Cannot Hear People in Discord: Everyone, One Person or Only While Gaming

Step 1｜Test the same headphones outside Discord

Confirm that Windows can play sound through the intended device before changing Discord.

Time: Compare one change at a time

1. Check the headphone connection, physical volume control and speaker power. Start with a low volume and increase gradually, never immediately to maximum.
2. Open Windows Settings → System → Sound → Output and select the actual headphones/speakers. Check whether an HDMI/DisplayPort monitor was selected instead.
3. Play a harmless local audio file or another app’s video through the same device. Check that the player itself is not muted.
4. If it is audible, continue to Step 2. Otherwise, compare another port or available headphones and record which change helps.
5. If the intended device is absent from Windows Output, inspect its connection and manufacturer’s driver/support guidance. Changing a Discord user’s volume will not resolve that missing-device check.

Step 2｜If only Discord is silent, check deafen and output

Your microphone reaching others does not establish that your output path works.

Time: Compare one change at a time

1. Check Discord’s headphone icon and turn off deafen if you enabled it. The microphone mute controls your outgoing voice; deafen also prevents hearing the call.
2. Stop any microphone test in Voice & Video before asking someone to speak. Discord documents automatic mute/deafen during its mic test.
3. Open User Settings → Voice & Video and choose the device that worked in Step 1 by name under Output Device. Check that Output Volume is not zero.
4. On Windows 11, open Settings → System → Sound → Volume mixer. Inspect Discord’s mute/volume and its expanded output-device selection.
5. On Windows 10, right-click the taskbar speaker and open Volume Mixer for app volume. Check app routing under Settings → System → Sound → App volume and device preferences.
6. If Discord is absent from the mixer, keep the app open, ask a participant to speak during a call and reopen the mixer. After changing output, rejoin if needed and compare the same short phrase.

Use actual Windows/app audio and the call; do not assume Discord has a dedicated output-test-tone button. In the browser, inspect that browser’s mixer volume and tab/site mute instead.

Step 3｜If one person is silent, compare local settings with other listeners

The useful distinction is whether only you cannot hear them or nobody can.

Time: Compare one change at a time

1. Right-click the participant’s name/avatar and inspect your local Mute setting. Do not confuse local mute with an administrator’s Server Mute.
2. Check User Volume in that menu for zero or an unusually low level. Keep physical output modest and raise gradually while they speak.
3. Ask another willing participant whether they hear the same person. If they do, prioritize your local settings and output.
4. If nobody hears that person, ask the speaker to check physical/Discord mute and microphone testing using the microphone guide.
5. If their test plays their voice back, have them stop the test and return to the call. If a DM works but the server does not, ask its administrator about Speak permission and Server Mute.

A glowing avatar alone does not prove intelligible speech is arriving; background noise can trigger activity. Confirm a short phrase such as “Audio check, one, two, three.”

Step 4｜Separate server restrictions from an unfinished connection

Joining a channel and successfully sending/receiving voice are different observations.

Time: Compare one change at a time

1. If RTC Connecting or No Route remains, record it and follow the connection-error guide instead of increasing volume.
2. With the same headphones/output settings, compare a willing contact’s DM call and the affected server. Check another permitted voice channel too.
3. If only one server is silent, ask its administrator whether you are server-deafened. Reinstalling the app cannot lift a server restriction you cannot change.
4. If several people lose audio together, inspect Discord Status. Recheck after a relevant incident recovers; an unlisted incident still does not establish a local cause.

Step 5｜If it happens during gaming or streaming, identify which sound fails

A caller’s voice, a viewed stream’s audio and your own game sound use different checks.

Time: Compare one change at a time

1. Confirm the caller is audible before the game starts, then ask for the same phrase afterward. Compare Discord and Windows output selections before/after.
2. Temporarily lower the game’s volume to distinguish complete silence from a voice masked by louder audio. Restore an unhelpful change; use the low-user-volume guide if the voice is merely quiet.
3. If using Bluetooth, compare available wired/USB equipment under the same call conditions. If only Bluetooth is affected, use the Bluetooth audio guide.
4. If voices work but a viewed stream’s game audio does not, inspect that stream’s mute/volume and the viewer checks in the stream-no-audio guide.
5. If sound cuts out rather than remaining silent, stop screen sharing or recording one at a time and compare. Continue with the voice-cutting-out guide for that symptom.

Step 6｜Compare the browser before resetting an app-only failure

Do this after checking output and individual settings; do not run duplicate calls for the same account.

Time: Compare one change at a time

1. Leave the desktop call and open https://discord.com/app. Compare the same participant and headphones in a browser call.
2. If only the browser works, record the app’s input/output, input mode and keybinds. Fully quit from the tray, reopen/update the app and compare the same call.
3. If only the app remains silent, consider Reset Voice and Video Settings in Voice & Video’s debugging area. Labels and placement vary by version.
4. Select the output device again and compare. If unhelpful, restore recorded settings and report the separate Windows/app/browser results to support.