Discord is a popular communication platform for gamers, streamers, and professionals alike. One of its standout features is screen sharing, allowing users to share their screens with friends or colleagues. However, sometimes users experience an issue where Discord’s screen share gets stuck on loading indefinitely. If you’re facing this problem, don’t worry! In this guide, we’ll walk you through various troubleshooting steps to fix the issue and get your screen sharing working again.
1. Restart Discord Completely
Before diving into complex solutions, try restarting Discord properly:
- Close the Discord window.
- Right-click the Discord icon in the system tray (bottom-right near the clock) and select Quit Discord.
- Reopen Discord and try screen sharing again.
If the issue persists, restart your computer, as minor glitches can sometimes affect Discord’s functionality.
2. Check Your Internet Connection
A weak or unstable internet connection can prevent Discord from initiating screen share. Here’s how to check:
- Open a web browser and try loading a few websites or streaming a video.
- If the connection is slow, restart your router by unplugging it for 10 seconds and plugging it back in.
- If you’re on Wi-Fi, switch to a wired Ethernet connection for better stability.
3. Run Discord as an Administrator
Sometimes, Discord lacks the necessary system permissions to function properly. Running it as an administrator may fix the issue:
- Close Discord completely.
- Right-click the Discord shortcut and select Run as administrator.
- Click Yes when prompted for permission.
- Try screen sharing again.
4. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration is designed to enhance performance, but it may cause conflicts with Discord’s screen-sharing feature. To disable it:
- Open Discord and click on the Settings gear icon.
- Scroll down to Advanced.
- Locate Hardware Acceleration and turn it off.
- Restart Discord and test screen sharing.
5. Clear Discord’s Cache
Temporary files stored by Discord can sometimes cause issues. Here’s how to clear the cache:
- Press Windows + R on your keyboard.
- Type
%appdata%and press Enter. - Locate and open the Discord folder.
- Find the Cache folder, select all files, and delete them.
- Restart Discord and check if screen sharing works.
6. Update Your Graphics Drivers
Since screen sharing depends on your GPU, outdated or corrupted graphics drivers could be causing the issue. To update:
- For NVIDIA Users: Open GeForce Experience, navigate to Drivers, and check for updates.
- For AMD Users: Open AMD Adrenalin Software and install the latest updates.
- For Intel Users: Go to Windows Update or Intel’s website to get the latest drivers.
- Restart your PC after updating and try screen sharing again.
7. Disable VPN or Proxy
Some VPNs or proxies interfere with Discord’s ability to function correctly. Try disabling them:
- If you’re using a VPN, disconnect and restart Discord.
- If you have a proxy enabled, disable it in Windows Network Settings.
- Launch Discord and check if screen sharing works.
8. Check Discord’s Server Status
If Discord’s servers are down, screen sharing may not work. Visit DiscordStatus.com to check if there are ongoing issues. If there’s a server outage, you’ll need to wait for Discord to fix it.
9. Reinstall Discord
If none of the above fixes work, reinstalling Discord might help:
- Open Control Panel > Programs and Features.
- Find Discord, click Uninstall, and restart your PC.
- Download the latest version from Discord’s official website.
- Install it, log in, and test screen sharing.
Final Thoughts
By following these steps, you should be able to fix the Discord screen share stuck on loading issue. If you’re still experiencing problems, let us know in the comments or reach out to Discord support. Hope this guide helped you! Stay connected and happy chatting on Discord!
