Discord Messages Not Loading: Causes and Fixes

The error when Discord messages fail to load, “Something went wrong. Try reloading the page.” is a common problem that can be quite frustrating.

If you encounter this issue, the first thing to do is confirm what might be going on behind the scenes. According to community feedback, several possible issues may cause Discord to fail loading messages. First, it’s possible that Discord simply can’t fetch chat data from the Discord servers for whatever reason. There could also be an issue with Discord itself; there are confirmed reports of temporary outages occurring on the Discord server or API, which would block users from receiving chat updates. Additionally, unstable internet connections have been reported as being responsible for this error. Another potential cause is a glitch within the Discord application itself, as well as corrupted cache files in the background. In some cases, bans may also prevent chats from loading.

Discord doesn’t allow all server chats to be loaded at once, however. If you try to open multiple channels, Discord can get stuck while trying to retrieve your messages. This seems to be a known issue with some apps (such as Microsoft Teams) that load all chats at once. By selecting a specific channel, however, you’re essentially telling Discord exactly where to go, and preventing the app from having to try to load messages from multiple locations at the same time.

Refreshing the Discord client itself can clear up temporary glitches that prevent Discord from retrieving your messages. It can sometimes fix unresponsive channels, too. Refreshing is typically done by clicking the refresh button in the browser, but on Android or iOS devices, you’ll need to tap the screen or swipe down instead.

There’s also the possibility that your outdated or corrupted cache has caused this error. Clearing the cache is one of the fixes we’ve seen confirmed in other forums, such as Reddit, though you may still want to try the below options before doing so.

Community reports have also found success with closing the Discord application completely and then restarting your router.

Fix 1: Pick One Channel

Discord allows you to load messages into individual channels, and picking one over the others can help prevent errors like “Something went wrong” from appearing.

To select just one channel, follow these steps:

1. Open Discord.

1. Select a single channel that you’d like to load messages for.

Fix 2: Refresh the Discord Client

Sometimes, simply refreshing the Discord client can clear up any minor bugs that might be preventing Discord from fetching your messages properly.

To refresh the Discord client, click the circular arrow icon in the top-right corner. On mobile, you’ll need to either tap on the screen or swipe down.

Fix 3: Clear the Discord Cache

You may also need to clear the cache to ensure Discord is working correctly. Here’s how to do it:

On Windows PCs

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

1. Click on the Performance tab and look for Discord.

1. Right-click and choose End Task.

1. Go to the Start menu, type “Settings,” and select Settings > Apps > Advanced settings.

1. In the left sidebar, choose Reset.

1. Click on the Reset now option.

1. Wait for everything to complete and restart your computer.

1. Restart Discord after it’s all done.

On Mac

1. Go to the Apple menu and choose About This Mac.

1. Choose System Report and scroll down until you find Network.

1. Look for any active sessions under Wi-Fi.

1. Select each session and choose Quit.

1. Close Discord and wait about 30 minutes for your network services to re-initialize themselves.

1. Launch Discord and check if the error still exists.

On Android/iOS

1. Swipe down and tap the notification.

1. Choose Clear All Data.

1. Launch Discord again and see if the error persists.

Fix 4: Fully Exit Discord

Some users have reported that fully exiting Discord and then restarting your router helped resolve the error. Here’s how to do it:

1. Close Discord completely.

1. Locate Discord in Task Manager and end the task.

1. Go to the Wi-Fi router or modem and turn it off for about 30 minutes.

1. Turn it back on and relaunch Discord.