Your Ultimate Guide to Streaming on Discord: Steps, Methods, & Tips

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Elevate your Discord gaming sessions by streaming to your friends
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One of the big draws of Discord is that in addition to having voice chatting, it allows streaming directly into the application as well. And unlike streaming platforms like Twitch, you don't need any extra programs or special equipment to get started—you can go live to your friends in just a few mouse clicks (or screen taps, because you can stream on mobile, too!)

Quick Steps

  1. Join a voice channel or start a voice call in a DM.
  2. Click or tap the Share Your Screen button.
  3. Select the application or screen you want to share.
  4. Choose your stream settings (desktop only).
  5. Click Go Live , Start Broadcasting , or Share .
Section 1 of 7:

Using a Computer

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  1. 1
    Join a voice channel on a server or direct message (DM) someone. You can stream on Discord in a voice channel , or you can stream with someone in a direct message. [1]
    • To open a voice channel, click any server in the menu bar to the left. Then click a channel below "Voice Channels."
    • To direct message someone, right-click (or Control-click on Mac) and click Message .
    • To stream into a voice channel, click or tap it to join. You must also have video permissions in the server of the specific voice channel to stream there, and only server admins or the server's owner can edit these permissions.
    • If you are an admin, you can set streaming permissions for a specific role by clicking your server name at the top and then clicking Server Settings > Roles .
      • Select the Permissions tab and select a member, or click Default permissions" (everyone).
      • Toggle on the "Video" permission.
  2. 2
    Start or join a voice or video chat. To join or start a voice chat in a voice server, click Join Voice . In a DM, click the phone or video camera icon in the upper-right corner.
    • Click Invite friends to invite people to join the voice chat in a server.
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  3. It's the monitor with an arrow in it.
  4. Select one of the tab categories at the top of the screen, then select the screen, application, or source you want to share.
    • You can select from an open application, one of your screens, or a capture device like a webcam. Once you click on an option, you'll need to confirm your stream settings.
    • Alternatively, if you're playing a game recognized by Discord, you can click the Stream button next to the game's banner in the bottom-left corner of the app. To add an application as a game, go to User Settings > Registered Games , then click the Add it! link near the top of the screen.
    • If you are using the Discord web app, select a window or a screen that pops up in the dialog box. Make sure to click Allow if your browser asks if Discord can use your microphone and share your screen.
      • On Google Chrome (or Chromium-based browsers like Opera), you can also share tabs.
      • Audio sharing is also only available on Chrome (and Chromium browsers) when sharing a tab or your entire screen. To enable audio sharing, click the toggle at the bottom of the dialog box.
  5. 5
    Turn on your camera (optional). If you want to use your webcam to stream your face, click the camera icon at the bottom of the menu on the right on a desktop computer or at the bottom of the page on Mobile.
  6. 6
    Click Go Live . It's the purple button in the lower-right corner of the window. Click this icon when you are ready to start streaming.
    • On the desktop and web apps, you can change your stream source once you've started streaming by clicking the Share Your Screen button in the bottom-left corner again (which now has an icon of a monitor with an X on it) and selecting Change Windows .
    • You can also change stream sources by clicking the arrow next to the Share Your Screen button while the voice channel or DM is open.
    • You can also change your stream quality in this menu by hovering Stream Quality and selecting a new frame rate and resolution.
  7. 7
    Select an activity (optional). Discord has several activities you can do with your friends on Discord. These include YouTube, Amazon Music, and a variety of games. To choose an activity, click Choose an activity when you start a voice chat, or click the Start an activity at the bottom of the menu bar on the left. Then, select an activity and click Launch .
  8. 8
    End your stream once you've finished. Click the "Stop Streaming" icon (the screen with a plus +) at the bottom of the screen.
    • Alternatively, Discord will automatically end a stream if you're streaming an application and you close it down.
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Section 2 of 7:

Using a Mobile Device

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  1. 1
    Open a voice channel on a server or a direct message (DM). You can stream in a voice channel or a direct message.
    • To open a voice channel, tap a server icon in the menu to the left, then tap one of the channels below "Voice channel."
    • To send someone a direct message, tap and hold their username anywhere in the app and tap Message or Voice Call .
  2. 2
    Start a voice chat. To start a voice chat in a voice channel, tap Join Voice at the bottom. To start a voice or video chat in a DM, tap the phone or video camera icon in the upper-right corner.
    • You must have video permissions to start a voice or video chat in a voice channel.
    • If you are an admin, you can grant members video permissions by tapping your channel name at the top, going to Settings > Roles , selecting a user (or @everyone), and toggling "Video" on.
    • You can stream on mobile, but the only option is to share your entire screen. Discord recommends turning on your phone's do not disturb mode to avoid unexpected notifications popping up while you stream.
  3. 3
    Turn on your camera (optional). If you want to use your phone's camera, tap the camera icon in the button menu at the bottom of the screen.
  4. 4
    Tap the button menu at the bottom. This will expand the menu and display more options.
  5. 5
    Tap Share Your Screen . It's near the top of the menu.
    • Tap Invite Friends to invite friends to your stream.
  6. 6
    Tap Start Now . It's in the lower-right corner. This starts streaming your phone screen.
    • The first time you share your screen, you may see a screen informing you of Discord's mobile screen share feature. Tap Try it now to start.
  7. 7
    Select an activity (optional). Discord has several activities you can do during a live stream, such as watching YouTube or listening to Amazon Music. You can also select an activity during your live stream by tapping the Activity button and selecting an activity.
  8. 8
    End your live stream. When you are ready to stop streaming, tap the red phone icon in the button menu at the bottom of the screen.
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Section 3 of 7:

Using Discord Overlays

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  1. The default hotkey to open the overlay is ⇧ Shift + + .
    • This method only works if you have the desktop version of Discord and the game overlay is enabled.
    • To enable overlays, open Discord and click the User Settings icon (next to your username at the bottom). Click Overlays and click the toggle switch next to "Enable in-game overlays."
    • To register a game in Discord, click the User Settings icon and select Registered Games . Then, click the monitor icon to enable overlays for that game.
  2. 2
    Go to a voice channel or DM. You can open a chat with a friend or click a server icon in the menu to the left, then click a channel below "Voice Channels."
  3. 3
    Set your streaming settings. Click the monitor icon with an arrow next to the game you're playing, then select your stream settings, just like if you were starting this stream from the desktop app.
  4. You will start streaming over Discord in the voice channel or DM you selected.
  5. 5
    Click the monitor icon with an "X" to stop streaming. It's in the same place as the button you clicked to start streaming. Alternatively, if you're streaming an app instead of your screen, Discord will automatically end the stream if you close the application.
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Section 4 of 7:

Streaming vs. Screen Sharing

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  1. These two options are very similar but have a few differences. While both options can accomplish the goal of streaming something into Discord, you may prefer to use one over the other because of these differences.
    • Streaming will only stream the selected application into Discord. If the application is in windowed mode on your computer, it will appear full screen when you stream. The stream also won't change if you tab out of the application, and will automatically end if the application is closed.
      • You may not want to use streaming if Discord doesn't recognize your game, if you're trying to stream multiple applications at once, or if you're playing a game that crashes a lot.
    • Screen sharing will, as it sounds, share your entire screen to the stream. If you tab out of a game, the viewers of your stream will be able to see that, and the stream won't end automatically if you close any applications.
      • You may not want to use screen sharing if you have private information on the screen, if you're playing a windowed game, or if your screen share has worse video quality than your stream.
Section 5 of 7:

Stream Settings Overview

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  1. When you select an application or screen to stream, Discord will show you some streaming options. Some of these options can only be adjusted before you start streaming, and others can be changed while you're live. [2]
    • What You're Streaming: Displays the name of the application or screen you selected to stream. Click Change to select something else.
      • This can be changed while you're live by clicking the Share Your Screen button again and selecting Change Windows .
    • Also share application audio: When selecting an application, checking this box will also share audio. This option is only available for users on Windows 10 or later or macOS 13 or later.
    • Streaming Channel: Displays the name of the channel you're streaming into. This is included for your information and cannot be changed from this screen.
    • Notify my friends in this server that I'm streaming: Check the box to notify anyone on your friends list who is also in that server that you've started streaming.
    • Stream Quality: The dropdown allows you to select "Smoother Video," "Better Text Readability," or "Custom." Selecting "Smoother Video" or "Custom" will allow you to adjust the resolution and frame rate, but changing these settings when you've selected "Smoother Video" will change the quality to "Custom."
    • Resolution: All users can stream in up to 720p . Nitro Classic subscribers have access to 1080p , and Nitro subscribers have access to 1440p . You can also select Source to allow Discord to stream your application in the resolution set by the source (up to the resolution allowed by your account type).
      • This can be changed while you're live by clicking the Share Your Screen button again and selecting Stream Quality .
    • Frame Rate: All users can stream in either 18fps or 30fps . Nitro Classic and Nitro subscribers have access to 60fps .
      • This can be changed while you're live by clicking the Share Your Screen button again and selecting Stream Quality .
    • Enable Clipping: When toggled on, anyone watching the stream can capture clips by pressing Alt + C .
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Section 6 of 7:

Can I stream from a console?

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  1. The only way to stream from most consoles into Discord is to use a capture card (such as an Elgato or Genki ShadowCast).
    • The one exception is that PS4 and PS5 users can use Sony's Remote Play application to stream their PS4 or PS5 to their computer, which can then be streamed into Discord. However, Remote Play doesn't always have the best streaming quality, which can result in input lag or low-resolution video.
Section 7 of 7:

Who can see my Discord streaming status?

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  1. Anyone who has access to the specific voice channel or direct message that you're streaming into will see the "Sharing their screen" or "Streaming [application name]" status.
    • This status will show under your name in a server's online members list, as well as in the DM list and friends list. It will also show whether you're set to online, do not disturb, or invisible.
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      • If you're trying to progress a Discord quest to get in-game rewards for streaming a game, you must select to stream that application, not screen share it.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040816151-Go-Live-and-Screen-Share#h_01HFFJ28PJK46RNAZ8JPEF2G0J
      2. ↑ https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040816151-Go-Live-and-Screen-Share#h_01HFFJ28PJ0F9PHJ9SKK6DWC2E

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