Reduce Discord CPU usage with these 6 methods

Make Discord use less CPU through these methods.

Abdul Rashid

Abdul Rashid

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If you want to know how to make Discord use less CPU, then you’ve landed on the right page.

Discord may be one of the biggest instant messaging applications in the world, but it still has its fair share of problems. For instance, it sometimes affects the overall performance of the system by using more CPU resources. And for those who don’t know, high CPU usage can result in lag and crash issues, which no one wants.

Thankfully, there are several methods that can help reduce Discord’s CPU usage, and we’ll go through all of them in this guide.

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Quick Answer

The best way to reduce Discord CPU usage is by disabling hardware acceleration. On top of that, you can try disabling voice features like Echo Cancellation, Advanced Voice Activity, and Automatic Gain Control.

How to fix Discord high CPU usage

Here are different methods that can help you make Discord use less CPU resources.

Step

1

Force restart Discord

Sometimes, temporary processes can cause Discord to use more resources, but this can be quickly fixed by force restarting the software.

  • Open the Task Bar by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys simultaneously.
  • Next, select Discord, and then click on End Task.
    Screenshot of the task manager window on a computer, showing a list of running processes including Discord with high CPU usage and an 'end task' button highlighted at the bottom right.

Once done, launch Discord again, and it should now use less CPU than before.

Step

2

Disable Hardware Acceleration from the settings

Hardware acceleration can also make Discord use more CPU resources. But thankfully, it can be disabled in an instant.

  • Open Discord on your PC and go to the Settings. This can be done by clicking on the Gear icon next to your username.
  •  Next, go to Voice & Video, scroll down, and click on the toggle button next to Hardware Acceleration to disable it.
    Screenshot of Discord settings with the "advanced" tab open, highlighting the "hardware acceleration" toggle which is turned off to reduce Discord CPU usage.
  • Make your way into Advanced Settings and disable Hardware Acceleration from there as well.

The toggle button will be green if the feature is enabled, and it will turn grey as soon as you disable it.

Step

3

Disable voice features

We understand that enabling different voice features can improve voice chats in Discord, but these features can also take a toll on the CPU. So, in order to reduce Discord’s CPU usage, you need to disable them.

  • Click on the Gear icon to access your Discord settings.
  • Now, go to Voice & Video.
  • Scroll down and disable Echo Cancellation, Advanced Voice Activity, and Automatic Gain Control. Also, set Noise Suppression to None.

Screenshot of Discord settings focused on 'voice & video' with options for noise suppression and Krisp highlighted, showing toggles and icons to reduce Discord CPU usage.

Step

4

Restrict the number of cores

Another way to make Discord use less CPU is by restricting the number of cores it uses, and you can do it by following these steps.

  • Open the Task Manager by pressing the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys at the same time.
  • Next, go to the Details tab, find Discord, right-click on it, and select ‘Set Affinity.’
    Screenshot of task manager window with the 'details' tab selected, showing various running processes and options like "end task" highlighted in red, focusing on Discord CPU usage reduction methods.
  • Now, depending on your CPU cores, uncheck everything here except for one or two cores.Dialog box labeled "processor affinity" with a list of checkboxes for CPUs 1-11, allowing selection of processors to reduce Discord CPU usage. Buttons labeled "ok" and "cancel" are visible

Step

5

Make sure to disable Discord overlay

Discord overlay may be a useful feature, but it can end up using a lot of CPU. So, it’s best that you keep it disabled.

  • Open Discord and go to the Settings.
  • Scroll down and click on ‘Game Overlay.’
  • On the right side, click on the green toggle button next to ‘Enable in-game overlay’ to disable it. When disabled, the toggle button will become grey.

Screenshot of the Discord settings interface highlighting the "game overlay" section with options for avatar size and display style to reduce CPU usage.

Step

6

Update Discord

Running an outdated version of Discord can also cause different issues, including high CPU usage. So, in order to fix it, update it to the latest version. In this situation, we’d recommend uninstalling Discord and then downloading and installing the latest version from the official website.

Also, it would be wise to update your other device drivers, such as your audio drivers, as this can also improve the performance of your system.

Make sure to install all pending Windows updates as well.

Conclusion

This was everything you needed to know about how to make Discord use less CPU. We understand that high CPU usage issues can be frustrating, as they can cause your system to lag or even crash. However, by following the methods we mentioned, you’ll overcome the issue in no time.

Abdul Rashid

Abdul Rashid