Have you ever experienced glitches or bugs in Discord that hamper functionality? Or maybe connectivity issues that disrupt conversations with friends? As an essential hub for over 150 million passionate gamers and community members around the world, even minor Discord disruptions can feel hugely frustrating.
The good news? Restarting Discord can quickly fix many common problems and get this beloved chat app back up and running smoothly.
In this detailed troubleshooting guide, I‘ll demystify how to properly restart Discord across all major platforms. You‘ll also learn:
- Key background on the Discord phenomenon
- An overview of core Discord features
- Step-by-step instructions optimized with visuals
- Expert technical explanations of the restart process
- Expanded troubleshooting advice for tricky issues
- Reassurance that restarting won‘t cause data loss
Let‘s dive in!
What is Discord…and Why Does it Sometimes Need Restarting?
Before fixing Discord issues, it helps to understand what makes this chat platform so special.
Discord is a free voice, video and text chat app launched in 2015 specifically for gamers. It offers persistent chat rooms complemented by audio and video calling. But it‘s the robust community-building features like specialized servers and moderator tools that set Discord apart.
Consider these adoption metrics:
- 150 million+ registered users
- 19 million+ active daily users
- 6 million+ active servers
- 3 billion cumulative messages per week
For context, that‘s more than tripple Discord‘s main competitor TeamSpeak‘s peak concurrent users. Discord is particularly popular among younger demographics like teens and college students.
What fuels this viral growth? Discord nails the user experience. The intuitive interface facilitates seamless hopping between group conversations. Leading cross-platform support ensures mobile and desktop access. Slick features introduce delight, like animated emojis and GIF search.
However, even the most well-engineered apps can experience technical hiccups. Some common Discord problems that restarting alleviates:
- Performance issues or glitches
- Chat message failures
- Slow loading channels/servers
- Login difficulties
- Instability after updates
- Permissions errors
- Unresponsive bots or polls
Essentially restarting provides a "clean slate" reset to efficiently troubleshoot bugs. Now let‘s walk through how to restart Discord properly on each major computing platform.
Restart Discord on Mac
I‘ll cut right to the chase for busy Mac users looking to revitalize a glitchy Discord app.
Step 1: Quit Discord from the Dock
Click the Discord dock icon and select Quit in the menu. This stops running app processes:
Tip: You can also right-click the Discord dock icon and select Quit.
Step 2: Force Quit Discord (If Needed)
If Discord is completely frozen/unresponsive, force quit the app instead:
- Press
Command + Option + Escon your keyboard to open the Force Quit window - Select the Discord app
- Click the Force Quit button
This forcefully terminates all Discord processes, which helps overcome stubborn crashes or hangs.
Step 3: Reopen Discord
Lastly, restart Discord itself:
- Open Finder and navigate to your Applications folder
- Locate and double-click the Discord app icon
Voila! Discord miraculously restores like nothing ever went awry.
Note: Still having issues? Try resetting app permissions/access in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy or reinstalling Discord before seeking help.
Let‘s move on to restarting techniques for Windows machines.
Restart Discord on Windows
As with most troubleshooting procedures, the steps differ slightly across computing platforms. But restarting Discord on Windows closely mirrors the Mac process.
Step 1: Close the Discord Window
Start by closing the main Discord window/interface via the X button in the upper-right title bar:
This stops the foreground Discord processes.
Step 2: Select "Quit" in the System Tray
Next, right-click the Discord icon in the Windows system tray and choose Quit:
This halts background Discord activity.
Step 3: Force Quit From Task Manager (If Required)
If the standard quit method fails, use Task Manager:
- Press
CTRL + Shift + Escto open Task Manager - Go to the Details tab
- Right-click the Discord process
- Choose End Task
This brute force terminates Discord on Windows.
Step 4: Relaunch Discord
With Discord fully stopped, you can restart it via:
- The Discord desktop shortcut
- Windows Start menu search
Discord should now work properly again on Windows. Let‘s examine mobile restarting.
Restart Discord on iPhone and iPad
Due to Apple‘s aggressive app management on iOS, you only need to follows these simple steps for iPhone and iPad:
Step 1: Swipe Up to Force Close Discord
In your app switcher view, locate and swipe up fully on the Discord preview to force close it:
This completely stops Discord processes in the background.
Step 2: Tap the Discord Icon to Relaunch
Lastly, tap the Discord app icon on your iOS home screen to restart the mobile chat platform.
That‘s all it takes! Now let‘s look at restarting Discord on Android.
Restart Discord on Android
The Android restart process resembles iOS but includes one extra step to completely flush background processes.
Step 1: Swipe Up to Close Discord
As on iPhone, swipe up fully on Discord‘s app switcher preview to close it:
This stops the foreground Discord app.
Step 2: Force Stop Discord in Settings
Unlike iOS, background Android apps can continue running until explicitly force stopped. To fully halt Discord:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Discord
- Tap Force Stop
This cleans out any lingering cached Discord data or code fragments bogging down your phone.
Step 3: Tap the Discord Icon to Relaunch
Lastly, tap your Android home screen Discord icon to restart the mobile chat app fresh!
Why Restart Discord? A Troubleshooting Summary
Let‘s briefly summarize why restarting Discord can fix pesky issues:
Performance Problems
- Restarting provides a clean slate, clearing laggy caches/digital cobwebs slowing things down
Connectivity Issues
- Resets network adapters to rediscover optimal connections
Buggy Behavior
- Often fixes randomly glitchy app behavior
App Not Launching
- Forces reloaded processes to successfully start
Unresponsive Bots/Polls
- Refreshes back-end application logic
Note restarting works best for minor software issues. But what if Discord still misbehaves after restarting?
Beyond Restarting: Advanced Troubleshooting Tips
Here are some additional tricks to try if restarting Discord failed:
- Update Discord to the latest version via app/Play Stores
- Reset app permissions in desktop Privacy settings
- Reinstall Discord completely
- Restart your computer/phone
- Check for platform/OS updates
- Scan devices for malware corrupting systems
As a last resort, reach out to Discord‘s responsive support teams through their 24/7 help portal.
Ideally though, a simple restart has Discord humming again!
Key Restart Takeaways by Platform
For quick reference, here are condensed Discord restart steps by device category:
| Platform | Summary of Steps |
|---|---|
| Mac | Quit from Dock » Force Quit » Reopen |
| Windows | Close Window » Quit in Tray » Task Manager » Relaunch |
| iPhone/iPad | Swipe Up to Close » Tap Icon to Open |
| Android | Swipe Up to Close » Force Stop » Tap Icon |
And remember – restarting Discord won‘t log you out or cause ANY data loss. Your messages, friends, servers and settings remain intact post-restart!
Now let‘s wrap up with some closing wisdom.
Discord: Here to Stay by Cultivating Community
It‘s incredible to step back and view Discord‘s expansion from niche gaming chat app to broader cultural phenomenon embraced by over 150 million users worldwide today.
I think Discord‘s runaway success stems from facilitating a feeling of inclusive community and belonging – something intrinsically tied to human wellbeing.
And the company keeps striving to enhance that comforting community experience with product investments like Threads, Stage Discovery and Forum Channels based on user feedback.
By regularly restarting Discord when encountering issues, we play a small role in helping the platform stabilize. Tiny ashes of effort that together keep the warmth of inclusive community burning bright.
On that heartwarming note, I wish you smooth sailing chat sessions ahead! Please reach out if you have any other Discord support questions.
