Can You Stream on Discord? What You Can Share, Where, and How

Discord supports live streaming through its desktop app. Here's how to do it and what you can share.

Discord is the go-to platform for gamers, but did you know that Discord also offers an option to stream content within your server?

Yes, but it’s a bit limited compared to Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook Live. Let’s take a closer look at how to stream on Discord, and what kind of content you can share.

Is Discord capable of live streaming?

Yes, but only within the confines of your Discord server. The good news is, all you have to do is click a button — or two — to begin streaming to others in the channel!

Discord doesn’t allow monetization, but users can stream video from their PCs or mobile devices to friends.

Where can you stream on Discord?

Streaming on Discord occurs within voice channels and via direct messages. It requires a Discord desktop client, although it’s also available on iOS and Android.

How to stream on Discord

The first step is to enable screen sharing on your device. If you use a smartphone or tablet, make sure your screen-sharing permission is set to “always” instead of “never.” Once enabled, you can open the Discord application and navigate to a voice channel. Click the camera icon and select “Go Live.” This will toggle the live-streaming mode on and off.

You’ll see the screen-share option again if you move into a private chat window. Otherwise, the Go Live option won’t appear in a group setting.

What can you stream?

Discord allows you to share video footage, games, apps, or browser windows. Some of the most common uses include educational tutorials, walkthroughs, game-play, and other content.

Discord auto-detects most popular games and automatically streams them to those who are playing with you in a voice channel. There is no way to monetize this feature; any content shared is free to watch.

Who can stream on Discord?

Streaming is typically used when a small group wants to play together. Viewers can join the voice channel as they watch, making it a group hangout experience. However, these videos aren’t broadcast publicly — they’re simply a video call between participants. In addition, Discord does not offer built-in tools to record or download these sessions.

Discord stream quality and permissions

While some platforms allow users to tweak settings like resolution and frame rate, these options are largely up to the administrator of the server. Server admins can modify stream permissions by navigating to Server Settings, then Roles, and finally Voice Channel Permissions. Admins can grant or deny users the ability to stream, depending on the needs of their community.

Admins can control exactly which channels allow streaming by granting or denying users the Video permission under each individual voice channel.

Technical limitations

There are several key technical limitations and conditions to be aware of before starting to stream:

Audio works only if using the Chrome web browser. It doesn’t work on Linux or other browsers, such as Firefox or Safari. Streaming audio-only is possible.

Discord was designed for smaller, interactive groups. Larger audiences won’t receive a very high-quality signal, and there are limitations around who can stream, where, and how.

Discord viewers can join a voice chat while watching a stream, but they can’t participate in either the chat room or voice channel simultaneously. That means you’ll be talking to people both in your video call and on-screen, rather than to one another.

Group hangouts don’t get broadcast publicly. Only people who are already in the same server can see what you’re sharing.

There is no built-in recording tool for live streams.

Discord has come a long way since its early days as a niche platform for gamers. But if you’re looking to create and share your own original content, Twitch is still the better choice.