While Discord supports screen sharing, many users face an error while starting a screen-sharing session on Windows. The reasons for screen share errors include missing privileges, corrupt cache, meddlesome experimental features, and sharing DRM-protected content. Try out these ten methods to get the Discord screen share working again.
Table of Contents
1. Some Preliminary Fixes
Discord doesn’t allow you to share DRM-protected content including platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and more. So, avoid sharing content from these apps. There is a method to bypass this Discord restriction that you can check out. Also, ensure that you are using Windows 10 or a newer version to enjoy all features including screen share with audio without any issues.
If you plan to screen share with more than 50 users, it won’t work. Discord currently caps the screen share limit to 50 participants and one host. Try reducing the number of participants in your screen-sharing session.
2. Run Discord With Admin Privileges
If Discord isn’t running with administrator privileges on your PC, you will face issues with screen sharing. Here’s how to always launch Discord with administrator privileges on your Windows PC:
1. Press the Windows key + I to open the File Explorer. Paste the following path in the address bar and press Enter.
C:\Users\Asus\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Discord Inc
2. Click on the Discord shortcut and press the Ctrl key + Enter to open the Properties option.
3. Click on the Advanced button.
4. Select the Run as administrator check box and click on the OK button.
5. Lastly, click on the Apply button and then click on OK to exit.
3. Add the App to Discord
Discord may have trouble identifying the app you want to screen share with friends or in a Discord server. So, you must manually add the app to Discord. Here’s how:
1. Firstly, launch the app or game you want to screen share using Discord. Otherwise, it won’t be able to recognize the app.
2. After that, click on the Settings icon in Discord.
3. Scroll down to the Activity Settings section and click on the Registered Games option.
4. Click on the Add it button and type the name of the app. Click on the search result.
5. Now, click on the Add Game button.
4. Switch to Windowed Mode
Discord can face troubles in capturing games or apps running in full-screen mode. If you are screen-sharing an app like Chrome, it will run in windowed mode. But games tend to run in full-screen mode and you cannot simply press F11 to switch to the windowed mode. So, you will have to access the game settings and tweak the display mode from there, like the one in the attached image.
5. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration harnesses the power of your GPU to improve the visual performance of Discord. But often, this setting tends to encounter problems such as Discord screen share not working on Windows. Here’s how to disable it:
1. Open Discord settings and locate the App Settings section. Click on the Advanced option.
2. Now, click on the toggle next to the Hardware Acceleration option to disable it.
3. You will have to re-launch Discord to apply the changes. Click on the Okay button.
6. Disable Advanced Technolgy Video Setting
Many users found that disabling the default video settings for screen share fixed their problems in Discord. Follow the below-mentioned steps:
1. Open Discord settings and locate the App Settings section. Click on the Voice & Video option.
2. Scroll down to the Screen Share section. Click on the toggle next to the Use our advanced technology to capture your screen option to disable it.
3. Restart Discord.
7. Turn Off the Experimental Method Setting
Like the advanced technology option in Discord, enabling the experimental method to capture audio can also pose issues while screen sharing on Discord. You will have to disable this feature as well.
Just visit the Voice & Video section like you did in the previous method and go to the Screen Share option.
You will find the Use an experimental method to capture audio from applications right below the ‘Use our advanced technology to capture your screen’ option. Click on the toggle to disable the feature.
8. Disable the Cisco Video Codec
If disabling the Advanced technology and experimental method settings didn’t fix the feature, you can disable the Cisco Video Codec in Discord. Remember that, it will disable the Hardware Acceleration and AV1 video codec as well. Here’s how:
1. Open Discord settings and locate the App Settings section. Click on the Voice & Video option.
2. Scroll down to the Advanced section. Click on the toggle next to the OpenH264 Video Codec provided by Cisco Systems, Inc to disable the feature.
9. Empty Discord Cache
App cache can get corrupted and outdated with time. So, flushing the Discord app cache can help in resolving inherent issues with the app and its features. Follow the below-mentioned steps:
1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type %appdata% and press Enter.
2. Navigate to Discord > Cache folder.
3. Press the Ctrl key + A to select everything inside the Cache folder. Then press Shift + Delete to remove everything permanently. Click on the Yes button.
4. Close the file explorer and relaunch Discord to check if you can screen share without any issues.
10. Reinstall Discord
If the Discord app installation is buggy or corrupt, you must remove it and reinstall the app from Microsoft Store. Here’s how:
1. Right-click on the Start button to launch the Power User menu. Click on the Installed apps option.
2. Find the Discord app in the list and click on the meatballs (…) button. Select the Uninstall option.
3. Click on the Uninstall button again to confirm your action.
4. Launch Microsoft Store and search for Discord. Download and install the app and then sign in to your account.
Screen sharing on Discord can help you share your findings (data, clips, images, games) with your friends and even other servers. But if you face the Discord screen share not working issue, try running the app with admin rights and disable hardware acceleration and a few experimental features. Lastly, empty the Discord cache and do a complete reinstall on your Windows PC.
