Discord is one of the most popular tools used by gamers worldwide, and for excellent reasons. The overlay offers many useful features, but at times it fails to work properly.
This problem tends to happen when gamers are playing Among Us, PUBG, and Fortnite. We’re not sure if the Discord app has a direct issue with the games mentioned, but folks should not worry about whatever the problem may be, as it’s fixable.
What is Discord overlay?
Not everyone knows what the overly on Discord is all about, so if you fall in that category, then let us open your eyes a little bit.
OK, so the overlay is designed to let users use certain Discord features while their games are running. For example, while playing your favorite video games, you can use voice and text chat without Discord being fully open.
Suppose you do not see the overlay; press Shift + ~ to bring it up and press it again to send it back into hiding. It makes sure to update Discord if you don’t see it working.
Why am I unable to toggle Overlay on Discord?
You may not be able to toggle or use the overlay option in Discord if you aren’t using the latest version of the software or app. So, you should update it to the latest version. Also, if the Discord overlay is disabled, hardware acceleration is enabled, display scaling is hiding the overlay icon, or you moved the overlay off the screen, then also you won’t be able to use it.
How do I disable or enable Discord Overlay?
You can disable or enable Overlay on Discord via its Settings or from the Game Activity section.
Turn On or Off Discord Overlay via Settings
Maybe the overlay has been disabled, so as it stands, the best thing to do is to enable it from the Settings menu.
To make the changes, open the Discord app, then navigate to User Settings. From there, go to App Settings and be sure to select Overlay. When you see the option that reads, Enable in-game overlay, click the toggle button to turn it on.
Read: How to reduce Discord CPU usage in Windows 11.
Disable or Enable Discord Overlay from Game Activity Section
If the above option fails to work here, the next best thing is to activate the overlay via the Game Activity section in Discord.
Fix Discord overlay not working
These suggestions should help you fix the overlay issue with all the games listed in Discord.
- Restart the PC
- Run Discord Application as Administrator
- Enable Discord Overlay for Specific Game
- Ensure No Other Overlay Is Active
- Check Display Scaling
- Toggle Overlay Button in Settings
- Disable Hardware Acceleration If It’s On
- Disable Antivirus or Security Software
You may need admin permission for some of the solutions to resolve the issue of Discord overlay. Also, make sure you have the latest version of Discord.
1] Restart the PC
Basic, but this works like magic in almost every case. When your restart, Discord, including any related services, will be started from the ground up. So before moving to any advanced troubleshooting, always restart the PC once.
2] Run Discord as Administrator
Unlikely, but still possible. Next time you want to use Discord, right-click it and run it as an administrator. Try Overlay, and if it works, you need to set up a permanent Discord shortcut that launches Discord with administrator permissions.
3] Enable Discord Overlay for Specific Game
Discord offers settings for each game, so you can choose if the overlay will work for it or not. If you have disabled it or forgotten about it and now wonder what went wrong, this is why.
Go to Library to view the game list. Right-click on the game, and uncheck the Disable Overlay option. Next time you play the game, check if this works.
4] Ensure No Other Overlay Is Active
Similar to Discord, Xbox Game Bar also offers an overlay while you are playing the game. It may conflict, and even though Discord Overlay is working, it doesn’t show up because of the existing overlay. Ensure all other overlays are closed.
5] Check Display Scaling
Depending on your monitor, display scaling can result in the hiding of the overlay. Windows offers to change the size of texts, apps, and other items, which fits well in your display.
Go to Settings > Display > Scale and Layout. Here you can play around with the settings to fix the problem.
6] Toggle Overlay Button in Settings
- Return to the User Settings section of the Discord app
- Go to Game Activity after scrolling down to the bottom
- When all of that is done, you should see a green box with the name of the game you’re currently playing.
- To the game’s right, you should see an option to turn on or off the overlay.
- Click here, then choose what happens.
Read: Discord streaming is not working in the browser.
7] Disable Hardware Acceleration If It’s On
We’ve found out that one of the primary causes of the missing overlay option has much to do with hardware acceleration.
At least it affects some systems, so not everyone will ever face an issue with it.
To get things moving in the right direction, return to the User Settings in Discord, be sure to venture off to Appearance, then go to Hardware Acceleration. Click the toggle button to the right to turn it off.
If nothing helps, you may need to reinstall the Discord app. Make sure to remove any leftover files, so there is no conflict.
Read: How to enable and use Text-to-Speech feature in Discord.
8] Disable Antivirus or Security Software
Again, it is unlikely, but if there is a security module that doesn’t allow this overlay as it can be insecure, follow this. If available, disable the Antivirus or security software on your PC, and try the overlay again. If this works, you need to identify the security settings blocking the overlay.
Let us know if this helped.
Does Discord overlay affect FPS?
Any overlay, whether it is an In-Game Overlay or an app feature, requires resources and uses FPS. The FPS consumption of an overlay may range from 0 to 5. So yes, Discord overlay can affect FPS, but it shouldn’t affect your PC performance if you are using a high-configured system.
Read Best free Discord alternatives for Windows 11.
