Discord can't hear anyone

Whether you are a hardcore PC gamer or play games on mobile, you must familiar with the Discord application. Discord is one of the most popular VoIP applications that allows gaming users to chat, share images and videos include audio-video calls and screen share among their friends in a particular chat server. Discord is popular for its outstanding performance but sometimes you might experience bugs and technical errors that cause different problems with Discord. Few users report, Discord audio not working or Discord can’t hear anyone even they have a stable internet connection.

Why can’t I hear anyone on Discord?

There isn’t any specific reason why it’s happening, But usually the primary ones behind the Discords audio issue are the improper audio settings or a bug taking place in the app. Again older version of the Discord app or outdated sound driver/ firmware also causes various problems. Here we have few solutions that probably help fix Discord can’t hear anyone on windows 10.

How to fix Discord can’t hear anyone?

Make sure Discord is up to date or you have the latest version of the Discord app installed on your computer.

Close the Discord app and restart it, this is the universal fix to eliminate minor bugs that ceases the app to function properly.

Ensuring the proper hardware connectivity of your headphone jack to the computer audio inputs and outputs is the most obvious check that one should perform before all.

Outdated firmware and drivers of your audio device can cause the problem. Installing the latest Windows update regularly or visit the manufacturer’s website to see if there’s any latest version available for your device model.

If you are using any third-party voice-altering software for Discord then it might be the cause behind the interruption of the Audio. We recommend turn off such apps and then check if the issue persists or not.

Press Windows key + S, search for sound mixer options and select the first result. locate the Discord option and increase its volume to the fullest.

Discord volume change

Refresh Discord app

It is possible that the Discord App encountered a temporary bug or glitch which cause it to not work properly.

open task manager and look for Discord process, select it and click on end process. Now, open the Discord app from your Desktop and try joining one of your voice servers to see if you would be able to hear anyone from the voice chat.

Set As Default Device in Sound Settings

It’s possible that your audio device is not selected as the default hardware to be used by your computer. Let’s Set Your Audio Hardware as the Default Communication Device following the steps below.

  1. In Windows Taskbar locate the Speaker icon, right-click on it select the sounds
  2. A sound window will appear on the screen and then click on the Playback
  3. A set of available devices will appear on the screen, now select the required device and then select the Set As Default Device
  4. Repeat this process for Set as Communication Devices an option.
  5. To confirm your selection, look for the green checkmark and then click the Apply button and then
  6. Restart Discord, and see if the problem has been resolved

Default Device in Sound Settings

Use the Legacy Audio Subsystem

There are chances incompatibility between your hardware and Discord’s latest subsystem might cause Discord no sound from others. We recommend revert to Legacy Audio Subsystem which probably helps fix the issue. Follow the steps to change back the settings to Legacy Audio Subsystem.

  • Open the Discord application and go to the bottom-left of the screen and select the “User Settings” tab; it’s the little gear icon underneath the server channels.
  • Under the App settings Row, look for Voice and Video tab and click on it.
  • Scroll down to the audio subsystem and look for Legacy in the Dropdown menu.
  • After changing the settings, click OK in the appearing window.
  • Discord will re-launch by itself.

Legacy Audio Subsystem

Check you are using the correct Output Device

Discord can’t hear anyone if you have inappropriate input and output Audio Settings.

  1. Open the Discord application and go to the bottom-left of the screen and search for a cog icon, near the user’s avatar.
  2. Under the App Settings row, look for Voice and Video tab and click on it.
  3. Look for the Output Device and look for the desired output device in which you wish to receive audio and also adjust the output audio.

Discord Output Device

Reset Voice Settings

  • Open the Discord application and go to the bottom-left of the screen and search for a cog icon, near to the user’s avatar.
  • Click on the User’s Setting then Click on the Voice and Video.
  • In the voice setting, scroll down to the bottom of the page. Here, you will see the Reset Setting Click on it.
  • A confirmation box will appear on click the reset option. Click the Okay button to proceed further.

Use the Web App for Discord

If all of the above methods don’t work, then it is better to use the web version (discordapp.com) of the Discord application. The web version of the Discord application doesn’t require any special permissions to run and also doesn’t require to install on your PC.

If the desktop version works properly, we recommend reinstall the Discord app following the steps below.

1. Open Task Manager and End all the Discord Instances.
2. Open Run, Type “%AppData%/Discord” and press Enter. Once you are in the Discord Folder delete it.
3. Open Run again Type “%LocalAppData%/Discord”. Now Delete this folder as well.
4. Restart your system
5. Now Reinstall Discord via this link: https://discord.com/download

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Steve Ballmer
With over 7 years of experience in the IT industry, I have experience in IT support, helpdesk, sysadmin, network admin, and cloud computing. Certified in Microsoft Technologies (MCTS and MCSA) and also Cisco Certified Professional in Routing and Switching.