How To Fix Discord Won’t Open In Windows?

Software is troublesome more often than not and can leave you scratching your head as you ponder hard to get it going again.

Systems crash, apps malfunction, and as for the reasons, it would take me a whole lifetime to list every general problem.

But the majority of the time, relief is just some quick clicks away, and the trick is knowing which ones.

The knowledge will make the difference, a difference enough to save you time worth a lifetime of troubles, and will grant you the ability to handle things yourself instead of calling on a friend or acquaintance for every minor query.

But there’s no shortcut, and you have to read and learn your way to that point, and for that, my friend is exactly why I am here.

To offer you help when needed, heed your questions when required, and answer them to the best of my expertise when necessary.

Why Is My Discord Not Opening On Windows 10?

Discord is a very useful means of mutual communication, you can use it for gaming, streaming, or general discussion, but that is not to say it’s without flaws.

Sometimes Discord won’t open, sometimes it will not respond, and many times it will freeze if you are looking for a common cause or a general problem, you may or may not be in luck.

For people who have this as a recurring issue may have the same recurring problem or vice versa.

How To Fix Discord Not Opening or Discord Won’t Open

As it has been said before, it is difficult to establish a general cause, but a plethora of solutions that can be applied alternatively to get rid of almost any problem. I will guide you through them right now.

#1- Manually Update or Reinstall Discord

First of all, starting from the lowest baseline and working up to the problem, the simplest of the reasons why your Discord refuses to start might just be that the version of it that you have on your computer is not compatible or the app is outdated.

It is far more common for something like this to happen than we realize. The latest update for the app was released on the 1st of November last year, i.e., 2022. So make sure you have that version.

Apart from that, Windows updates can cause trouble which can most likely be solved by deleting the app and reinstalling it, and if extra patches are needed after the update, you can install those too.

#2: Close Background Applications

One more thing that would be prudent in such a situation is to identify such apps which continue to run in the background as you try and force Discord into the opening.

Background apps use your resources, some more than others. These resources are your RAM, memory, and CPU cycles and shouldn’t be wasted on unnecessary things.

It is not a good thing to let every application that you have run in the background 24/7, check for updates and use data and battery.

You shouldn’t disable any important system program, though, as it can be very harmful to your setup; it is important to make such a distinction.

You should disable the ones not needed, click Discord again and see if it opens after you have closed all background traffic.

#3: Run The System File Checker

If the problem continues, there’s an important utility in the arsenal of windows 10 that can be of use. You can try running the ‘System File Checker.’ It is a program that can identify problems with files on your computer.

It is only available for windows 10 and 11, and even before you use it, you have to make sure that you’ve installed all necessary windows updates and restart your device so that all new functions can be applied by the system.

Type the command prompt in the windows search bar, run it as administrator, and then type “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth”

After a while, when the step is completed, type SFC/scannow and wait for verification. You can find more information on the matter of System File Checker on Microsoft support.

#4: Close Discord Using Command Prompt (CMD)

It might also help to close Discord with a command prompt. A command prompt (cmd.exe) is a system function used to elicit an action or a response.

You can use it to close Discord. The way to do it is that you click windows+R, type cmd, and click enter to open the command prompt on windows 10. After it has opened, you need to enter the command line:

“taskkill /F /IM discord.exe“

This would end the process. Click on Discord again to see if it runs.

#5: Launch Discord From Its Install Location

If your problem continues to plague you, however, you can try and launch Discord from its install location. It is natural for you to think why such a maneuver would help when launching from a shortcut is just the same.

It is confusing, that is understood, but there have been many reports of otherwise unresponsive applications being successfully launched when it was done so from the original install location, so this is a viable option.

Find the install location using the file explorer and search for the “discord.exe” file. Once you have found it, double-click it, and that hopefully will be the end of your problems.

Note: The Default Path Should Be – C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Discord\app-1.0.9008

If it remains unresponsive, however, try to run it as administrator. This would give Discord administrative permissions and increase the chances of a successful launch.

Related guides:

• Easy ways to solve “Discord javascript error.”
• How to fix “Discord update failed”
• Discord not picking up the mic?

#6: Use SFC To Repair Corrupted Files

Earlier the use of SFC or The System File Checker was advised. As aforementioned, it is a tool that helps identify corrupt files or files with any kind of problem, but that is not the limit of this program.

It goes far beyond identifying and can actually repair the files that have been corrupted. Moreover, it is the quickest way to do so.

Run the utility by pressing ‘Windows+R’ and then type in cmd. After typing, don’t just click enter but instead press “ctrl+shift+enter.”

This is better because you are launching the command prompt with all administrative permissions. Click yes; when inside the command prompt, type ‘SFC/scannow’ and wait for the scan to finish.

The corrupted files will be repaired automatically. It may take a long time, however, since the command checks each and every file. Once it’s done, restart your device and click on Discord again to see if it opens.

#7: Clear AppData and LocalAppData

Also, one of the premier things to do when Discord is not responding is to pay a visit to the Appdata folder (short for application data). It is a hidden folder in windows located at C:\Users\\Appdata.

Note: Open File Explorer and type %appdata% in the address bar to reach AppData folder.

It is hidden because, normally, there’s no need for a user to refer to its contents. All the windows have an Appdata folder, and it contains local files tied to your PC, app settings, saved sessions, app configurations, and also program cache.

The part about the cache is important because it might just be that windows doesn’t have enough space to store the necessary cache that enables Discord to operate, and in that case, you will need to clear Appdata.

You’ll need to find the Discord folder within Appdata, then right-click on it and proceed to delete. Once you have gone ahead with the deletion, restart your device and check up on Discord once more to see if it opens.

#8: Try To Log Into The Web Version

All of the various solutions listed above share nothing of similarity but that they were written about problems concerning the unresponsive nature of Discord, more importantly, the application version of Discord.

One of the simplest and easiest solutions that one can offer in such a scenario is just to choose another alternative. If you can’t log into Discord on your device, simply switch to the web version, and all will be well, at least in theory.

To use the web version, simply visit Discord.com/login enter your email or phone number along with the password, and you are done.

#9: Close Discord In Task Manager And Restart It

Out of all the ways to force-stop Discord, perhaps one of the easier ones is to end it via the task manager. It isn’t as thorough as the command prompt method, but it makes up for it by being simpler, easier and better preferred.

It offers a quick solution, and all you have to do to start with; is select the task manager from the menu. It will launch in a compact form, so you will need to click on ‘more details’ to make further options visible.

You will see Discord in the running apps section, click on it and then click on the end task button and restart it.

#10: Configure Windows Date And Time

Another thing you might be surprised to learn is that Discord is unresponsive and doesn’t work if the date and time of your PC are not what they should be, so it is best to check.

To configure the date and time, go to settings in your windows and navigate to the ‘Time and Language’ tab. From there, you will have to select ‘Date and Time.’

In there is an option to set a date and time automatically, and you simply have to just toggle in on.