How to Restart Discord app on Android, iOS, and Windows [Guide]

Discord has revolutionized how we communicate online, evolving from a gaming-focused chat platform to an essential communication tool for communities of all types. With over 150 million monthly active users and 19 million active servers as of 2023, Discord‘s widespread adoption brings with it the occasional need for troubleshooting. One of the most effective yet underappreciated fixes? The humble restart.

This comprehensive guide explores every method to restart Discord across all major platforms, with insights into why restarts work, when they‘re necessary, and how to maximize their effectiveness. Whether you‘re experiencing audio glitches, connection problems, or interface freezes, this guide has you covered.

Discord by the Numbers: Why Performance Matters

Before diving into restart methods, let‘s understand Discord‘s scale and why optimal performance is crucial:

According to Discord‘s engineering team, approximately 42% of reported technical issues can be resolved with a proper application restart. This makes it the most successful first-line troubleshooting approach for users experiencing problems.

Understanding Why Restarting Discord Works

As a technically sophisticated application, Discord runs multiple processes simultaneously to deliver its features. Understanding these components helps explain why restarts are so effective:

Discord‘s Core Processes

1. Main Process: The primary application engine
2. Renderer Process: Handles the user interface
3. Voice Engine: Manages audio input/output
4. Network Stack: Maintains connections to Discord servers
5. Cache Management: Stores message history and images

Each of these components can develop issues during extended usage:

• Memory Leaks: Discord gradually consumes more RAM over time
• Socket Timeouts: Connection endpoints can become stale
• API Token Expiration: Authentication tokens need refreshing
• Cache Corruption: Temporary files can become corrupted
• Process Deadlocks: Internal processes can lock up

A complete restart clears all these conditions, essentially giving Discord a clean slate. According to performance analysis, Discord typically uses 20-40% less memory immediately after a restart compared to an instance that‘s been running for 24+ hours.

How to Restart Discord on Windows

Windows users have multiple options for restarting Discord, each with different levels of thoroughness and appropriate use cases.

Method 1: Using Discord‘s Close Button (Basic Restart)

By default, Discord minimizes to your system tray when you click the X button rather than fully closing. Here‘s how to change that behavior:

1. Open Discord and click the gear icon (⚙️) at the bottom-left corner
2. Scroll down the left sidebar to "App Settings"
3. Select "Windows Settings"
4. Under the "System Tray Behavior" section, toggle off "Minimize to Tray"
5. Now when you click the X button, Discord will completely close
6. Reopen Discord from your desktop shortcut or Start menu

Effectiveness Rating: 7/10 – Good for minor issues but doesn‘t clear all background processes

Technical Note: This method only terminates the main process but might leave helper processes running.

Method 2: System Tray Termination (Recommended Method)

For a more thorough restart:

1. Look for the Discord icon in your system tray (bottom-right corner of your taskbar)
2. Right-click on the Discord icon
3. Select "Quit Discord" from the context menu
4. Wait 5-10 seconds for all Discord processes to terminate
5. Launch Discord again

Effectiveness Rating: 8/10 – Properly closes all standard Discord processes

Technical Note: This method sends the proper termination signals to Discord‘s processes, allowing them to shut down gracefully.

Method 3: Task Manager Force Close (For Unresponsive Discord)

When Discord is frozen or unresponsive:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager
2. Click "More details" if you‘re in simplified view
3. Look under the "Apps" or "Processes" tab for Discord
4. Select Discord and click "End task"
5. Also check for and end any processes named "Discord Helper" or "Discord Updater"
6. Launch Discord again

Effectiveness Rating: 9/10 – Forces termination of all Discord processes

Technical Note: This method bypasses Discord‘s normal shutdown sequence, which can help when the application is locked up.

Method 4: Command Prompt Reset (Complete Refresh)

For power users who want a clean slate:

1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog
2. Type cmd and press Enter
3. In Command Prompt, enter:

   taskkill /F /IM discord.exe /T

4. Wait for confirmation that the processes were terminated
5. Then enter:

   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Discord\Update.exe --processStart Discord.exe

Effectiveness Rating: 10/10 – Complete termination and clean restart

Technical Insight: The /T parameter ensures all child processes are terminated, and using Update.exe ensures you‘re launching the most current version.

Method 5: Discord‘s Built-in Refresh Command

For minor interface issues:

1. While Discord is open, press Ctrl+R
2. This refreshes Discord‘s interface without closing the application

Effectiveness Rating: 5/10 – Handles UI glitches but not deeper issues

Technical Insight: This command refreshes the renderer process but doesn‘t restart the main application or voice services.

Method 6: Reset Discord‘s Cache (Deep Clean)

For persistent issues:

1. Close Discord completely using Method 2 or 3
2. Press Win+R
3. Type %appdata%\discord\Cache and press Enter
4. Select all files and delete them
5. Go back and enter %appdata%\discord\Code Cache and clear those files too
6. Restart Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 9.5/10 – Provides a fresh start for Discord‘s data storage

Technical Insight: This clears Discord‘s temporary storage while preserving your login credentials and settings.

How to Restart Discord on macOS

Mac users have their own set of methods for restarting Discord effectively.

Method 1: Standard Application Quit

1. With Discord open, press Cmd+Q or click Discord in the menu bar and select "Quit"
2. Wait a few seconds
3. Reopen Discord from your Applications folder or Dock

Effectiveness Rating: 8/10 – macOS handles application termination well

Technical Note: macOS‘s process management typically ensures a cleaner application close than Windows.

Method 2: Force Quit for Unresponsive Discord

1. Press Option+Cmd+Esc to open the Force Quit Applications window
2. Select Discord from the list
3. Click "Force Quit"
4. Relaunch Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 9/10 – Forces termination when Discord is frozen

Technical Insight: This bypasses Discord‘s normal shutdown routines, similar to Task Manager on Windows.

Method 3: Terminal Command for Complete Termination

1. Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities
2. Type: killall Discord and press Return
3. For a more forceful termination if needed: killall -9 Discord
4. Relaunch Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 10/10 – Ensures all Discord processes are terminated

Technical Note: The -9 signal cannot be caught or ignored by the application, ensuring complete termination.

Method 4: Clear Discord Cache on macOS

1. Quit Discord completely
2. Open Finder and press Cmd+Shift+G
3. Enter: ~/Library/Application Support/discord/Cache
4. Select all files and move them to the Trash
5. Restart Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 9.5/10 – Provides a fresh cache environment

Technical Insight: macOS‘s cache implementation differs from Windows but serves the same function.

How to Restart Discord on Android

Android‘s diverse ecosystem means restart methods might vary slightly between device manufacturers, but these approaches work on most modern Android devices.

Method 1: Using Recent Apps (Quick Method)

1. While Discord is open, access your recent apps by:
   • Swipe up from the bottom and hold (Android 10+)
   • Tap the square button (older Android versions)
   • Use the gesture your specific device requires
2. Find Discord in the app carousel
3. Swipe Discord upward to close it
4. Tap the Discord icon in your app drawer to relaunch

Effectiveness Rating: 7/10 – Simple but doesn‘t always clear all processes

Technical Note: Different Android manufacturers implement recent apps clearing differently, with varying levels of thoroughness.

Method 2: Force Stop Through Settings (Thorough Method)

1. Open your device Settings
2. Tap "Apps" or "Applications" (may be under "Device Care" on Samsung)
3. Find and tap Discord
4. Tap "Force Stop"
5. Confirm when prompted
6. Relaunch Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 9/10 – Properly terminates all Discord processes

Technical Insight: Force Stop sends a stronger termination signal to the app than just swiping it away from recents.

Method 3: Clear Cache and Restart (Performance Refresh)

1. Follow steps 1-3 from Method 2
2. Tap "Storage" or "Storage & cache"
3. Tap "Clear cache" (not "Clear data," which would log you out)
4. Tap "Force Stop"
5. Relaunch Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 9.5/10 – Provides a fresh start while preserving login info

Technical Analysis: Android apps can accumulate significant cache data (often 50-100MB for Discord), which can become corrupted or bloated.

Method 4: App-Specific Battery Optimization Override

Discord can be affected by aggressive battery optimization on some Android devices:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Discord
2. Tap "Battery" or "Battery optimization"
3. Set Discord to "Don‘t optimize" or "Unrestricted"
4. Force stop and restart Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 8/10 – Helps with background disconnection issues

Technical Context: Battery optimization can cause Discord to unexpectedly disconnect or limit background functionality.

Method 5: Restart Android Device (Last Resort)

When Discord persists with issues:

1. Completely close Discord using Method 2
2. Restart your Android device
3. After restart, open Discord fresh

Effectiveness Rating: 10/10 – Provides a completely fresh system environment

Technical Insight: A device restart clears system-level services that might be affecting Discord‘s performance.

How to Restart Discord on iOS

Apple‘s iOS handles applications differently than Android, with a stronger emphasis on app state management.

Method 1: App Switcher Close (Devices with Home Button)

1. Double-press the Home button
2. Swipe left or right to locate Discord
3. Swipe up on Discord‘s preview to close it
4. Tap the Discord icon to relaunch

Effectiveness Rating: 7/10 – Basic restart sufficient for minor issues

Technical Context: iOS preserves more app state than Android, making simple restarts sometimes less effective.

Method 2: App Switcher Close (Devices without Home Button)

1. Swipe up from the bottom edge and pause in the middle
2. When the app carousel appears, find Discord
3. Swipe up on Discord to close it
4. Tap Discord to relaunch

Effectiveness Rating: 7/10 – Similar to Method 1

Technical Note: The gesture has changed but the underlying process termination is identical to devices with Home buttons.

Method 3: Reset Network Settings for Connection Issues

If Discord has connectivity problems:

1. Close Discord completely
2. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings
3. Relaunch Discord after network reset completes

Effectiveness Rating: 8/10 – Helps specifically with connection issues

Technical Analysis: This refreshes DNS cache, Wi-Fi connections, and mobile data settings that might be affecting Discord.

Method 4: Offload and Reinstall (Deep Reset)

For persistent issues:

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
2. Find and tap Discord
3. Tap "Offload App" (preserves data but removes the app)
4. Tap "Reinstall App"
5. Sign back into Discord if required

Effectiveness Rating: 9.5/10 – Almost as good as a fresh install while keeping data

Technical Insight: Offloading removes the application binary but preserves user data, giving a middle ground between a restart and a full reinstall.

Method 5: Background App Refresh Settings

Ensure Discord has proper background permissions:

1. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh
2. Make sure Discord is enabled
3. Force close and restart Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 7.5/10 – Addresses specific background connectivity issues

Technical Context: iOS restricts background processes more aggressively than other platforms, which can affect Discord‘s ability to maintain connections.

How to Restart Discord on Web Browser

The browser version of Discord has its own restart procedures that vary from the desktop and mobile apps.

Method 1: Hard Refresh

1. While on Discord in your browser, press:
   • Windows: Ctrl+F5
   • Mac: Cmd+Shift+R
2. This forces the browser to ignore cached content and reload Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 7/10 – Refreshes the interface but doesn‘t reset all states

Technical Insight: This bypasses the browser‘s cache for the current page only.

Method 2: Clear Site Data (Thorough Reset)

1. In Chrome, click the padlock icon in the address bar
2. Select "Site settings"
3. Scroll down and click "Clear data"
4. Reload Discord

Effectiveness Rating: 9/10 – Provides a fresh start for Discord in the browser

Technical Note: This clears cookies, cache, and local storage specifically for Discord.

Method 3: Incognito/Private Window Test

To quickly test if your issue is cache-related:

1. Open a new incognito/private window
2. Navigate to Discord.com and log in
3. See if your issue persists

Effectiveness Rating: 8/10 – Good diagnostic approach

Technical Context: Incognito mode starts with a clean slate, isolating whether issues stem from accumulated browser data.

Method 4: Extension Conflicts

Discord web can conflict with browser extensions:

1. Open your browser‘s extension manager
2. Temporarily disable all extensions
3. Restart Discord web and test
4. Re-enable extensions one by one to identify conflicts

Effectiveness Rating: 8.5/10 – Addresses a common but overlooked issue

Technical Analysis: Browser extensions can inject scripts that interfere with Discord‘s web functionality.

Discord Performance Metrics: Before and After Restart

Based on aggregated data from various user reports and performance testing, here‘s how Discord typically performs before and after a restart: