, Android users can use the Force Stop option:

1. Open your device Settings
2. Select Apps or Applications
3. Find and tap on Discord
4. Tap Force Stop
5. Confirm your choice when prompted

This more thorough restart completely terminates all Discord processes and can resolve more stubborn issues when a simple swipe-away doesn’t work.

Troubleshooting Discord on Web Browsers

Discord’s web version occasionally encounters issues that can disrupt your communication experience. These problems can often be resolved through simple browser-based solutions without needing to download the desktop app.

Refreshing the Web Version on Browsers

When Discord freezes or stops functioning properly in your browser, a simple refresh is often the quickest fix. Press Ctrl + R (Windows) or Command + R (Mac) to refresh the current page. For a more thorough refresh that clears the temporary cache, use Ctrl + Shift + R or Command + Shift + R.

If Discord still doesn’t respond after a standard refresh, try closing the tab completely and reopening it. This action forces the browser to establish a fresh connection to Discord’s servers.

Some users experience issues with specific browsers. Discord works best with Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers, but you can also try Firefox or Edge if you’re experiencing persistent problems.

Clearing Cache and Data on Web Browsers

Browser cache stores temporary data that can sometimes interfere with Discord’s functionality. To clear your cache in Chrome:

1. Click the three dots in the top-right corner
2. Select Settings
3. Go to Privacy and security
4. Choose Clear browsing data
5. Select Cached images and files
6. Click Clear data

For other browsers, the process is similar but navigation paths may differ slightly. After clearing the cache, close all browser windows completely before reopening Discord.

If you’re experiencing login issues or corrupted settings, try clearing cookies specific to Discord. This removes stored preferences but can resolve persistent problems. Look for site-specific cookie settings in your browser’s privacy section.

Sometimes Discord web issues relate to extensions. Try disabling browser extensions temporarily to identify if any are causing conflicts with Discord’s web version.

Additional Tips to Manage Discord

Beyond restarting Discord, users can enhance their experience through proper management of settings, server administration, and updates. These adjustments can significantly improve how smoothly Discord operates on any device.

Optimizing Notifications and Settings

Discord offers extensive customization options for notifications that can prevent the app from becoming overwhelming. Users can modify notification settings by accessing User Settings through the gear icon near their username.

Some key notification settings to adjust:

• Enable/disable notification sounds
• Toggle desktop notifications
• Set up notification exceptions for specific servers
• Adjust message preview settings

Server-specific notification settings can be accessed by right-clicking any server icon. This allows users to mute servers temporarily or indefinitely without leaving them.

For mobile users, Discord offers different notification options. On smartphones, users can set up priority notifications for important messages while silencing less critical channels. These settings help maintain focus while staying connected.

Understanding Discord Server Management

Discord servers require regular maintenance to function properly. Server administrators should periodically check and adjust permissions to ensure members have appropriate access levels.

Server Management Basics:

1. Create clear channel categories
2. Set up role-based permissions
3. Utilize moderation bots for automated management
4. Regularly prune inactive members

For larger servers, establishing a moderation team with dedicated roles helps distribute administrative tasks. Server owners can assign specific permissions to moderators without giving full administrative control.

Utilizing Discord’s built-in server insights provides valuable data on member activity and engagement. This information helps identify which channels are most active and which may need restructuring.

Server administrators should also check Discord’s system status page when experiencing widespread issues, as these may not be server-specific problems.

Handling Discord App Updates and Data

Keeping Discord updated ensures users have access to the latest features and security improvements. The app typically updates automatically, but manual updates can be initiated through the settings menu.

When troubleshooting connection problems, users can try:

• Clearing Discord’s cache data
• Reinstalling the application
• Checking internet connection stability
• Disabling VPNs or proxies

Discord stores user data locally, which sometimes causes performance issues. Users can locate and manage this data in these locations:

Operating System	Discord Data Location
Windows	%AppData%\Discord
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/discord
Linux	~/.config/discord

For users concerned about data usage, Discord offers options to disable automatic media downloads in the settings menu. This is particularly useful for mobile users who want to reduce data consumption.

Before applying major updates, backing up user settings can prevent configuration loss. Screenshots of critical settings provide a quick reference for restoring preferences if needed.

Preventing Future Discord Issues

Regular maintenance and proactive measures can significantly reduce the frequency of Discord problems. These steps not only help maintain a smooth user experience but also minimize interruptions during important conversations or gaming sessions.

Avoiding Common Discord Errors

Keeping Discord updated helps prevent many common errors. Users should enable automatic updates in Discord settings or manually check for updates regularly. Outdated versions often contain bugs that can cause crashes and disconnections.

Network-related issues often trigger Discord problems. Users can minimize these by:

• Using wired connections instead of Wi-Fi when possible
• Closing bandwidth-heavy applications while using Discord
• Checking that Discord has proper firewall permissions

Discord sometimes conflicts with other software. Turn off hardware acceleration in Discord settings if experiencing freezing or black screens. This setting can be found under User Settings > Advanced.

Users should also clear Discord’s cache files periodically. These temporary files accumulate over time and can cause performance issues when they become corrupted.

Maintaining App Performance

Setting up Discord correctly helps prevent future issues. Adjust voice settings based on connection quality to avoid call dropouts. Lower quality settings work better on weaker connections.

Memory management is crucial for Discord performance. Users should:

• Restart Discord weekly to clear memory leaks
• Limit the number of servers joined, as each adds processing overhead
• Use Discord’s built-in background process management settings

Discord’s mobile app requires different maintenance. Battery optimization settings often disconnect Discord when minimized. Users should exclude Discord from battery optimization on Android and iOS devices to prevent disconnections.

Power settings on computers can also affect Discord. Adjust power plans to “High Performance” when using Discord for extended periods to prevent CPU throttling that causes app freezes.