Discord is a Voice over IP applications. Basically, this app is used to communicate with friends and other people. You can chat, voice chat and do lots of other stuff in Discord. But, you might encounter a Downloading Update issue while opening the Discord app. It is pretty common to see the Downloading Update screen when users open the Discord app. But in this case, the Downloading Update screen won't go away.  Even if you leave this app open for a couple of hours, the screen will stay just the same. Closing the app and restarting will not fix this issue. Rebooting the whole system hasn't resolved the issue for anyone as well. Whenever you will open the Discord app, you will see this screen. This won't have any effect on the web version though. Almost all the users experiencing this were able to use the web version without any issues.

So if your Discord is not updating or its stuck at checking for updates then the most likely culprit behind this issue is the Discord installer/update. There is a bug in the update (or the installer) that causes this issue. That is why the issue isn't replicated on the web version. Usually, this can be resolved by reinstalling via a fresh installer. However, if that doesn't solve the issue and if you still cannot update discord then that means the problem might be in one of the app files or Window system files. So, clearing up all the files related to the Discord app will, hopefully, fix the issue.

1. Wait for Check for the Update to Work

A lot of users simply waited for half an hour or an hour and the issue as fixed for them. So, if you haven't waited then try to wait for the Discord to update. It might not be an issue at all and it might work after a while.

2. Repair/Install Discord

Reinstalling Discord has worked for plenty of users. It's a simple process that can be done in a couple of minutes. Here are the steps for reinstalling the Discord app

  1. Click here and download the Discord installer
  2. Double click to run the Discord installer and follow on-screen instructions

Note: You don't have to uninstall the previous version for this to work. Simply downloading and running the installer should work.

Reinstalling should fix discord updates being stuck.

3. Remove and Reinstall Discord

If method 1 didn't work then you might have to clean install Discord. This just simply means that you will have to manually delete some of the Discord files. If you haven't tried method 1 then we strongly suggest that you first follow the procedure in method 1. If that doesn't work then follow the steps given here.

Here are the complete steps for clean reinstalling Discord

  1. Make sure Discord isn't in the System tray. If it is, right-click the Discord icon and select Quit Discord. Just to make sure, hold CTRL, SHIFT, and Esc key simultaneously (CTRL + SHIFT + Esc) to open the Task Manager. Look in the process list and make sure the Discord process isn't in the list. If you find Discord in the process list, select Discord and click End Task

  1. Hold Windows key and press R
  2. Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter

  1. Locate and select Discord from the list of installed applications
  2. Click Uninstall and follow the on-screen instructions

  1. Hold Windows key and press R
  2. Type %appdata% and press Enter

  1. Locate and right-click the Discord folder. Select Delete and confirm any additional prompts

  1. Press backspace once
  2. Locate and double click the Local folder
  3. Locate and right-click the Discord folder. Select Delete and confirm any additional prompts

  1. Once done, click here and download the Discord installer
  2. Double click to run the Discord installer and follow on-screen instructions

Your Discord should fine after this reinstall. If you still experience issues then follow steps 1-12 and reboot. Try to install Discord when the computer restarts.

4. Run Discord as Administrator

This has worked for plenty of users as well. Running the Discord app with Administrator privileges has allowed the update to install properly.

  1. Close the Discord App
  2. Reboot
  3. If the Discord app starts automatically then close it. Make sure Discord isn't in the System tray. If it is, right-click the Discord icon and select Quit Discord. Just to make sure, hold CTRL, SHIFT, and Esc key simultaneously (CTRL + SHIFT + Esc) to open the Task Manager. Look in the process list and make sure the Discord process isn't in the list. If you find Discord in the process list, select Discord and click End Task

  1. Locate the Discord shortcut on the Desktop. Right-click the icon and select Run as administrator. If you don't have a Discord icon on the Desktop then press the Windows key You will have a Discord entry in there. Right-click Discord > More > Run as administrator

Once the app starts, the update should install without any issues.

5. Install the Discord PTB

If you are still having issues with your Discord Installation, you can install an alternative copy of Discord named "Discord PTB (Public Test Beta)"It should be already updated to the latest version as it's a beta client of Discord and it will have it's own data folders. It won't interfere with your normal Discord in any way. Also, this is an official client provided by Discord there is no need to worry about it being a dangerous program. Follow these steps, to Install the Discord PTB:-

  1. Download the Discord PTB from this link (here).
  2. Once It's downloaded, double-click on the setup and wait for Discord PTB to Install.
  3. Once it's installed, it should appear on your Desktop with the name "Discord PTB".
  4. Simply run that program and every after that is exactly like Discord. Log in and enjoy!

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Kevin is a dynamic and self-motivated information technology professional, with a Thorough knowledge of all facets pertaining to network infrastructure design, implementation and administration. Superior record of delivering simultaneous large-scale mission critical projects on time and under budget.