5 Easy Ways to Stop Discord from Opening on Startup

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Prevent Discord from launching when you start your Windows or Mac computer

Co-authored by Rain Kengly Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: November 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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Using Discord's Settings (Windows)

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Using Task Manager (Windows)

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Using the Settings App (Windows)

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Using the Settings Menu (macOS Ventura and Later)

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Using the Preferences Menu (macOS Monterey and Earlier)

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Video

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Tips

Is Discord opening automatically when you boot your computer? It can be super frustrating if an already slow booting process takes even longer because Discord launches and searches for updates. But that's an easy problem to solve! This wikiHow article teaches you how to stop Discord from opening on startup on Windows 10, 11, and Mac computers.

Disabling Auto Start on Discord Launch

For Windows, open the Discord app and go to Settings > Windows Settings and toggle the switch off next to Open Discord .
Alternatively for Windows, open Task Manager and go to Startup/Startup apps > Discord > Disable .
In some cases, Discord will be listed as Update by GitHub . If you don't see "Discord", check for this name instead.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using Discord's Settings (Windows)

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1
Open Discord. Click the app icon that looks like a controller on a light blue background.
- This method works for Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers and laptops.
2
Click

. You'll see this gear icon at the bottom of the Discord window to the right of your username.
- This will open "User Settings."
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This is in the panel on the left side of the window near the bottom under the "App Settings" header.
4
Click the switch next to "Open Discord" to disable it

. If the switch is gray and pointing to the left, it's off and Discord will not open when you start your computer. If this is off, you also will not see Discord in your Task Manager or Startup Apps list. ^{[1]
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- If this method doesn't work, you may need to uninstall Discord and then reinstall the program .
- Before you try the next method, toggle Open Discord back on. Otherwise, Discord will not appear in the Task Manager.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using Task Manager (Windows)

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1
Open Task Manager. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc or you can right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager .
- You can use Task Manager to disable Discord instead of using Discord settings. You cannot do both.
- If you have the "Open Discord" setting turned off in Discord, you won't see Discord in the Task Manager's Startup tab.
  - Enable this option in Discord before continuing with this method.
It's a tab running along the top of the Task Manager for Windows 10 and along the side of the window if you're using Windows 11.
3
Right-click "Discord" and click Disable . Alternatively, you can click "Discord" to select it and then click Disable .
- In some cases, Discord will appear as Update by GitHub . If you see this, right-click GitHub and select Disable .
- Doing this will prevent Discord from opening as soon as your computer launches just as the settings in the app would.
- If this method doesn't work, try using the Windows settings menu in the next method.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using the Settings App (Windows)

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1
Open the Windows Settings app. This method uses the Apps section of the Settings app to stop Discord from opening at startup. This method works for Windows 10 or Windows 11. To open the Settings app:
- Click the Windows button in the taskbar.
- Search for "settings" and select the Settings app.
This is an option in the left menu.
It has a rectangle and up-arrow icon.
4
Toggle Discord to the off position. This will prevent Discord from opening when starting your computer.
- In some cases, Discord will appear as Update by GitHub . If you see this, toggle off Update .

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Using the Settings Menu (macOS Ventura and Later)

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This method prevents Discord from opening when you start your computer. ^{[2]
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Research source}
This is the gray gear in the left menu of the Settings window.
This appears on the right side of the Settings window.
This will remove Discord from the list of apps that open at startup.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Using the Preferences Menu (macOS Monterey and Earlier)

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You can do this by clicking the Apple menu (it looks like an apple logo) and selecting System Preferences from the menu.
It's in the first grouping of icons.
You'll see a list of all the users on your Mac. Clicking your username will allow you to change the login items.
It's near the top of the menu.
5
Click to select "Discord" and click - . The minus button is at the bottom of the "Login Items" window and will remove Discord from that list.
- This change only affects the username that you chose previously. Repeat this process for other profiles, but you will most likely need their password to continue.