How to Disable Discord Overlay

Discord overlay is a useful tool that enables you to use certain Discord features while gaming. When you enable overlay, you can chat, answer Discord calls, join groups, and customize your gaming interface in various ways.

Discord overlay can sometimes be distracting and overwhelming, especially if you use it in games where you don’t need it. Fortunately, there’s a way to disable this option or choose specific games during which to display it.

This article will explain how to disable and enable Discord overlay, as well as how to deal with certain overlay-related issues.

Disable Discord Overlay

You can enable or disable Discord overlay anytime in a few clicks. To do so, just follow these steps:

1. Open your Discord app.
   
2. If the app doesn’t launch automatically, double-click on the app from the system tray. It’s on the bottom right of the page.
   
3. Click the User Settings icon at the bottom of the window. It’s the gear icon next to your user name.
   
4. Select ‘Overlay’ from the menu to the left. It’s under the ‘App Settings’ section.
   
5. Toggle the ‘Enable in-game overlay’ option off.

If this option is toggled off, the in-game overlay is already disabled on your Discord.  Once you turn the option off, the overlay will disappear from all the games.

Disable Discord Overlay from a Particular Game

If you prefer leaving Discord overlay in certain games but want to remove it from others, you can do that too. The process is similar to the one above but requires some extra steps.

1. Follow steps 1-4 from the section above.
   
2. Toggle the ‘Enable in-game overlay’ option.
   
3. Click the ‘Games’ tab.
   
4. Choose a game that you want to enable overlay for.
   
5. Toggle overlay off.

This way, your Discord overlay will only appear in the games that you want it to appear.

Discord Overlay Not Working?

There are instances when Discord doesn’t display the in-game overlay after you enable it again. Also, sometimes you can’t even find the overlay option. In this case, you can try out particular methods to fix it.

Run Discord as Administrator

Most of the time, Discord won’t allow you to tweak the Settings unless you run it as Administrator. If you want to run it as an Administrator, there are two ways to do this.

The first method requires just two clicks:

1. Right-click the Discord icon.
   
2. Choose ‘Run as Administrator.’

However, if you opt for this method, you must repeat it whenever you want to change Discord’s settings. If you want to set Discord to always lunch as Administrator, you need to:

1. Right-click the Discord icon.
   
2. Go to ‘Properties.’ A new window should appear.
   
3. Select the ‘Compatibility’ tab.
   
4. Tick the ‘Run this program as an administrator’ option under the ‘Settings’ section.
   
5. Click ‘OK.’

If you’ve done everything correctly, Discord should work properly.

Turn Off Hardware Acceleration in Discord

Some software uses hardware acceleration to draw out more GPU memory and run smoother. In Discord, this feature is enabled by default.

Sometimes, this feature can make software perform worse, especially with lower-end configurations. If you think this might be the case, you should try disabling this feature. Here’s what to do:

1. Open the Discord app.
   
2. Go to the User Settings menu.
   
3. Select the ‘Appearance’ tab from the menu.
   
4. Toggle Hardware Acceleration off.

Other Reasons for Discord Overlay Not Working

There are various other reasons for Discord’s overlay not working properly.

For instance, if the app is malfunctioning or has a glitch, you may be able to disable the overlay, but it may still appear in games. If so, reinstalling the app and trying again would be best.

Also, your antivirus software may block Discord. If you have an antivirus tool, it may interfere with Discord and disable certain features. You should look at the instructions for your antivirus tool and check if there’s a possibility to whitelist certain apps. If so, follow those instructions to add Discord to the list.

Finally, some other software may interrupt Discord. This mostly happens with other programs that can have overlay features. For instance, screen recording tools, other streaming tools, or any third-party software with access to your mic can all cause problems with Discord.

Don’t Over-Overlay

Most Discord users who aren’t satisfied with the built-in overlay usually aren’t aware of various customization options. Instead of disabling the whole feature, you can only choose certain widgets to appear while you game.

You can also customize their position and hide them until something triggers them or you want to check them out. So, before you completely give up on Discord overlay, try to tweak it a little to get the best of both worlds.

Which Discord overlay features do you find unnecessary? Which ones are essential? Tell us about your experiences with Discord overlay in the comments section below.