In a previous post, we introduce how to fix Discord awaiting endpoint bug. To further help Discord fans, we will tell you how to fix Discord overlay not working or showing issues in this post.

Part 1: What’s Overlay in Discord?

Discord overlay is a useful tool that enables you to use certain Discord features while playing a full-screen game. When you enable overlay, you’ll be able to chat, share screenshots, send messages, answer Discord calls, and customize your gaming interface in various ways.

So how can you enable Discord overlay and what to do if Discord overlay is not working or not showing? Just keep reading.

Part 2: How to Enable Discord Overlay?

Step 1. Open up your User settings

Step 2. Click the Overlay tab and enable in-game overlay

Step 3. Click the games tab

Step 4. Enable the overlay of the desired game. If your game is not in the list, run your game and then click Add it! to add your game to Discord.

Part 3: How to Fix Discord Overlay Not Working/Showing Issue

First of all, please check if you enabled in-game overlay in Discord. If Yes, try the following fixes.

Fix 1: Run Discord as Administrator

If you didn’t run Discord as administrator, you may encounter the Discord overlay not working issue. Here’s how to grant Discord admin rights.

Step 1. On your computer, right-click the shortcut of Discord and then select Properties.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, navigate to the Compatibility tab. Check the box next to Run this program as an administrator and then click OK.

Step 3. Now double click Discord and run your game again to see if the overlay is working.

Fix 2: Adjust Your Display Scale (Most Helpful)

Display scaling on Windows makes everything on your screen look bigger so that you can enjoy better visibility when using your apps. But this might cause the Discord overlay to get hidden.

If you’ve scaled your display above 100%, you might not be able to locate overlay. If this is the case, reduce the percentage and see if that resolves the issue.

Fix 3: Disable Hardware Acceleration in Discord

Hardware acceleration, when enabled, uses your GPU to make Discord run more efficiently. However, it might cause overlay not working sometimes. Follow the instructions below to check whether you turned on the hardware acceleration feature or not:

Step 1. Open your Discord, Click the gear button to open User Settings.

Step 2. On the left panel, click Appearance and then turn off the toggle next to Hardware Acceleration if you turned it on.

After Discord restarts, the issue should be resolved.

Fix 4: Add Discord to The Whitelist of Your Third-Party Antivirus Application

Most third-party antivirus programs, as well as Windows Firewall, tend to flag Discord overlay as a suspicious process, denying it the required privileges or preventing it from running.

Therefore, open your antivirus software and check if there is a Discord-related entry in the list of blocked applications or services. If so, unblock it and add it as a trusted program.

Fix 5: Check for Software Interruption

Maybe the Discord overlay not working issue is also triggered by the interruption from other applications running on your PC. Try temporarily disabling them to see if your Discord overlay works or not. If you’re running the programs that have the overlay features (such as Steam) , or you’re running the programs which can access to your microphone, they may interfere with your Discord overlay.

Tips: The programs like the screen recorders are most likely to interfere with your Discord overlay.

Fix 6: Update or Reinstall Discord

If you’ve come this far and still can’t get overlay to work on Discord, then you need to make sure that the app is up to date. If you already have the latest version of Discord, reinstalling it can help fix the overlay not working problem.

Conclusion

If you’ve tried all of these steps and still find that Discord Overlay isn’t working, it’s time to contact Discord directly. Head over to the support section of their site to get details of who to contact.

If you have fixed the Discord Overlay not working issue by following the ways above or you know other ways to fix the problem, you can leave messages below so others can have some hints too.