Discord is one of the most popular communication apps for gamers and communities. It offers a Game Overlay feature allowing users to interact with others on Discord without leaving the game. You can turn on Discord Overlay to chat with others or watch videos while playing games. Check the details below.
What Is Discord Overlay?
Discord Overlay is designed to enhance communication during gameplay. It allows users to access some Discord functions without leaving the game they are playing. This feature is useful for users to interact with friends, gamers, or the community while gaming.
This Overlay feature offers real-time communication to let you see who is talking, send or receive messages, or join voice channels while you are in a game.
After enabling Discord Overlay, a small, semi-transparent interface will appear on top of your game window. It shows real-time notifications like new messages, incoming voice calls, who is speaking in a voice channel, etc. Everything on Discord is accessible in real time while you are immersed in your game.
For multiplayer games, it also ensures smooth communication between you and your friends, improving the game cooperation.
Discord Overlay works well with the most popular games including League of Legends, Fortnite, PUBG, Apex Legends, etc. Many games are optimized to work with this Discord feature.
The Overlay feature is only available on PC. The main reason is that this feature uses game-specific APIs to display in-game information, notifications, etc. Many PC games support APIs. However, APIs are not available on mobile or game consoles. Therefore, the overlay feature is not available on mobile or console platforms.
How to Turn On/Off Discord Overlay
Method 1. Enable/Disable Discord Overlay from Discord Settings
Step 1. Launch the Discord app on your PC. Log into your Discord account. Click the gear icon next to your username in the bottom left corner to open Discord’s user settings.
Step 2. In the left sidebar, click “Game Overlay” under the “Activity Settings” section.
Step 3. In the right window, turn on the “Enable in-game overlay” option under “Enable Overlay” to turn on Discord Overlay for every game on your computer. To turn off Discord Overlay, you can toggle off this option.
To enable or disable Discord Overlay for individual games, click “Activity Status” in the left panel. You can see a list of detected games you recently played on your PC. Click the screen icon next to the target game to turn on or turn off the overlay feature for that game. If you don’t see the game on the list, you can click “Add it!” to add the game to the list.
Method 2. Turn On/Off Discord Overlay via In-Game Shortcut
If you are playing a game, you can use the Overlay hotkey to turn on or off the Overlay feature.
Step 1. Press the Discord Overlay hotkey “Shift + `” to open the overlay feature. This is the default keyword shortcut. You can change the hotkey by navigating to “Keybinds” in Discord settings.
Step 2. Next, click the settings icon on the overlay menu. Go to “Game Overlay” settings.
Step 3. Toggle on or off the “Enable in-game overlay” option. It lets you enable or disable the overlay function for your current game.
Related: How to Set Up Discord Screen Share on Computer/Mobile
How to Customize Discord Overlay
On the Discord Game Overlay settings screen, there are some other settings to let you customize the overlay settings.
Toggle overlay lock: enable this option to prevent accidentally moving the overlay while you are in a game.
Avatar size: change the size of your avatar.
Display names: choose whether to display names.
Display users: choose whether to display users.
Location of overlay notification: choose where to display notifications on your screen.
Transparency: adjust the opacity slider to change the transparency of the overlay.
How to Use Discord Overlay in Games
After activating the Discord Overlay feature, you can use it to easily manage your voice chat settings and notifications.
- If someone starts a voice chat in a channel while you are in a game, you will see a small popup displaying the speaker’s name.
- You can receive Discord notifications on top of your game.
- You can click the “microphone” icon in the overlay to mute your microphone during gameplay. You can also click the “headphone” icon to mute both your microphone and incoming audio.
- You can click the volume slider to adjust the volume for other game players directly in the overlay.
- Access your voice settings to change input/output devices.
- Join voice channels on the fly without leaving the game.
- Use the overlay for in-game text chat, private messages, and server notifications.
Fix Discord Overlay Not Working – 8 Tips
If Discord Overlay is not working, try the 10 troubleshooting tips below to fix the issue.
1. Check whether the Overlay feature is enabled in Discord settings. The steps are provided above.
2. Check if the game supports Discord’s Overlay. Not all games support this feature.
3. Try to run Discord as an administrator. Right-click the Discord app and select Run as administrator.
4. Disable hardware acceleration in Discord. Sometimes it may conflict with the overlay feature. Go to Discord Settings > Appearance > Advanced, and toggle off the Hardware Acceleration option.
5. Disable the game’s fullscreen optimization. Right-click the game and select Properties. Select Compatibility and check “Disable fullscreen optimizations”.
6. Update the Discord app to the latest version.
7. Reinstall the Discord app.
8. Contact Discord support for help.
Best VPN to Encrypt Discord Communication
To encrypt your communication and protect your privacy on Discord, you can use a VPN for Discord which can encrypt all your online data.
LightningX VPN is a top VPN that is available on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Android TV, Apple TV, etc.
This VPN offers a vast network of global servers, covering 50+ countries. You can use this VPN to access and use Discord in any location and encrypt all your communication on Discord.
It uses strong encryption protocols/algorithms like WireGuard, Shadowsocks, Vless, and AES-256 to encrypt and protect your online data. A strict no-logs policy is followed.
You can use this VPN to change your IP address to a location of your game partner to get fast communication and gaming speed. It also helps hide your IP to avoid any tracking.
Use LightningX VPN to unblock and use YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Netflix, Disney+, and other websites/apps from any location.
Discord Overlay – FAQs
1. Does Discord Overlay work on all games?
No, it doesn’t work with all games. It may not work with full-screen games, games with anti-cheat systems, or games with custom game launchers or engines.
2. What is the shortcut for Discord Overlay?
The default shortcut to open Discord Overlay while gaming is Shift + `.
3. Can I use Discord Overlay without having Discord open?
No, you need to open Discord to use this feature. The overlay works by interacting with Discord in the background.
Related: Fix Discord Not Opening on Windows 10/11, Mac, Android, iOS
4. How can I disable the Overlay during a game?
You can press the Shift + ` keyboard shortcut to turn on or off the overlay.
5. Will Discord Overlay impact game performance?
Most gamers don’t experience significant performance issues while using Overlay in gaming.
