Can’t Hear Anyone On Discord, Audio Not Working (FIXED)
Discord is a communication tool that has a large user-base in the gaming community. In fact, most people assume that it’s built specifically to cater to gamers. Its support for various servers makes people think that it is suited only for large communities that use it to connect with even larger audiences again making it perfect for gaming communities for popular titles like Fortnight. It can in fact be used for all sorts of communication needs, and not just for gaming.
Can’t Hear Anyone On Discord
Discord is a very capable communications app; it supports every communication tool that you can find on other popular apps like Skype and Microsoft Teams. It has channels like Slack to keep conversations organized by topic and it has audio and video calling.
Discord works with whichever audio output device is connected to your system. There is no special set-up needed to make calls with Discord. In fact, when you install the app, or open it, it can automatically detect the default hardware that’s set for audio output on your system, and switch to using it. That said, sometimes the hardware or the app can run into problems and you can’t hear people over a call.
Discord No Sound: Basic checks
Before you troubleshoot the audio device and settings on your system, it’s a good idea to check a few basic things and rule them out;
- If you’re using external speakers that are plugged into the headphone jack, make sure that they are turned on. Some speakers have an on/off switch while others do not.
- Check if you can hear other sounds; system sounds from your OS and audio alerts for new notifications/messages in Discord should all play through your speakers/headphones.
- Play audio in another app; try your browser, another communication app like Skype, or play a video in VLC player.
- Make sure the audio output device you want to use is being detected/used by the system. On Windows 10, you can click the speaker icon in the system tray to check and change the audio device from the dropdown.
- Restart the Discord app, and for good measure, restart the system as well.
If your system passes the above basic checks but you cannot hear people in Discord, try the fixes below.
1. Change default communication device
Discord is a communication app and on Windows 10, users can set an audio device as the default communication device to use for these types of apps.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Go to Hardware and Sound>Sound.
- Select the Playback tab.
- Right-click your headphones and select ‘Set as default communication device’.
- Restart the Discord app.
Note: Speakers generally cannot be set as the default communication device but if you’re using line-in speakers or external ones, you should still check if they can be set as the default communication device.
2. Use Legacy audio subsystem
The audio problem in Discord might have to do with an old, outdated, and possibly unsupported audio device. Fortunately, Discord has a setting that allows it to work well with old, outdated hardware.
- Open Discord.
- Go to the app’s settings.
- Select the Voice and Video tab.
- Scroll down to the Audio Subsystem dropdown.
- Select Legacy and relaunch the app when prompted to.
3. Check in-app volume
Discord has its own volume controls for both audio input and output. If the volume is set to zero in the app, you won’t be able to hear anything.
- Open Discord.
- Go to the app’s settings.
- Select the Voice and Video tab.
- Make sure the volume for the input and output device is not set to zero, or it’s not set too low.
4. Update and refresh Discord
It is possible that Discord is running into problems. It may be a fluke that can’t be fixed with a restart or it may be a bug with the app.
- Open Discord.
- Tap the Ctrl+R keyboard shortcut.
- The Discord app interface will go blank and reload. Check if the sound starts working.
- If the sound still isn’t working, close Discord and open it again. The app will check for and install updates when it next launches. Check if the sound is working now.
5. Change primary audio input/output device
The audio input/output device is set at the system level and is generally inherited by the app. If your sound troubles persist, try changing the primary audio input/out device.
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to the System group of settings.
- Select the Sound tab.
- Open the dropdown under the Output section, and select your headphones (or another audio device).
- Scroll down to the Input section and repeat the above.
- Restart Discord.
- Go to Discord’s settings.
- Select the Voice and video tab.
- Open the Input Device and Output Device dropdowns, and select the same audio device that you selected in the Settings app.
- Restart the app one more time.
6. Reinstall Discord
If the sound problem in Discord stems from a bug in the app, it is possible that the same bug is preventing it from updating. In that case, installing the app fresh is a good way to fix problems.
- Open Control Panel.
- Go to Programs>Uninstall a program.
- Select Discord, and click Uninstall.
- Once Discord has been uninstalled, download it again, and install the app.
- Sign in with your account, and try a voice or video call.
7. Try Discord Web
Discord has a very capable web app. Like its desktop version, the web app can also make audio and video calls. If the audio problems persist on the desktop version of the app, consider using the web app.
8. Troubleshoot system audio
It is possible that Windows 10 is unable to detect your headphones which is why Discord is unable to use them. If that’s the case, you need to move your troubleshooting to the system. We have a few fixes that you can try out if there is no sound from headphones on your Windows 10 system. Go through them all and fix your system’s audio problem. The problems in the Discord app should resolve themselves.
Conclusion
Discord is a stable app that’s been around for a few years now. It generally tends to run well with little to no problems. In fact, another really great thing about this app is that despite being feature-rich, it is easy to set up. Connecting to servers and initiating or receiving calls is as simple as it gets. If you’re consistently facing audio problems in Discord, the fixes listed above should be able to sort them out.
