How To Fix Discord Is Stuck on the Connecting Screen

Rick Akura
Have problems when connecting to Discord? This article will teach you how to fix Discord stuck at the "Connecting" screen error.

It's an unfortunate situation when Discord is stuck on the Connecting screen. This can be a frustrating experience for users, especially if you’re trying to join a group activity such as online meetings, movie nights, or a game. Luckily, there are some fixes that you can try before giving up all hope.

Discord is a popular voice and text chat software for gamers and other individuals. It offers an unmatched VoIP calling experience, which makes this app perfect to use while playing your favorite games! Discord has been around since 2015, but only recently reached more mainstream popularity after launching various features to branch out and help people connect through tough times.

Their own platform is where people can discuss different things within communities created there, such as art or politics without having chats take over another group's conversation. The easier organization through channels and folders at either individual user level or global level makes Discord perfect for businesses as well.

But what are you supposed to do when you can’t open Discord because it’s stuck on the “Connecting” screen? First of all, don’t panic. We’re here to help you resolve it.

How To Fix Discord Is Stuck on the Connecting Screen

 

Table of Contents 

Why is Discord stuck on the “Connecting” screen?

The question is “Why is Discord not connecting?”

There can be multiple reasons why Discord may get stuck on the Connecting screen. Let's have a look at some of the common ones:

  • Internet or router problem. If your internet provider is having issues, or your router is not functioning correctly, Discord may be unable to load. This causes the app to get stuck on the “Connecting” screen.
  • Windows Firewall is blocking Discord. It’s possible that your firewall is configured to block some of Discord’s functions. This will cause it to get stuck on the Connecting screen when you try to join a voice call.
  • You have malware on your device. Some types of malware infections may interfere with Discord, which causes it to get stuck while connecting.
  • The date and time on your computer aren’t correct. A surprising issue that leads to Discord getting stuck while connecting is misconfigured date and time settings.
  • App conflicts. If a different application like antivirus, another chat app, or maybe even Twitch is open, it can cause conflicts with Discord. This could potentially lead to the “Connecting” screen getting stuck.

These issues are quite common, so you’re in luck — the fixes are readily available below! We’ve written step-by-step guides to help you efficiently resolve this frustrating problem. You’ll get back on Discord in no time after reading this article!

How to fix the Discord stuck on connecting error?

  1. Restart your system, router, and modem.
  2. Change your Network connection settings.
  3. Modify DNS Settings.
  4. Make sure that your firewall allows Discord.
  5. Correct the date and time on your computer.
  6. Check for malware on your computer.
  7. Disable conflicting apps.

Let’s discuss these solutions in detail below!

Solved: Discord stuck on the “Connecting” screen

Discord is a great way to stay in touch with your friends, colleagues, and groups, but sometimes it can get stuck on the “Connecting” screen. Here we'll look at seven methods for fixing this annoying issue! We recommend trying each one once before contacting support as an absolute last resort if none of them work.

Most users have reported success by using these simple fixes, so please don't feel bad about giving them another shot yourself.

Method 1. Restart your system and router

Here's an easy solution for the most prevalent computer problems: restart your system. It’s possible that this simple action will fix Discord not being able to progress past the “Connecting” screen. Here are some basic instructions for doing so on Windows 10:

  1. Click on the Windows icon in the bottom-left of your screen to bring up the Start menu.
  2. Click on the Power option, and then choose Restart. This is going to close all of your open applications and completely restart your computer.
    restart your system mode and router

Restart Windows 10

If that didn’t work, restarting your router might do the trick. There's no reason not to try it out since all you need for this is three easy steps, described below:

  1. Locate the power button on your router and turn the device off.
  2. Wait for a few minutes. We recommend waiting anywhere between three to five minutes to allow your router and network to properly shut down.
  3. Turn your router back on.

If you're still dealing with Discord getting stuck on “Connecting” after restarting your computer and router, continue reading. We'll help you try some other fixes below!

Method 2. Close conflicting applications

Some applications may conflict with Discord, causing it to be stuck on “Connecting” and not being able to load past the screen. Fixing this is as simple as exiting the apps that are known for producing this issue when used at the same time as Discord. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Right-click on an empty space in your taskbar and choose Task Manager from the context menu.
    task manager
  2. Switch to the Details tab. Locate any instances of conflicting apps (such as the Twitch desktop app) and select them, and then click on the End task button.
    end task
  3. After closing all of the processes that may conflict with Discord, try to launch the application again and see if it goes past the “Connecting” screen.

Method 3. Change your DNS address

If your problem is with the network, then you may need to change your DNS address to a different one. This may help you if Discord is stuck and won’t go past the connection screen. This is what you need to do:

  1. Press Ctrl + X on your keyboard, and then click on Network Connections from the context menu.
    network connections
  2. Select your current connection type (for example “Wi-Fi” or “Ethernet”) in the left pane, and then click on Change adapter options on the right pane.
    change adapter options
  3. Right-click on the connection you’re currently using and select Properties.
    properties
  4. Scroll down until you see the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) option. If there’s no checkmark next to it, click on the box once to enable it. Afterwards, click on the Properties button to open a popup window.
    IPV4
  5. Select Use the following DNS Server addresses. Now, you have some choices for what DNS server you want to use:
    1. Type 1.1.1.1 into the first row, then 1.0.0.1 into the second row. This will change your DNS to the popular 1.1.1.1 server.
    2. Alternatively, use Google’s DNS server by typing in 8.8.8.8 as Preferred DNS server and 8.8.4.4 as Alternate DNS server.
    3. You can also use OpenDNS if you type in 208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123 instead.
      DNS server adress

Select the Validate settings upon exit option if you don’t want to restart your computer — otherwise, and then click OK and reboot. See if the changes have helped you restore the functionality of Discord, or if it’s still stuck on connecting.

Method 4. Disable any active proxies

Another network problem that sometimes produces this issue is a proxy. If you have proxies enabled, they can mess up Discord’s connection to servers and may render you unable to connect to voice calls, or even open the chat app.

On a Windows 10 PC, go to Settings by pressing the Windows key or clicking on the Windows icon at the bottom right and selecting the gear icon. On the left side is where you'll find the Proxy options.

Make sure that the Use a proxy server option is toggled off.

Method 5. Scan your computer for malware

If your computer is infected by malware, you may not be able to use internet functionality properly. There’s a quick and easy way of detecting and removing malware from your computer if you have Windows 10 or Windows 11. You can also purchase a specialized antivirus app with real-time protection to prevent malware infections in the future.

  1. Open the search bar in your taskbar by clicking on the magnifying glass icon. You can also bring it up with the Windows + S keyboard shortcut.
  2. Type in Windows Security and launch it from the search results.
    windows secueity
  3. Switch to the Virus & Threat Protection tab using the home screen or the menu in the left-side pane. Click on the Scan Options link.
    virus and threat protection
  4. Select the Full scan option. This is going to check every single file on all of your drives to ensure no threats can hide. Take note that this scan may last over 1-2 hours, depending on how many files you have on your system.
    full scan
  5. Click on the Scan now button to begin the scan. If a threat is detected, Windows 10 will automatically quarantine or remove it entirely. You can review the scan results afterwards. 

Method 6. Turn off Windows Firewall

The Windows Firewall is known to cause problems with online apps and games. If your firewall is currently enabled, you may want to turn it off and see if that helps Discord go past the Connecting screen.

  1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to launch the Run utility. Type in “firewall.cpl” (without the quotation marks) and click on the OK button.
    firewall.cpl
  2. Click on the Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off link, located on the left side of the window.
    turn off windows defender
  3. Make sure that you select the “Turn off...” option for both Private network settings and Public network settings.
    turn off windows defender
  4. Click OK and restart your computer.

Method 7. Try installing a different version of Discord

Discord is available in three different versions, two of which are meant for people looking to test early or experimental features. While these versions aren’t as stable as the release version, they can be used as a replacement if you can’t install Discord the traditional way.

Here’s how to get one of the beta versions of Discord:

    1. Choose which version of Discord you want to download, and install the latest release to get the most enjoyable experience.
      • Discord
      • Discord Public Test Build (Discord PTB)
      • Discord Canary
    2. After downloading the installer for Windows, try to launch the installer to see if it works. If you don’t have any luck, try the other versions.

Final thoughts

If you have questions about other Discord-related topics that are not addressed in this post, please feel free to reach out to us using one of the methods mentioned at the bottom of this page. We hope this was helpful for you and wish you a happy browsing experience from now on!

Our team of experts is always available to answer any questions or concerns! Contact us by email, live chat, and phone every day of the week.

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Tags: Troubleshooting