Why Discord Error ‘Installation Has Failed’ During Setup on macOS

When you try to install Discord on a Mac, the setup may stop with the error message “Installation Has Failed.” This usually happens because of a corrupted installer file, a permissions conflict on the system drive, or a locked Gatekeeper setting that blocks the app. The error can also occur if a previous Discord installation left behind conflicting files. This article explains the exact causes of this error and provides step-by-step methods to install Discord successfully on macOS.

Why Discord Shows “Installation Has Failed” During Setup on macOS

The error “Installation Has Failed” appears when the macOS installer cannot complete the copy or verification of Discord’s application files. The root cause is almost never a problem with your Mac hardware or internet connection. Instead, it falls into one of three technical categories.

Corrupted or Incomplete DMG File

The Discord installer is distributed as a DMG disk image file. If the download is interrupted or the file becomes corrupted on the server side, macOS cannot mount or verify the image. When you try to install, the system detects a checksum mismatch and aborts the process, showing the error message. This is the most common cause and the easiest to fix.

Gatekeeper Security Blocking the App

macOS Gatekeeper checks every downloaded app against Apple’s notarization service. If the Discord DMG was downloaded using a browser that stripped the quarantine attribute, or if Gatekeeper cannot reach Apple’s servers to verify the signature, the installation fails silently. The error appears as “Installation Has Failed” instead of a security warning.

Remnants From a Previous Discord Installation

If you previously installed Discord and later moved it to the Trash without using an uninstaller, leftover preference files, caches, or launch agents can conflict with the new installer. The macOS installer sees these remnants and may refuse to overwrite them, especially if they are owned by root or have incorrect permissions.

Steps to Fix Discord Installation Has Failed Error on macOS

Follow these steps in order. Stop after the first method that works.

1. Delete the old DMG and download a fresh copy
   Open Finder and go to your Downloads folder. Locate the Discord DMG file and drag it to the Trash. Empty the Trash. Open Safari or another browser and go to discord.com. Click the Download for Mac button. Wait for the download to finish. Do not interrupt the download.
2. Mount the DMG and copy Discord to Applications
   Double-click the newly downloaded DMG file to mount it. A Finder window opens showing the Discord app icon and the Applications folder shortcut. Drag the Discord app icon onto the Applications folder shortcut. This copies the app to your Applications folder. Do not try to run Discord from inside the DMG.
3. Open Discord using the Control-click method
   Open Finder and go to the Applications folder. Locate Discord.app. Hold the Control key on your keyboard and click the Discord icon. From the context menu, select Open. A dialog appears saying the app was downloaded from the internet. Click Open. This bypasses Gatekeeper for this one launch and allows the setup to complete.
4. Allow Discord in Security & Privacy settings
   If the Control-click method does not work, open System Settings from the Apple menu. Click Privacy & Security. Scroll down to the Security section. Look for a message that says “Discord was blocked from opening because it is not from an identified developer.” Click the Allow Anyway button next to this message. Enter your admin password when prompted. Try opening Discord again from the Applications folder.
5. Remove leftover Discord files from previous installations
   If the error persists, old Discord files may be interfering. Open Finder and press Command+Shift+G. Type ~/Library/Preferences/ and press Enter. Look for files starting with com.hamdigg.discord or com.discord. Drag any matching files to the Trash. Repeat for these folders: ~/Library/Caches/, ~/Library/Application Support/, and ~/Library/Saved Application State/. After removing all Discord-related files, empty the Trash and restart your Mac. Then repeat steps 1 through 3.
6. Repair disk permissions using Disk Utility
   Open Disk Utility from the Applications > Utilities folder. Select your startup disk from the sidebar. Click the First Aid button and then click Run. Disk Utility checks and repairs disk permissions. This can fix cases where the Applications folder itself has incorrect permissions that prevent writing new apps. After First Aid completes, restart your Mac and try installing Discord again.

If Discord Still Shows Installation Has Failed After the Main Fix

If none of the steps above work, the issue may be specific to your macOS version or a deeper system configuration problem. Here are additional scenarios and their fixes.

The DMG mounts but the app icon is missing or grayed out

This indicates the DMG file is severely corrupted. Download the installer using a different browser such as Google Chrome instead of Safari. If you have a download manager or accelerator, disable it before downloading. The file should be around 150 MB. If the downloaded file is significantly smaller, delete it and try again.

Gatekeeper shows “Discord is damaged and can’t be opened”

This message appears when the quarantine attribute is missing or the app signature is invalid. Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities. Type xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Discord.app and press Enter. This removes the quarantine flag. Then open Discord from the Applications folder using the Control-click method described in step 3.

The error appears only on macOS Ventura or later

macOS Ventura and Sonoma introduced stricter privacy controls for app installation. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security. Ensure that the option “Allow applications from” is set to “App Store and identified developers.” If it is set to only “App Store,” change it to the broader setting. You may need to click the lock icon and enter your password to make changes.

Discord installs but crashes immediately on launch

This is a different problem from the installation error. If Discord opens but then crashes, the issue is likely a corrupted app cache. After installing Discord successfully, do not open it yet. Go to ~/Library/Application Support/ and delete the folder named discord. Then open Discord normally. It will recreate the cache on first launch.

Comparison: Fix Methods vs Root Causes for Discord Installation Has Failed on macOS

Fix Method	Root Cause Addressed	Complexity
Redownload DMG from discord.com	Corrupted or incomplete installer file	Low
Control-click > Open to bypass Gatekeeper	Gatekeeper blocking notarization check	Low
Allow app in Security & Privacy settings	Gatekeeper persistent block	Low
Delete leftover Discord files from ~/Library	Conflicting preference or cache files	Medium
Disk Utility First Aid repair	Incorrect disk or folder permissions	Medium
Remove quarantine attribute via Terminal	Missing or invalid quarantine flag	Medium

Now you can install Discord on macOS without seeing the “Installation Has Failed” error. Start by redownloading the DMG file from the official site. If that does not work, use the Control-click method or the Security & Privacy settings to allow the app. For persistent issues, remove leftover files from previous installations. As an advanced tip, you can run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache in Terminal after repairing permissions to clear system caches that may interfere with app installation.