- Discord is a popular gamer-oriented communication platform that lets you keep in touch with your fellow gamer friends. And it’s simply awful when it lags.
- Packet loss is one of the most common and most annoying issues with Discord. In this article, we’ll explain why that happens and how to fix it easily.
- Check out our best browsers for Discord if you don’t like using the desktop app.
- Visit our How To Hub to discover more awesome fix-it-yourself guides.
Discord is a popular gamer-oriented communication platform that lets you keep in touch with your fellow gamer friends. You can create rooms, gather with others, and even make private channels within the rooms.
Once you finish setting it up, you can invite your friends and have a nice chat. Alternatively, you can use voice, which is great during heavy gaming sessions, when typing quick messages is simply not an option.
All in all, Discord is awesome and you can use it for free. So far so good, right? However, sometimes, you might experience certain issues, given that Discord is, after all, an online service.
Some of the trouble you might encounter includes high ping, packet loss, jitter, and even connection timeouts. You might think it’s not a big deal. However, VoIP services such as Discord suffer the worst when it comes to packet loss.
Has it ever happened to suddenly lose connection while talking to a friend? Have you ever heard or spoken these lines:
- I can’t hear you!
- You’re cutting out!
- Speak louder!
- Are you still there?
If these seem all too familiar to you, it may be the fault of packet loss. So you do understand how annoying this could get, especially when you’re all focused on stealing the victory from your virtual enemies.
What is outbound packet loss?
Before we get to that, you must understand what packet loss is. Packet loss occurs whenever data packets on the network never reach their destination. For instance, you send a data packet to a server, and it doesn’t make it there.
The server doesn’t get the packet, so it keeps listening until the packet reaches it. In the meantime, you will experience lag or jitter. If the packet loss is high, you will eventually lose connection.
Outbound packet loss occurs when the packets that you send never make it to the destination, as opposed to inbound packet loss, which is typical for data that you receive from the server.
Long story short:
- Outbound = data that flows outward of your PC/network
- Inbound = traffic that flows inward your network/PC
What causes packet loss on Discord?
A lot of things can contribute to data loss, not only on Discord but everywhere else, too. For instance, using Wi-Fi instead of wired connections can subject you to interference. Which, in turn, can lead to packet loss.
Another example would be network congestion. If the network you’re currently on becomes crowded, it can’t handle all requests at the same time, so it starts queueing them. Inevitably, this leads to packet loss.
Even Discord itself can be the cause of packet loss, especially if you didn’t take the time to configure it properly. That’s why packet loss is so annoying; it has a lot of possible causes and often no immediate fixes.
How to fix packet loss in Discord?
1. Use a VPN
- Download Private Internet Access and install it
- Launch it and connect to a server
- Fire up Discord and check if you still have packet loss
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However, note that using a VPN won’t magically fix the packet loss issue every time. For this fix to work, the packet loss must occur on your ISP’s side.
If you and/or your home network are leaking packets, a VPN won’t help you much. The same goes for server-side leaks.
2. Troubleshoot the connection
- Run a packet loss test as we’ve explained in our guide
- Locate the hop that’s leaking packets
- Take the necessary measure to correct the situation
Depending on the troublesome hop, packet loss can occur in four different locations:
- On your PC/home network
- Your ISP’s network
- The servers of the network distribution company
- On Discord’s servers
Therefore, there are different fixes depending on the location you’ve detected. Namely:
- Check your hardware/software, including cables and fix/repair/replace them as necessary
- Call your ISP if the problem occurs on its servers
- Ask your ISP to contact the network distribution company
- Contact Discord’s support team and inform them of your findings
As you can see, there’s no immediate fix, but it sure beats standing around waiting for the situation to solve by itself.
3. Configure your Discord app properly
- Launch Discord
- Open the Settings screen
- Go to the App Settings section
- Select Voice & Video
- Scroll all the way down to Advanced
- Disable Quality of Service High Packet Priority
- Check if the packet loss still persists
4. Make sure Windows firewall doesn’t block Discord
- Hit the Win key on your keyboard
- Type firewall
- Select the Allow an app through Windows Firewall option
- Click the Change Settings button
- Select Allow another app
- Browse to the Discord executable
- Confirm your selection
- Tick the Private and Public boxes
- Check if the problem still persists
5. Use the Discord web app
- Close the Discord desktop app
- Head over to the Discord website
- Select Open Discord in your browser
- Log into your account
- Check if you still experience packet loss
Discord can sometimes have packet loss
All things considered, like any other VoIP service, Discord can be affected by packet loss as well. However, it seems that unlike other programs, Discord has a bunch of aces up its sleeve that let you circumvent the issue.
On the other hand, sometimes not even the fixes we’ve included in this article might not work. That’s mainly because packet loss generally fixes itself, so in this situation, you might consider taking a break from the app and try again later.
FAQ: Learn more about Discord packet loss
- How to fix packet loss in Discord?
You can use a VPN such as Private Internet Access, or troubleshoot the connection manually. However, note that using a VPN doesn’t always work, especially if the leak occurs on your side or on the Discord server you’re using.
- How to check for packet loss in Discord?
Our comprehensive guide on packet loss can help you understand this phenomenon better and troubleshoot it without significant efforts.
- How to help outbound packet loss Discord?
The Discord desktop app has an option that lets you toggle High Packet Priority. If you’re experiencing packet loss, try disabling it and checking if the problem still persists.