How to fix can’t hear anyone on Discord?

Question

Issue: How to fix can’t hear anyone on Discord?

Hey, I need help with the Discord app. I often use it for voice communication, and recently I can't hear anyone on Discord voice channels. This is a huge problem for me, as it is my to-go app for online voice chat. Is there anything that could be done?

Solved Answer

Discord is an innovative application that allows Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication between users and is most commonly used by the video game community. Unlike its previous alternatives like TeamSpeak or Ventrilo, Discord is very easy to set up and use and is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and other platforms. Due to extensive accessibility and its freeware status, Discord's popularity grew rapidly since its initial release in 2015, accumulating around 250 million users by July 2019.^[1]

Despite being one of the most successful communication apps out there, Discord has its own share of issues. First of all, the platform is often abused by malicious actors who attempt to spread malware (such as NanoCore or AnarchyGrabber)^[2] via direct messages or mislead users into entering their sensitive information via spoofing sites. Due to these reasons, the term “Discord virus” was born, and many use it refer to malicious activities that are performed via this VoIP program.

Many users praise Discord for its stability, simple UI, and other features. Despite this, people do not avoid technical problems with the app completely. One such issue relates to sound issues – people simply can't hear anyone on Discord. Due to these reasons, the developers often ship new updates to ensure the best user experience, although it does not always fix issues.

In many cases, users claim that Discord sound issues arise seemingly out of nowhere – the green rings of people talking are visible, and the user can be heard by others, although no sound is coming out through the speakers or headphones. Once use on Reddit said that the audio is working when using other sources, such as YouTube:^[3]

I can see the green rings of people talking, and they confirm they can hear me but I can't hear them, I hear audio fine on Youtube and with my Windows Media Player, but not on Discord?

Naturally, a question arises: how to fix can't hear anyone on Discord? Well, the answer is not that simple, since the issue can be related to multiple factors. Luckily, most of the sound issues related to the app can be fixed locally, although there were also known Discord or Windows updates that used to meddle with the sound.

Below you will find solutions that should help you fix sound issues on Discord, and you should be able to use this awesome app for voice communication once again. Before you proceed with manual methods, we advise you to perform a full scan with a PC repair tool Reimage, it can sometimes repair Windows systems automatically.

Solution 1. Set your headphones/speakers as a default communication device

One of the most common problems that result in users not hearing anyone on Discord is incorrect sound settings. Thus, you need to make sure that your headphones or speakers are set as your default communication device.

• Type in Sound into Windows search bar
• Select Change system sounds option
• Select Playback tab at the top of the window
• Right-click on your output device (headphones or speakers)
• Select Set as Default Device, then repeat the process and click on Set as Default Communication Device
• Click Apply and OK

In case you cannot view your device on the list, you should do the following:

• Go to Playback tab once again
• Right-click anywhere on a blank space within the window
• Select Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices

Solution 2. Set correct output device via Discord

• Open Discord app
• Click the User Settings icon
• Go to Voice & Video on the left
• Under Voice Settings, click the drop-down menu and select Default
• Now check the Output volume – make sure it is not set to 0

Solution 3. Turn on Legacy Audio Subsystem

• Open Discord and go to Voice & Video settings once again
• On the right, scroll down till you reach the Audio subsystem section
• If the setting is set to Standard, replace it with Legacy

Solution 4. Try Discord web version

If you still can't hear anything on Discord, you should try web version of the app – simply go to the official Discord website and access your account by entering your login information.

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