10 Fixes For Discord Overlay Not Working

Discord Users have recently experienced problems with the Discord overlay not working. It can be aggravating for them at times. The issue persists that throughout the game. The Discord overlay does not appear, making communication impossible. The overlay isn’t functioning for certain people for specific games. It isn’t working at all for others.

What is Discord?

Discord is a community-building platform that combines VoIP, instant messaging, and digital distribution. Users communicate in private conversations or as part of “servers” through video calls, text messaging, voice calls, media, and files. Servers are a group of chat rooms and voice chat channels that remain active throughout time.

Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Linux,  macOS, Android, and web browsers all support Discord. Over 250 million people have signed up for the program, and over 140 million people utilize it on a monthly basis.

Methods To Fix “Discord Overlay Not Working”

• Ensure Discord Enabled In-Game Overlay
• Disable Hardware Acceleration Feature
• Run Discord As Administrator
• Move The Overlay Location
• Rescale The Display
• Reinstalling Discord Overlay Completely
• Allow Discord Overlay Through Antivirus
• Running multiple Discord
• Disable Background Applications
• Use Discord Overlay Hotkey

1. Ensure Discord Enabled In-Game Overlay

The first thing to do is double-check that your game’s and Discord overlay works. The Discord overlay isn’t working because the option isn’t enabled in your game. Here’s how to go about it:

• To Open Discord, double click Discord
• Open User Settings in Discord, click the gear symbol.

• In the left panel, click Overlay and make sure the toggle next to Enable in-game overlay is switched on.

• Then, in the left panel, choose Games. Ensure the in-game overlay feature for the game you’re playing is switched on. If the option is disabled, simply click the monitor button next to the game to enable it.
• If the game you’re playing isn’t already listed, click Add it. 
• Restart your game to test if the Discord overlay is still active. If not, proceed to the next step in the list below.

2. Disable Hardware Acceleration Feature

Hardware acceleration in discord could be the source of the “discord overlay not working”  problem. It’s a good idea to disable hardware acceleration. To disable Discord hardware acceleration, follow the procedures outlined below.

• To Open Discord, double click Discord
• Select User Preferences (gear icon). It should be on your avatar’s right side.
• From the left panel, choose “Voice and video.”

• In the right panel, scroll down. The Hardware Acceleration should be visible. It’s supposed to be in the Advanced section.
• Hardware Acceleration in discord should be turned off.

• A confirmation box will most likely appear. Click the Okay button. It will force the Discord app to restart.
• That is all there is to it. When the Discord app is restarted, the problem should be resolved.

3. Run Discord As Administrator

To read and write to the root directory, Discord requires some key system permissions. It can prevent the in-game overlay from operating correctly. Ensure that this isn’t the case. I’ll show to give Discord these permissions.

• Right-click the Discord executable, which should be in your Discord installation folder or on your Desktop.
• Choose “Properties” from the drop-down menu.
• Click the “Compatibility” tab in Discord Properties.
• Ensure to select the “Run this Program as an Administrator” button.

• To save any changes, click the “Apply” button.
• Press the “OK” button and exit the window.
• Check to verify whether the “discord overlay not working” problem still exists after restarting Discord.

4. Move The Overlay Location

In certain circumstances, the only concern is the Discord overlay feature location. The overlay can be moved around. It’s possible that you unintentionally moved the overlay off the screen. The most likely reason is that everything is fine, but the overlay is hidden due to its location. The only option is to reposition the overlay, which can be done by following the instructions below.

• Shut down the game and open Discord.
• While in Discord, press and hold the CTRL, SHIFT, and I keys (CTRL + SHIFT + I). On the right side, a javascript console should appear.
• In the javascript console’s top right corner, click the >> arrow icon.
• From the newly formed list, choose Application.

• From the newly generated left panel, double-click Local Storage (or click the arrow beside the Local Storage).
• A newly created entry should appear in the Local Storage section. The URL for this new entry should be https:discordapp.com. Select it by clicking on it.

• OverlayStore can be accessed by right-clicking it. It’s in the Keys column, in the middle.
• Select Delete, and then restart Discord.
• Start the game. You should be able to reposition the overlay again now that it has returned to its usual location.

5. Rescale The Display

According to several users, the issue was caused by their display not being correctly sized. If your display is scaled to more than 100 percent or more, you must reduce it to 100 percent.

You should double-check the display’s scale. It may have been altered, preventing the Discord overlay feature from appearing on the screen. In this scenario, all you have to do is reduce the display’s size, and everything will be great. Take the following steps:

• For the User settings icon, hold down the Windows key and press I.
• Select System > Display from the drop-down menu.
• Check the Scale and Layout options, and make sure your display is set to 100%. (Recommended).
• Restart your game to see if the “discord overlay not working” problem persists.

6. Reinstall Discord Overlay Completely

The application installation files may be corrupt. Reinstalling Discord after deleting it might fix the “discord overlay not working” issue.

• To open the Run command window, press the “Win” + “R” keys on your keyboard at the same time.
• To access the Control Panel tab, type control and hit Enter.
• Select “Uninstall a software” from the “View by > category” drop-down menu.
• A list of programs would emerge in a pop-up window on your screen.
• Select Discord and right-click it, then select the “Uninstall” option from the pop-up menu.
• To altogether remove Discord from your computer, follow the instructions.

• After the uninstall is ended, restart the computer.
• Download Discord latest version from their website.
• To execute the program on your computer, double-click it. To install it on your computer, follow the on-screen directions.
• Fix “discord overlay not working” problem on your machine.
• This reinstall discord procedure should now resolve your “Discord overlay not working” issue.

7. Allow Discord Overlay Through Antivirus

Using a third-party antivirus application with very stringent configurations. Using the built-in Windows Firewall and Defender protection. You may be experiencing a “discord overlay not working” error. As a result of these apps, Discord cannot function in the background and consume system resources. I’m going to add a discord exception to both Windows Defender and Firewall. As a result:

• Open the Run prompt, by pressing “Windows” + “R.”
• To open the classic control panel interface, type “Control Panel” and hit “Enter.”
• Select “Large Icons” from the “View by” drop-down menu, then select the Windows Defender Firewall option.
• On the left side, click the “Allow an app or feature via the Firewall” button. Accept the prompt by clicking the “Change Settings” button.
• Allow Discord through Windows Defender by clicking the Allow button. Firewall

• Make sure Discord and its connected applications/drivers have both the “Public” and “Private” settings checked.
• Save your changes before closing the window.
• After that, press “Windows” + “I” to open the settings, then select “Update and Security” from the drop-down menu.
• Click on the “Windows Security” button in the left panel, then on the “Virus and Threat Protection” button.
• On the Virus and Threat Protection Settings heading, click the “Manage Settings” button.
• In the following window, scroll down and click the “Add or Remove Exclusions” button.
• Select “Folder” from the File type drop-down menu and click “Add an Exclusion.”
• Exit out after specifying the Discord installation folder.
• Check whether this has resolved the Discord in-game Overlay feature issue.
• Also, double-check your third-party antivirus application to make sure Discord isn’t being banned. Discord is frequently incorrectly reported by these apps, preventing it from functioning correctly.

8. Running multiple Discord

Standard and PTB versions of Discord are available. Suppose you’re trying to use Discord’s standard and PTB versions at the same time. The “discord overlay not working” error might occur frequently. 

Change the settings only to run one version of Discord at a time. Make sure you’re not running both of these versions at the same time by double-checking your settings.

9. Disable Background Applications

Some Discord functionalities may be hampered or disrupted by background programs. It could be the source of the “discord overlay not working” problem. I’m going to turn off these background programs on our PC.

• Open the run prompt and type “MSConfig” into the bar.
• Alternatively, open task manager. 
• Select the Startup tab and, one by one, click on “Disable” for each application that is set to start at startup.

• Toggle the box labeled “Hide all Microsoft services” on the Services tab.
• Unchecking the “hide all Microsoft Services” option on the “Services” menu.
• To prevent all services and programs from launching, simply press the “Disable All” button.
• Restart your computer by pressing OK.
• Check whether the problem still occurs after restarting. If it still doesn’t work, try activating one or two services at a time and see which ones cause the problem to resurface.
• To fix “discord overlay not working” problem, you can disable the problematic application.

10. Use Discord Overlay Hotkey

Make sure it doesn’t conflict with any other Discord Hotkeys you might have set up. If this occurs, try activating a new hotkey. It could be beneficial in overcoming this blunder. Following these steps will allow a new hotkey:

• Locate the Settings in the Discord app and open it.
• Click on the Overlay icon in the left panel, which is accessible under the App settings.
• Aside from the “Enable-in-game-overlay” option, you’ll find a current hotkey option here.

• Reconfigure your new hotkey here and use it to summon the Discord overlay when you reopen the game.
• Check to see if this has enabled in-game Overlay feature not to appear.

Conclusion 

The “Discord overlay not working” a large number of players has reported problem. But don’t be concerned. You may quickly fix it by following the steps outlined above. There could be multiple possible reasons for the “discord overlay not working” error. Try all the solutions mentioned above and see which one works for you. If nothing works contact discord support. 

Frequently Asked Questions