Discord, the popular voice and text chat app for gamers, is down for many users today. If you’re one of them, here’s how to check if it’s down and fix it as soon as possible.

  1. Open Discord and type “discord status” into the chat box. If it says “not connected,” then Discord is not currently online. If it says “down for maintenance,” then Discord is down for maintenance and will be back up soon. If it says “up for maintenance,” then Discord is up for maintenance and will not be back online until it’s done.
  2. To fix Discord, open the app’s settings and select “connections.” Under “connections,” click on the blue button that says “Discord.” This will open a new window with your current connections list. Click on the blue arrow that says “Add a new connection.” Enter your name in the text field and click on the Add button.
  3. In the new connection window, click on the green checkmark next to Discord to add it to your list of connections. You’ll now be able to use Discord without any issues!

Check Discord’s Status Page

If you’re having trouble connecting to Discord, first check whether the service is experiencing an outage. You can do this using the Discord status page, which should report any problems. If you’re having particular problems with one aspect of Discord, like notifications or calling, you can see whether these individual services are running as intended.

If you find that Discord is having trouble and the “All Systems Operational” message isn’t showing, it’s time to sit tight and wait it out. There’s not a lot you can do until Discord fixes the issue. You can always search Twitter or Reddit to see if other users are having the same problem.

If you don’t see any problems reported, the problem may be on your side.

Check Your Internet Connection

Consider for a moment that the problem could be related to your internet connection. You can check this by accessing Discord using a mobile app over cellular instead of using home wireless or wired internet.

Based on the results of your test, you may want to restart your router or modem to see if that solves the issue. If you’re having problems accessing other websites, check your internet service provider’s status to see if there are any reported issues. You may need to contact them directly and report a fault.

RELATED: Internet Problems? Here’s How to Tell if It’s Your ISP’s Fault

Restart, Update or Reinstall

First thing’s first, restarting the Discord app may solve the issue so give that a go. You can also try restarting your computer or mobile device to see if your device’s software was to blame.

The second thing to do is to check for any updates to Discord. Updating Discord on Windows or Mac involves closing the app and opening it again, at which point it will check for updates automatically. On other platforms like iOS or Android, you’ll need to check inside the App Store or Google Play for any available updates.

If Discord is up to date, consider uninstalling the app and reinstalling it again. You can download the client for Windows, Mac, and Linux from the Discord website or use mobile storefronts like the App Store and Google Play to download the mobile app.

Other Network Tweaks You Can Try

There are some other things you might want to try if you’re still experiencing issues. You can update your DNS server on whatever device you’re having issues with to see if that helps (and you may get faster browsing performance as a nice bonus).

Discord may not work with a proxy server, so disable any proxy server you may be using on Windows, iPhone and iPad, or Android. If you use a VPN, consider disabling it and testing Discord to see if that helps.

Use the Web Version Instead

If you’re having no joy getting Discord to work via the official app, the service also has a web version you can try. Head to Discord’s website and select “Open Discord in Your Browser” then log in as you normally would.

Consider an Alternative Until the Problem Is Resolved

The truth is that there aren’t too many alternatives to Discord that do the same job of providing a place to hang out, group video and audio calls, and in-game communication.

The closest alternatives are probably TeamSpeak or Ventrilo for in-game communication, Slack or Microsoft Teams for hanging out and productivity, and Telegram or Google Hangouts for group calls. If the service is genuinely down then it might be better to just wait and read about the precursor to Discord, IRC.

RELATED: Why 2020 Is the Perfect Time to Revisit IRC