If you’re having problems with Discord, you might want to restart or reset it. Quickly resetting your Discord client can help you to restore functionality if you’re suffering from connection problems, app crashes, or if your audio, video, or desktop streaming is unstable. If you want to know how to restart Discord, here’s how.
Can You Restart Discord?
If you search for this topic online, you’ll see a lot of misinformation (and, if we’re honest, poorly written articles) that fail to define what exactly is meant by a Discord restart. For example, do you want to restart the Discord client or are you looking to restart your Discord server? These are two very different things, and it’s important to explain the distinction. For instance, if you’re using Discord and it freezes or has a connection issue, then restarting Discord means closing the client (by force, if necessary) and restarting it. This allows you to resume using Discord without further issues. If you want to restart a Discord server, however, then this is an entirely different topic. You can’t F4 your way into “refreshing” your server. For the purpose of this article, we’re assuming this means to either turn the server on or off again (not possible) or wipe it and start again with no members or customization (possible). Discord is a web-based platform, meaning servers are hosted by Discord itself with 24/7 access available for users. Unlike Teamspeak, you don’t host a server that can be switched on or off when there’s a problem. If you’re having problems with Discord, it’s a problem with the client or platform itself, not with your server. However, if you’re having issues running your server (too many members, difficult moderation issues, bored of the server topic, etc), you may want to delete your server and start again. Only Discord server owners can do this, so if you haven’t created your server or had ownership transferred to you, you’re out of luck.
How to Restart Discord on PC or Mac
If you use the Discord desktop client for PC or Mac, then you can restart it. This helps to recover from connection problems, from app freezes, or from other issues that aren’t caused by a problem with the Discord platform itself, such as server outages. As Discord may not close properly, the best way to ensure Discord restarts is to force the client to close using the Task Manager on Windows or the Force Quit tool on Mac.
How to Restart Discord on Windows
If you want to force Discord to restart on Windows, here’s what you’ll need to do:
How to Restart Discord on Mac
If you want to force Discord to restart on a Mac, follow these steps:
Switch to the Web Version of Discord
Restarting the Discord client by forcefully closing it and restarting it should help to resolve most minor issues. If the Discord desktop app isn’t working, however, you could try switching to the web version of Discord. Discord’s web client is a fully functional replacement for the Discord desktop app, providing access to almost all of the same features. The interface remains the same, and you’ll be able to access your same servers, messages, and more. Once you’ve signed in, you’ll see the standard Discord interface appear in your browser. You can then use Discord as usual, although some features (such as push-to-talk during gameplay) are unavailable in the web app.
Switch to Another Discord Server Region
Restarting the Discord desktop app or refreshing the Discord web app in your browser will cause the connection between you and Discord’s servers to be closed and reconnected. However, if you’re having trouble with your connection to Discord, you may need to switch to another Discord server region in a channel you’re using. This may help you to restart your Discord connection with lower latency and streaming issues and improve voice and video communication in the process. This change will only apply to voice channels (not text-only channels) and only channel moderators, server administrators, and server owners can make this change. Changing server regions for voice channels will force the connection between you and Discord’s servers to be reconnected. If you see issues after changing server regions, follow the steps above to switch to a new region or switch back to using the automatic region selection instead.
How to Restart a Discord Server
As we’ve previously explained, you can’t restart a Discord server in the traditional sense by switching it off and on again like you can with a Teamspeak server, for instance. Discord servers are hosted by Discord and remain active and accessible 24/7 (unless there’s an outage). The only way to “restart” a Discord server is to delete it and create a new one. This wipes the slate clean, removing your channels, messages, and server users. You shouldn’t do this if you’re having trouble with Discord connectivity, but if you want to close down your server and recreate it, you can follow these steps to do so. Once you’ve deleted your server, you’ll need to make a new Discord server or join a new one. Deleting your server means losing everything (including messages, servers, and user base), so once you’ve recreated your Discord server, you’ll need to re-invite your users to chat with them again.
Troubleshooting Discord Issues
If you’re trying to figure out how to restart Discord, remember that you can restart your Discord app and re-establish your connection, but you can’t restart or refresh the server. Everything is server-based and remains available, 24/7. If you want to start again, you’ll need to delete your server and make a new one to replace it. You don’t have to go that far, however. You could delete your Discord DM history if you’re worried about some of your older messages, for instance. If Discord isn’t working for you, you can always try one of the top Discord alternatives out there, including Slack, Teamspeak, and Microsoft Teams.
