How to fix Discord crashes on PC & Mobile

Feb 3, 2023 · 3 min read ·

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Millions of users use Discord for text messages, video calls, voice calls, and media sharing. The platform has gone far beyond its gaming origins, and it keeps expanding.

Inevitably, there will be cases where Discord will encounter crashes or even go temporarily offline due to high demand or software issues.

The question is, why does Discord keep crashing whenever it starts? What can be done about it?

This article will explain how to fix the Discord Crashing issues on your computer and mobile phone (iOS and Android).

Why does Discord keep crashing on PC and Mobile?

Several reasons may cause Discord to crash on your device. There may be a bug in a Discord update that causes it to crash. It is inevitable for software to have bugs, and sometimes those can lead to crashes.

There is also the possibility that the application's configuration files have become corrupt or Discord encounters cache-related issues. The issues can also be related to the audio subsystem used by your Discord installation or the use of your GPU inside the app when hardware acceleration is enabled.

These issues can potentially result in Discord crashes. So, let's talk about the available fixes.

How to fix Discord crashes

There are multiple ways to fix Discord's crashing issues on PC and mobile phones. The required solution for you depends on the cause of the issue you encounter. So here is what to try if Discord keeps crashing for you:

Delete Discord's AppData Contents.
Disable Hardware Acceleration.
Activate Legacy Audio mode.
Update Discord by uninstalling and reinstalling.

Keep reading to learn more about these fixes in detail.

Delete Discord's App Data and clear its cache on Windows

By deleting the AppData content, you will fix any issues caused by corrupted data or cache. What you need to do is:

Press the Windows key + E.
In the address bar of the Windows Explorer that opens, type %AppData%/discord.
Click twice on the Cache folder.
Delete all the files inside this folder.
Go back to your Discord folder and select it once more.
Select the Local Storage folder by double-clicking it.
Additionally, delete everything here.
Finally, open the Discord app.

Turn off Hardware Acceleration

In some cases, Discord will stop crashing if Hardware Acceleration is disabled. Discord might crash when starting because Hardware Acceleration uses the GPU.

Here's how to disable Hardware Acceleration on Discord

Launch the Discord app.
To set your preferences, click the Settings icon.
Click Advanced in User Settings.
In the advanced settings section, disable hardware acceleration.
Restart Discord and see if it is still crashing at startup.

Turn on Discord's Audio Subsystem Legacy Mode

Start Discord
Click on “User Settings“
Choose Voice and Video
Select Legacy from the drop-down menu of Audio Subsystem to enable the compatibility mode.
Save your changes.

By doing this, Discord should stop crashing if it encounters audio-related issues.

Uninstall & install the latest version of Discord

Be sure to update your Discord to the latest version, but uninstall and reinstall it if that doesn't work.

Additionally, it would help if you closed any other programs that might inhibit Discord's operation or cause problems upon startup.