Why Is My Discord Overlay Not Working? [2023]

If you are looking for a solution to fix the Discord Overlay without losing any data, then this is the right article for you.

When your Discord overlay is not working, it can really be troublesome since it will prevent the users from communicating with their friends.

In this guide, you will come across all the up-to-date fixes which will help you in bringing back your Discord overlay.

Also read: How To Fix Black Screen When Screen Sharing On Discord

We have shown a VIDEO walk through at the end of the post for easy solution.

What Are The Reasons For The Discord Overlay Not Working?

Table of Contents

If the Discord Overlay isn’t working, then here are some of the potential causes:

Overlay Settings Are Not Enabled

Hardware Acceleration
Display Scaling
Interference By Anti-Virus Software

Overlay Location
Overlay Settings Are Moved Out Of The Screen
Game Overlay Option

How To Fix The Discord Overlay Not Working?

There are some users who have unfortunately faced the issue of Discord Overlay not working but don’t worry because I have got you covered here.

Here, I will discuss the reasons for the Discord Overlay not working and also the ways to solve it.

Go through the fixes for resolving the issue:

1) Restart Discord

If Discord has not been started properly, then the Discord Overlay issue gets triggered.

This is how you can disable it completely:

Open Task Manager by typing it in the Search box.

Then, click on the Process tab to see the list of active processes.
Then, click on the “Discord” process and then select the “End Task” button on the Task Manager.

Finally, scan the list and disable the Discord application and check whether it fixes the issues. If the issue persists, run Discord as an administrator.

2) Run Discord As Administrator

Discord may sometimes require administrative permission to function properly.

If you run Discord as an administrator, then it is likely to solve the issue.

This is what you need to do for that:

First, right-click on the Discord Installation folder on your desktop and then click on Properties.

Then, click on the Compatibility tab and press the “Run this program as an administrator” button.
Next, click on the Apply button followed by Ok to close the window.

Finally, try running Discord again and check whether the issue still persists. If the issue is still there, enable Discord Overlay.

3) Enable Discord Overlay

If your Discord Overlay function isn’t working, then check whether you have enabled in-game Overlay.

This is how you can do it:

First, open Discord and then click on Settings.
Next, click on the Game Overlay option and Enable in-game Overlay.

From the left panel click on Registered Games, and under Game Activity make sure you have turned on the in-game Overlay feature for the game you are playing.
After you have finished doing the above steps run your game and see if the Discord Overlay is working now. If not, turn off hardware acceleration.

4) Turn Off Hardware Acceleration

Disabling hardware acceleration can fix this issue.

Follow the steps given below to turn off the hardware acceleration for the Discord app:

First, open Discord and click on User Settings.

Then, select Appearance and scroll down till you find the Hardware Acceleration option.
Next, disable the Hardware Acceleration option from the toggle. Finally, click OK on the confirmation box and reboot the Discord app.

5) Allow Discord Through Anti-Virus

There are chances of getting this error if you are using Windows Firewall and Defender since the programs are blocking Discord from running in the background and using the system resources.

Follow the steps to allow Discord to get access through the Anti-Virus:

Open the Control Panel and click on the “View By” button and then select “Large icons”.

Then click on the Windows Defender Firewall option and select the “Allow an app or feature through the Firewall” button and then click on “Change Settings”.

Now, check both the Public and the Private options for Discord and save the changes before you exit the window.
Next, open Windows Security and click on click on “Virus and Threat Protection” from the left panel.

Select the “Manage Settings” options and then scroll down and click on “Add or Remove Exclusions” in the next window.
Then, click on the “Add an exclusion” option and then select the “folder” option and specify the Discord installation folder before you exit out of the window.
After saving the changes, check whether the issue is fixed. If the issue still persists, disable the background application.

6) Disable Background Application

There are certain background programs at times that are known to interfere with and disrupt some functions of the Discord applications that can prevent the Overlay from showing.

Follow the steps for doing that:

Type “msconfig” in the Run command box and press Enter.

Then execute the command and launch the MSConfig window.
Now, select the Startup tab and then click on the “Disable” option one by one.

Now, click on the Services tab and then check the box named “Hide all Microsoft services”.

Then hit the “Disable All” button to prevent all services and applications from running at startup.

Then, hit OK and restart your computer and check whether the issue still exists.
If it doesn’t get resolved, then start enabling one or two services at the same time and check whether the issue comes back.

7) Reinstall Discord

If no other method could fix the Discord overlay problem, then reinstall Discord.

A fresh installation can fix the problem.

Follow the steps to do it:

First, go to the Control Panel and then choose “View By Category” and then select “Uninstall a program”.

In the next window, right-click on Discord and then select Uninstall.

Then, restart your PC and download Discord from the website and then install it.
Finally, open Discord and run the game, and add it to Discord.
Also, make sure to enable the in-game overlay feature for the game which you are playing.

Also read: 11 Best Discord Music Bots In 2023