Why Discord is lagging and how to fix it

There’s an ever-growing list of reasons why Discord is lagging, ranging from the usual background apps hogging your CPU or RAM, Hardware Acceleration doing the opposite of what it says, to third-party overlay conflicts and improper Discord or router settings.

We’ll go over each and every one of them in the guide below, and offer practical fixes in each case. We’ll also cover why Discord might be freezing when streaming fullscreen games or apps, along with some workarounds you can try.

Why Discord is lagging: Common causes

Here’s why Discord is lagging, based on reports from users on Reddit and the Discord support forums:

• Discord Hardware Acceleration: When enabled, this option uses your GPU to make things smoother. Of course, this might have the opposite effect on some systems.
• High CPU or memory usage: Your PC or mobile device may struggle if the CPU or RAM is maxed out. Running games, streaming, or multiple apps at once can delay Discord’s audio processing and make calls choppy.
• Cached Discord data: Old or corrupted cache files can slow down the app and cause lag or freezing. Clearing the cache forces Discord to rebuild fresh data, which often resolves performance issues.
• Discord server or ISP issues: Sometimes the problem isn’t your device at all. Discord servers can have outages, and your ISP might be experiencing slowdowns that delay voice packets and cause stuttering.
• Incorrect video or audio settings: Misconfigured input or output devices, echo cancellation, noise suppression, and other things can delay or distort audio. Resetting voice and video settings to default often clears these problems.
• ISP bandwidth throttling or faulty routing: Slow or unstable network paths, or ISP throttling during peak hours can cause lag on Discord. Using a VPN or switching networks sometimes helps voice and video run more smoothly.
• Outdated software or bad updates: Running old versions of Discord, your OS, or drivers can cause performance issues. Then again, so can a broken update from Discord. Either way, updating everything usually helps, and you can use the web version to rule out app-specific problems.
• Background app or router interference: Other overlays (such as Steam, the NVIDIA App, or Windows Game Bar) or router features like Quality-of-Service (QoS) can cause conflicts with Discord.

Anything else to watch out for?

You should also keep an eye out for Discord scams or suspicious links that can run malicious scripts in your browser or app, which may slow down performance or compromise your device. Be wary of “free Nitro” giveaways through DMs, crypto investment scams, and similar fishy stories—even if they come from trusted accounts, as they may be hacked.

How to fix Discord lagging issues

Before we start messing with Discord, system, or advanced router settings, it’s worth going through some basic troubleshooting steps first.

1. Basic steps to fix Discord lagging

Here’s a quick checklist:

• See if Discord or your ISP is having issues: Visit the Discord status page and contact your internet provider before you assume it’s your own PC, game, or individual connection causing trouble.
• Turn off background processes: Torrent clients, games updating through Steam, browser tabs playing music or video, OBS, you name it. All of these compete for resources with Discord and may cause lag or freezing.
• Restart your device and router: Reboot both to clear temporary glitches and reset the network connection. This should fix lag caused by stuck network processes or routing issues that build up after extended use.
• Install the latest updates: Update Discord, your OS, and network, headset/mic, and graphics drivers to patch bugs and improve stability during calls.
• Free up your Wi-Fi network: Pause downloads and limit other devices using the same network. This helps Discord get a steadier connection when the network gets crowded.
• Switch to a wired connection: Use Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi to reduce interference and packet loss, especially if the signal is weak.
• Check your Ethernet port and cable: Try a different cable or port to rule out hardware issues. Faulty connections can cause lag and drops if the link isn’t solid.
• Reinstall the Discord app: A fresh install is usually all that’s needed to solve unexplained issues with most apps.

If you already got these out of the way, proceed to the next sections.

2. Leave servers with 500+ members temporarily

Large servers generate a lot of background activity even when you’re not actively chatting. Messages, role changes, emoji sync, and event pings all add up. On slower CPUs or weaker connections, that extra traffic can delay voice packets.

It’s more noticeable if the server has many channels, bots, or frequent notifications. Leaving or muting those servers reduces how much Discord has to track in real time, which can reduce lag during calls (and in general).

Leave these servers and try joining a call or streaming to see if the lag improves. If it doesn’t, you can safely rejoin.

3. Adjust your game CPU usage

Lower your in-game settings so your CPU has room to breathe during gameplay. If the game sits at 100% CPU usage most of the time, Discord won’t have the resources to capture audio or send out data packets properly.

Alternatively, if you’ve set your game’s CPU priority to High through the Windows Task Manager, set it back to Normal to see if it fixes the issue. Here’s how to do it, just in case someone sharing your PC changed the settings without you knowing:

1. Open your game of choice.
2. Hit Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
3. Go to the Details tab (second to last option).
4. Right-click the game .exe. If you’re not sure which one it is, you can click CPU at the top to sort and find the one with the highest CPU usage. It may drop to 0 if you’re tabbed out, but tabbing back in should make it update again.
5. Hover over Set priority.
6. Select Normal from the drop-down list.
7. Close the Task Manager and see if Discord is still lagging while the game is open.

4. Switch Hardware Acceleration on or off

In theory, Hardware Acceleration is supposed to help reduce Discord’s CPU usage by shifting some of the workload to your GPU. In practice, the feature is pretty hit-or-miss, whether it’s on Discord, Spotify, in your browser, or other apps. Either it makes things run more smoothly, or it causes further performance issues, graphical glitches, and so on.

Here’s how to disable Hardware Acceleration on Discord:

1. Launch the app, then click on the settings (cog-wheel) icon on the bottom left.
2. Scroll down and click Advanced.
3. Use the toggle near Hardware Acceleration to enable or disable it.
4. Click Change & Restart to confirm your choice.

5. Set your power plan to High Performance

Most systems have their power plan set to Balanced by default. This setting makes your PC use less energy, but it may also be why Discord is lagging so much. Here’s how to set your power options to High Performance to avoid such issues:

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type “power plan” in the search bar.
3. Click on Choose a power plan.
4. Make sure High performance mode is enabled.

6. Clear Discord app cache

Discord saves a mix of temporary data (like images, emojis, profile pictures, and so on) to avoid having to download them every time. Over time, these can pile up or become corrupted, which is why clearing the cache can fix weird lag, failed image loading, or even audio issues.

Here’s how to clear the Discord app cache on Windows, Mac, and mobile devices.

On Windows 10 or 11

1. Exit the Discord app first.
2. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard.
3. Copy and paste %APPDATA%/Discord/ into the Run box.
4. Hit Enter to proceed.
5. Select and delete the Cache, Code Cache, and GPUCache folders.
6. Open Discord again, and it’ll rebuild its cache.

On Mac

1. First, quit Discord.
2. Open Finder.
3. Click Go, then Go to Folder.
4. Copy and paste ~/Library/Application Support/discord/ into the text box.
5. Select the Cache, Code Cache, and GPUCache folders, right-click, then press Move to Trash (or Move to Bin).
6. Empty the Trash/Bin, then start up Discord again.

Related: How to clear cache on Mac

On Android

1. Go to Settings > Apps.
2. Scroll down and tap on Discord.
3. Tap on Storage (or Storage & cache).
4. Press Clear cache to finish up.

On iOS

Unfortunately, there’s no way to clear the Discord cache on iPhones and iPads. Instead, you’ll have to manually delete and reinstall the app. Simply tap and hold the Discord icon, tap Remove App, and get it from the App Store as usual.

7. Reset Discord voice and video settings

Any number of voice or video settings could cause lag or similar issues after a botched update—and Discord is certainly no stranger to those. Resetting everything to default and setting things up again can help you spot which option is causing trouble.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Discord, then open Settings by clicking the cog-wheel icon.
2. Click on Voice & Video.
3. Press Advanced, and it’ll scroll down to the bottom.
4. Click Reset to the right of “Reset all Voice & Video settings.”
5. Finally, click Okay to apply any changes.

8. Try the web version of Discord

The browser version of Discord handles audio and networking differently, so you may not experience the same issues. If the web version works fine, then you’ll know for certain that the lag comes from the Discord app itself rather than your connection or hardware.

Now, some users notice more call delay in the browser than in the app, so this works best as a test, not a permanent fix.

9. Use a VPN to fix routing or bandwidth throttling issues

Your device doesn’t communicate directly with the Discord servers. Instead, your data passes through multiple network nodes to reach its destination. A faulty node may drop data packets, which could be why Discord is lagging so much during streams or calls.

Alternatively, your internet provider may be throttling your bandwidth, usually to reduce network congestion. Unsurprisingly, this can cause Discord to feel sluggish, especially when you’re trying to stream in 1080p and upwards.

A fast VPN app can solve both of these problems by:

• Routing your data through a different path: A VPN can avoid unstable or congested network routes by sending your traffic through a different server, which may reduce packet loss and call dropouts.
• Encrypting your traffic to prevent throttling: Encryption hides your online activity from snoopers, including your ISP, and can prevent it from slowing down Discord traffic during peak hours.

Normally, a VPN slows down your connection somewhat due to the reasons above. Luckily, the best VPNs for Discord nowadays have large, worldwide networks with fast enough servers that you won’t notice the difference.

Simply install one (we recommend NordVPN for the best performance), connect to a server in your area, and use Discord as usual. Most providers have generous 30-day money-back guarantees, so you can always back out if that doesn’t fix your Discord lagging issues.

10. Disable QoS on your router

Typically, your router’s QoS feature prioritizes video and audio call traffic from Discord and other VoIP apps. This can backfire on some router models with poorly implemented QoS, and can actually increase latency instead of reducing it.

Before you turn it off, find out your router’s IP address:

• On Windows: Press Win + R on your keyboard, type cmd, and press Enter to open a Command Prompt. Then, type ipconfig and press Enter again. Your router’s IP should appear after “Default Gateway,” and is usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.
• On Mac: Open the Terminal app, copy and paste netstat -nr | grep default into the window, and press Return. Your router’s IP should pop up next to “default.”

Now, here’s how to disable QoS on your router. Some steps will vary depending on your model:

1. Open your browser and type in your router’s IP address.
2. Log in using your router username and password. These are usually printed on a label on the router itself, but you can also check your manual or look these up online.
3. Look for an Advanced or Adaptive QoS section and click QoS (or Basic).
4. Uncheck the Enable QoS option.
5. Click Save or Apply to enable your changes.

You can turn the feature back on if Discord is still lagging. We don’t recommend messing with other QoS settings unless you know what you’re doing.

Why is Discord freezing?

Aside from lagging, some users have reported Discord completely freezing when trying to stream fullscreen apps. Here are some potential fixes:

• Run the game in fullscreen borderless mode: This can reduce conflicts with Discord’s overlay and the way Windows lets apps share the GPU and display, and may prevent freezing.
• Stream the app itself, not your whole PC screen: Capturing only the specific app lightens the load on your CPU and GPU, since Discord doesn’t have to encode everything on your desktop.
• Close unnecessary overlays and background apps: Overlays like Steam, NVIDIA App, or other software can interfere with Discord’s screen capture. Some users mentioned that uninstalling Windows Game Bar was the only solution that worked for them.

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