Can't Hear Anyone on Discord? Fix Discord Audio Not Working

If you can't hear anyone on Discord, start with the controls inside Discord before changing drivers or reinstalling the app. In most cases, the problem is a Deafen setting, an individual user volume slider, the wrong output device, or a Windows per-app audio setting. Work through the fixes below in order and test a voice channel after each one.

1. Make sure you are not deafened

In a Discord voice channel, check the headset icon near your username. If the headset icon has a slash through it, you are deafened and Discord will not play other people's voices. Click the headset icon to undeafen yourself. Discord's current Voice and Video Troubleshooting Guide recommends checking mute and deafen status first.

2. Check the volume for the person you cannot hear

If everyone else sounds normal but one person is silent or extremely quiet, their individual volume may have been lowered. On desktop or in the browser, right-click that person's profile in the voice channel and raise User Volume. This setting is separate from Discord's main output volume.

3. Select the correct output device in Discord

Open User Settings > Voice & Video. Under the Voice settings, choose the headphones or speakers you actually want to use in Output Device, then raise Output Volume. If you recently connected Bluetooth headphones, a USB headset, a monitor over HDMI, or a dock, Discord may still be pointing to a different device.

Discord's official troubleshooting steps specifically recommend verifying both the input and output device here. For a receive-audio problem, the output device is the important one.

4. Reset Discord's voice and video settings

If the device is correct but voices are still silent, stay in User Settings > Voice & Video, open the Debugging area, and use Reset Voice and Video Settings. This returns Discord's voice-related settings to their defaults, so you may need to reselect your microphone or preferred output device afterward.

5. Check Windows Volume mixer and the system output

If Discord looks correct, confirm that Windows is not muting or redirecting only the Discord app. In Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Sound > Volume mixer. Under Apps, make sure Discord is not muted, its volume is high enough, and its output device matches the headphones or speakers you want.

Microsoft's app-audio troubleshooting guide notes that per-app volume and per-app output selection can override the system settings.

Also open Settings > System > Sound and check the main Output device. This is especially important after switching between speakers, Bluetooth devices, headsets, docks, and HDMI displays.

6. Switch Discord's Audio Subsystem

On Windows, Discord still recommends trying the other audio subsystem when normal playback troubleshooting fails. In User Settings > Voice & Video, find Audio Subsystem and switch between Standard and Legacy. Relaunch Discord if prompted, then test the same voice channel again.

7. Refresh, update, or reinstall Discord

Press Ctrl+R on Windows to refresh the Discord desktop client. Discord's support documentation also recommends completely quitting and reopening the app so it can refresh normally. If the problem persists, download a fresh installer from the official Discord download page and reinstall the desktop app.

8. Test Discord in a browser

Open Discord in a supported browser and join the same call or voice channel. If browser audio works but the desktop app remains silent, the problem is likely limited to the desktop client or its audio routing. If neither version has sound, focus on Windows output, the headset connection, and the audio driver instead.

If you still cannot hear anyone

Play audio in another app. If your headphones or speakers are silent everywhere, the problem is no longer Discord-specific. Check the physical connection, confirm that Windows detects the device, disable problematic audio enhancements, and update or reinstall the audio driver. Microsoft's Windows audio troubleshooting guide covers those system-level fixes.

If Windows audio works and the browser works but Discord desktop does not, collect your Discord Voice & Video settings and debug information and contact Discord Support. That is a better next step than repeatedly changing unrelated microphone settings when the issue is specifically that you cannot hear other people.