Discord stuck on connecting, the client cannot reach Discord

When Discord sits on the connecting screen, the app is trying to reach Discord's servers and getting no answer. It is usually a network problem, a firewall or antivirus block, a VPN or proxy getting in the way, or a Discord outage, rather than a broken install.

The fix, in order

  1. Check Discord's service status. If Discord reports an outage, nothing on your device will fix it, and the only move is to wait for the service to come back.
  2. Close Discord fully and reopen it. On Windows, quit it from the system tray so no background process stays running, then launch it again.
  3. Restart the router and the PC. A stale network connection is a common cause, and a restart clears it faster than any setting change.
  4. Flush the DNS cache. In a Command Prompt, run ipconfig /flushdns, then reopen Discord so it resolves Discord's servers fresh.
  5. Check the firewall and antivirus. Make sure Discord is allowed through Windows Firewall and that security software is not blocking it, then try again.
  6. Turn off the VPN or proxy. VPNs and proxies can route Discord's traffic through a server that Discord blocks or that drops the connection, so disable them and test directly.
  7. Try a different DNS. Switching to a public DNS such as 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 can fix a connecting screen caused by an internet provider's DNS failing to resolve Discord.
  8. Reinstall Discord. Uninstall it, delete the leftover Discord folders in %appdata% and %localappdata%, then install a fresh copy from the Discord site.

If it still happens

If Discord connects on your phone but not on the PC, the problem is on the PC, so work through the firewall and DNS steps again and try the web version of Discord in a browser as a comparison. If no device connects, check the status page again and try a different network, such as a mobile hotspot, to see whether your home network is the problem.

Common questions

Is Discord down when it is stuck on connecting? Sometimes. A stuck connecting screen is one of the signs of an outage, which is why checking the status page is the first step. If the status page is green, the problem is on your side.

Why does Discord get stuck but other apps work? Discord uses its own servers and connection path, so a block that only affects Discord, such as a firewall rule or a DNS failure for Discord's domains, leaves everything else working.

Does reinstalling Discord delete my messages? No. Messages, servers, and friends live on Discord's servers, not on your PC, so a fresh install signs you back into the same account with everything intact.

Related errors

Discord update failed loop · Discord installation has failed · Discord RTC connecting

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