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How to Turn Off Discord Hardware Acceleration

Introduction

Hardware acceleration is enabled in the Discord desktop application by default. The purpose of hardware acceleration is to give you a better experience when communicating with people in Discord servers. However, hardware acceleration can be a drain on your computer’s resources, resulting in a negative performance impact on other application’s and games. As a result, if you’re having issues with your computer while using Discord, an easy thing you can test is turning off hardware acceleration to see if that solves your problem.

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Steps to Turn Off Discord Hardware Acceleration

  1. Launch the Discord desktop app on your computer and then click the “Settings” icon.
  2. Scroll down to the “App Settings” section, and then click “Advanced” in that section.

  1. Click to toggle off “Hardware Acceleration.” A Change Hardware Acceleration window pops up, letting you know that turning off Discord hardware acceleration will quit and re-launch the Discord app on your computer.

  1. Click “Okay.” The Discord app will shut down and reload, and hardware acceleration will be disabled going forward unless you toggle the feature back on.

Reasons You May Want to Turn Off Discord Hardware Acceleration

1. Performance Issues

Hardware acceleration in Discord can sometimes cause performance issues for users. These issues can include lag, stuttering, or even crashes. This can make the app difficult to use, especially for those who rely on Discord for gaming or work purposes. To solve this, users can turn off hardware acceleration in Discord’s settings. By doing so, Discord will rely on the computer’s CPU and graphics card instead of hardware acceleration, potentially improving performance.

2. Compatibility

Not all computers support hardware acceleration, particularly older or less powerful machines. For users with these types of computers, hardware acceleration can cause Discord to run poorly or not at all. To resolve this, turning off hardware acceleration in Discord can allow the app to run using software rendering instead, potentially improving compatibility and performance.

3. Bugs

Hardware acceleration can sometimes result in bugs or graphical glitches in Discord. These can range from small cosmetic issues to more serious problems that affect the functionality of the app. By turning off hardware acceleration, users can eliminate these bugs and improve their overall experience with the app.

4. Power Consumption

Running hardware acceleration in Discord can consume a lot of power, especially for users on laptops. This can significantly reduce battery life, making it difficult for users to use the app on the go. To conserve battery life, users can turn off hardware acceleration in Discord’s settings, reducing power consumption and extending battery life.

5. User Preference

Some users prefer to use software rendering in Discord, rather than hardware acceleration. This can be due to personal preferences, such as the way the app looks or the level of customization that can be achieved. By turning off hardware acceleration, users can ensure that Discord runs in the way that they prefer, improving their overall experience with the app.

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About Max

Max has nearly 20 years of experience working in IT across three different industries in project management and management capacities: publishing, telecommunications and healthcare. He holds the following degrees and certifications: BS Communications, MA Communications, MBA and Project Management Professional (PMP). His tutorial-focused YouTube channel earned more than 100,000 subscribers in its first four years, and currently has more than 160,000 subscribers, 110,000,000 video views and an insane 2.4 million hours of watch time. Max enjoys learning new technology, reading and collecting comic books, listening to audiobooks and playing video games.

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