Discord Call Not Working: How to Fix Voice and Video Issues

When voice and video calls stop working on Discord, it's frustrating. But fixing these issues doesn't need to be complicated.

If your Discord voice and video calls are failing with no clear reason, the first step is a basic troubleshooting process. Restarting your device, completely reinstalling Discord, and testing different USB ports can all resolve common problems that cause Discord to fail.

In general, when a program fails to work properly or you're encountering errors, there's a chance the issue stems from the program itself. That said, hardware issues — such as faulty USB devices or incorrect settings within your operating system — can also contribute to these failures.

Discord offers two ways for users to connect to each other: either by joining a channel where people are talking about a specific topic, or by joining a direct call where a single user can invite another person or a group of people.

Regardless of how you’re using Discord, if you’re not able to talk to others through voice and/or video calls, here’s what you should do:

Restart your computer

Try restarting your computer or laptop. Sometimes simply turning off and back on again can fix unexpected software problems.

Reinstall Discord

Completely uninstall Discord from your system. If you want, you can download Discord’s app directly from its website rather than use the version installed from your OS’s application store.

You can test the audio/video hardware by plugging in a headset into a different USB port, or switching out the headset altogether.

For Windows

To remove Discord from your Windows PC, go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features. Search for “Discord” and click Remove.

MacOS

To remove Discord from your Mac, open Finder, navigate to the Applications folder, select Discord, and click the trashcan icon. Then, right-click on Discord and choose “Move to Trash.” To remove any leftover files, launch Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and run the following commands:

rm -rf /opt/discord/

rm -rf ~/.config/discord

Linux

If you installed Discord via the official AppImage, then you’ll need to delete it manually. Open your terminal and execute the following command to locate and remove the file:

find ~ -name "Discord*.AppImage" | xargs rm

After doing this, you can download and install Discord’s latest version.

Test your headset

Sometimes an inexpensive headset or a bad USB port can make the difference between having great sound quality and not being able to hear at all.

It’s always best to try a new headset, though you don’t have to buy one outright. For starters, try swapping out the headset entirely. Plug the headset in a different port, or plug your phone into the USB port and see if it charges. If not, try a different port. Finally, check for updates on your device to ensure that your drivers are up to date.

If you’re using a laptop and you’re trying to use external speakers, make sure they’re turned on and connected to your laptop correctly.

If none of the above steps works, there may be a problem with Discord itself. In most cases, updating the app or contacting Discord support will resolve the issue.