Discord Overlay Not Working: 7 Working Solutions
Discord has features on par with other messaging apps, but it’s particularly useful for gamers. The app has an overlay feature for accessing chats quickly, allowing you to switch between channels and DM threads, even toggling it off and on. The overlay works fairly well in some games but has trouble in others, e.g., the Windows 10 version of Minecraft. If you find the Discord overlay not working, we have troubleshooting tips to try to resolve the issue.
Key Points for Discord Overlay Not Working
You can troubleshoot Discord overlay not working issues by:
- Disabling Overlay for all or select games
- Running the app as the administrator
- Making sure your antivirus isn’t causing problems
- Disabling the Hardware Acceleration feature
- Reinstalling the app
- Changing the overlay hotkey
Method 1: Disable Discord Overlay to Fix Discord Overlay Not Working
To disable the Discord overlay for any and all games to troubleshoot Discord overlay not working, follow these steps:
- Open the Discord app.
- In the column on the bottom left, click the cogwheel to access Discord’s settings.
- Scroll down and select Game Overlay.
- Turn the ‘Enable in-game overlay’ switch off.
- Launch the game where the overlay has been showing up, and check if it’s still there. If it is, quit and re-open Discord.
- Once turned off, you can turn the overlay on again from a game by tapping the toggle keyboard shortcut, which is Shift+` by default.
Method 2: Disable Discord Overlay for Select Games to Solve Discord Overlay Not Working
The Discord overlay can be disabled on a per-game basis, which can help fix Discord overlay not working for specific games.
- Open Discord.
- In the column on the left, click the cogwheel button at the very bottom to access Discord’s settings.
- On the Discord settings screen, scroll down and select Registered Games
- You will see all your games listed under ‘Added Games.’ Next to each game is a monitor icon. If the icon is gray, the overlay is enabled for that game. Click the monitor icon, and it will turn red with a slash across it. This indicates the overlay has been turned off for that game.
- Launch the game where the overlay was appearing, and it will no longer appear.
Method 3: Run Discord As The Administrator to Fix Discord Overlay Not Working
Another way to troubleshoot Discord overlay not working, is to run the app under administrative settings. Here’s how:
- On your PC desktop screen, go to your Discord shortcut
- Right click the shortcut and choose Properties
- A pop-up window will open, go to the Compatibility tab
- Select the Run this program as an administrator box
- Select OK
- Open Discord and see if this fixes the overlay problem when you play your game
Method 4: Temporarily Disable Antivirus to Fix Discord Overlay Not Working
Some 3rd-party antivirus apps can cause errors with Discord or other applications. If you’re asking, “Why is my discord overlay not working?”, it could be your antivirus. The best way to find out is to temporarily disable it. Here’s how:
For Windows:
- Go to your system tray (taskbar) and click the ^ symbol, usually near the clock
- Your antivirus should be visible, as well as other programs. If not, you can access your antivirus through the search bar
- Right-click your antivirus
- Choose Shut Down Protection, Disable Protection, or whatever equivalent your antivirus shows
- Confirm with Yes or Ok if prompted
- Don’t forget to re-enable it when you’re done using Discord
For Mac users:
- Press the spacebar and Command button at the same time
- Fill in the name of your antivirus
- From there, click on the antivirus to get to the settings
- Look for options such as Disable, Turn off, Stop, etc. Every antivirus is different
- Don’t forget to turn it back on when you’re done using Discord
Method 5: Disable Discord’s Hardware Acceleration to Fix Discord Overlay Not Working
[file:disable-hardware; alt:Hands on keyboard and mouse]
Hardware Acceleration is a way that Discord can make things run smoother through the use of your sound card and GPU. Unfortunately, it can sometimes cause the Discord overlay not working error. Here’s how to disable this feature:
- Open Discord
- Click on the Settings cogwheel
- Scroll down to Advanced and select it
- Toggle the Hardware Acceleration option to off
- Restart your game and see if the problem is resolved
Method 6: Reinstall The Discord App to Fix Discord Overlay Not Working
If bugs or glitches in the app itself are causing the problem, you can try reinstalling it. Here are the steps:
- Push the Windows and R keys at the same time (Win + R)
- This opens the Run window. Type Control Panel and hit OK
- On the upper right, choose to View by Category
- Go to Uninstall a Program
- Find Discord in the program list
- Right-click Discord and choose Uninstall
- Restart your computer
- Go to Discord’s website and install it
- Open the Discord app
- Add your game to Discord
- Enable the option for in-game overlay
- See if this fixes the problem
Method 7: Change The Discord Overlay Hotkey to Fix Discord Overlay Not Working
The hotkey for your overlay is defaulted to SHIFT+ (CTRL+ is another default for many). If pushing the hotkey doesn’t work, it may have been changed by someone else or by accident. Here’s how to troubleshoot it:
- Open Discord
- Go to the Settings cogwheel
- Scroll down to Game Overlay
- The assigned overlay hotkey will be shown
- If the hotkey doesn’t match what you thought it was, try using the displayed hotkey to open the overlay
- You can also change the hotkey by going to the Toggle Overlay Lock on the top of the screen
- Click the keyboard icon to open the Edit Keybind option
- Click Edit Keybind and “record” the new hotkey by pressing it on your keyboard
- Be sure to choose a key or combination that isn’t already commonly used for Discord shortcuts
Customizing Text and Voice Settings in Discord Game Overlay
Once you’ve installed the Discord Overlay, you can customize the program to suit your preferences so you can enjoy playing your favorite games while still keeping up with the latest messages from your friends. Customization options can be applied to text, voice display, and positioning.
Here’s how to customize your game overlay settings.
- Step 1: Open Discord
- Step 2: Click on the gear icon in the bottom-left of the screen to open User Settings.
- Step 3: Select Game Overlay under the Activity Settings.
Now it’s time to customize your settings. Below are the features that you can modify and their functions.
Discord Text Chat Customization
- Enable Text Chat Notifications: The text chat notifications option allows you to choose whether to see chat messages you receive on Discord during your gaming session. If you enable this option, you’ll receive messages while you play, but if you disable it, you won’t receive any pop-up messages.
- Chat Sources: You can also select whether to receive messages from servers or direct messages.
If you’ve muted a chat from a friend, it may not pop up even if you’ve enabled text chat notifications. You’ll need to unmute that specific chat for it to show up.
Another factor that can affect text chat notifications is Discord’s streamer mode. If enabled, streamer mode may prevent pop-up messages from showing up on your screen for privacy purposes.
Voice Chat Customization
- Display Users: This setting lets you decide whether voice chat users are always visible in the overlay or only when they’re speaking. Many users select “only while speaking” to keep things less cluttered.
- Display Names: You can also control whether usernames are always shown, only shown while speaking, or hidden completely.
- Avatar Size: Avatar size can also be set to small or large. Large avatars are easier to see but take up more space, while small avatars are better if you want the overlay to stay compact.
Overlay Position and Pinning
- Overlay Preview: In the Game Overlay settings, you’ll see a preview of how your overlay will look. This gives you a chance to adjust things before you launch a game. You can customize where the overlay appears and ensure it doesn’t block key elements of your game like a map or health bar.
- Move the Overlay: While in-game, press the overlay hotkey (default: Shift + `) to open the overlay interface. You can click and drag any voice or text window to reposition it on your screen.
- Pin or Unpin Windows: You can also choose to keep certain panels visible by clicking the pin icon. For example, you might want to keep the voice panel pinned but hide chat messages.
These customization options in Discord will help you find what works for you and ensure you don’t miss anything while enjoying your game. You can always go back and change settings if you’re not happy or want to experiment with different options.
Discord Legacy Game Overlay
In 2025, Discord released a new version of overlay, promising users expanded game support, better performance, and a few visual updates.
While many users have started using the latest version of the game overlay, some prefer the old setup. This is due to several reasons, including user preference, compatibility with older or low-spec PCs, and performance.
Discord’s Legacy Game Overlay is basically an older version of the platform’s in-game interface. It allows you to see chats, notifications, and voice actively while you game and doesn’t require you to alt-tab out.
While a newer version of Overlay is available, some users prefer using the legacy version. This is due to several reasons, including its compatibility, performance on older or low-spec PCs, and user preference.
Here’s How to Go Back to the Legacy Game Overlay
Step 1: Open Discord
Step 2: Click on the gear icon to open the User Settings
Step 3: Scroll to Game Overlay under Activity Settings
Step 4: Toggle on Enable In-Game Overlay
Step 5: Select Use Legacy Overlay or Enable Legacy Mode
Different phrases may appear based on your version of Discord.
Discord may choose to phase out the Legacy Game Overlay, adding that it will no longer receive updates. They have also not ruled out removing it entirely in future updates.
Conclusion
Discord has some great features that target gamers, but they can also take away from the gameplay. The overlay is great for co-op or multiplayer games, but single-player games may not require a chat application to be present. Thankfully, Discord has a per-game control for managing the overlay, so you can customize as you see fit to fix discord overlay not working issues.
