Discord ‘Reconnecting…’ Loop: Network Troubleshooting Path

You are in a voice channel or typing in a text chat when Discord suddenly displays a persistent “Reconnecting…” message at the bottom of the window. The app stops sending or receiving messages, voice cuts out, and you cannot interact with any server. This loop often repeats every few seconds, making Discord unusable even though other internet services work fine.

The root cause is almost always a network issue between your device and Discord’s servers. It could be a weak Wi-Fi signal, a misconfigured VPN or proxy, a firewall blocking Discord’s ports, or even a corrupted DNS cache on your computer. The loop itself is Discord’s built-in retry mechanism failing to establish a stable WebSocket connection.

This article walks you through a systematic network troubleshooting path. You will check your internet connection, adjust Discord’s voice settings, flush DNS, and configure your firewall or VPN to allow Discord traffic. By following these steps in order, you can identify and fix the specific network problem causing the reconnection loop.

Why Discord Gets Stuck in the “Reconnecting…” Loop

Discord uses a persistent WebSocket connection to keep your client in sync with its servers. When this connection drops, Discord displays “Reconnecting…” and attempts to re-establish it automatically. If the retry fails repeatedly, the loop continues.

The most common technical causes are:

• Unstable Wi-Fi or cellular signal: Packet loss or high latency prevents the WebSocket from staying open.
• VPN or proxy interference: These services route traffic through intermediate servers that may block or throttle Discord’s WebSocket connections.
• Firewall or antivirus blocking Discord: Security software may incorrectly flag Discord’s real-time communication as suspicious and drop the connection.
• Corrupted DNS cache: Your computer may have an outdated or incorrect IP address for Discord’s servers, causing connection failures.
• Regional server issues: Discord’s server in your region may be experiencing a temporary outage or high load.

Understanding these causes helps you target the right fix. The troubleshooting path below eliminates each possibility one by one.

Steps to Troubleshoot and Fix the Reconnection Loop

Follow these steps in the order listed. Test Discord after each step by joining a voice channel or sending a message. If the loop stops, you can skip the remaining steps.

Step 1: Restart Discord and Your Network Hardware

1. Fully quit Discord
   Right-click the Discord icon in the system tray and select “Quit Discord.” Alternatively, open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Escape, find Discord under Processes, right-click it, and select “End task.”
2. Restart your router and modem
   Unplug the power cables from your router and modem. Wait 30 seconds, then plug the modem back in first. Wait for all lights to return to normal, then plug in the router. Wait another 60 seconds for the network to fully come online.
3. Restart your computer
   Click Start > Power > Restart. This clears temporary network configurations and resets all software that may interfere with Discord.
4. Open Discord and test
   Launch Discord and check if the “Reconnecting…” message appears. If it does not, the problem was a temporary network glitch.

Step 2: Switch to a Wired Connection or Move Closer to the Router

1. Disconnect from Wi-Fi
   Click the network icon in the system tray, click your Wi-Fi network name, and select “Disconnect.”
2. Connect an Ethernet cable
   Plug one end into your computer and the other into an available LAN port on your router. Windows will automatically switch to the wired connection.
3. Test Discord
   If the reconnection loop stops on Ethernet, your Wi-Fi signal is weak or unstable. Move your computer closer to the router or use a Wi-Fi extender.

Step 3: Disable VPN and Proxy Services

1. Turn off any VPN client
   Open your VPN application and click the disconnect button. If you use a browser VPN extension, disable it in the browser’s extension settings.
2. Disable Windows proxy settings
   Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy. Under “Automatic proxy setup,” turn off “Automatically detect settings.” Under “Manual proxy setup,” turn off “Use a proxy server.”
3. Test Discord
   If the loop stops, your VPN or proxy was interfering with Discord’s WebSocket. Add Discord to your VPN’s split-tunnel or whitelist, or use a different VPN server.

Step 4: Flush DNS Cache

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
   Click Start, type “cmd,” right-click “Command Prompt” in the results, and select “Run as administrator.” Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
2. Run the DNS flush command
   Type the following and press Enter:
   ipconfig /flushdns
   You should see the message “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.”
3. Test Discord
   Launch Discord and check if the reconnection loop is resolved.

Step 5: Reset Discord Voice Settings

1. Open Discord User Settings
   Click the gear icon next to your username at the bottom left of the Discord window.
2. Navigate to Voice & Video
   In the left sidebar, scroll down and click “Voice & Video.”
3. Click “Reset Voice Settings”
   Scroll to the bottom of the Voice & Video settings page. Click the blue “Reset Voice Settings” button. Confirm by clicking “Okay” in the pop-up.
4. Test Discord
   Join a voice channel or send a message. The reset restores default audio and network parameters that may fix the reconnection issue.

Step 6: Allow Discord Through Windows Firewall

1. Open Windows Security
   Click Start, type “Windows Security,” and press Enter.
2. Go to Firewall & network protection
   Click “Firewall & network protection” in the left sidebar, then click “Allow an app through firewall.”
3. Find Discord in the list
   Scroll through the list of allowed apps. If Discord is not listed, click “Change settings,” then “Allow another app.” Browse to the Discord executable (usually in C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Discord\app-version\Discord.exe) and click Add.
4. Check both Private and Public boxes
   Ensure the checkboxes for both Private and Public networks are checked next to Discord. Click OK.
5. Test Discord
   If the firewall was blocking Discord, the loop should stop now.

Step 7: Perform a Windows Network Reset

1. Open Network & Internet settings
   Go to Settings > Network & Internet.
2. Click Advanced network settings
   Scroll down and click “Advanced network settings.”
3. Click Network reset
   Under “More settings,” click “Network reset.” Then click “Reset now.” Windows will warn that this will remove all network adapters and reset other network components. Click Yes.
4. Restart your computer
   After the reset completes, Windows will prompt you to restart. Click Close and restart manually if needed.
5. Reconnect to your network and test Discord
   After restart, reconnect to Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Open Discord and verify the reconnection loop is gone.

If Discord Still Shows “Reconnecting…” After All Steps

In rare cases, the issue is not on your end but on Discord’s side. Here are two remaining possibilities and their fixes.

Discord Server Outage in Your Region

Check Discord’s status page at discordstatus.com. If a regional incident is listed, you must wait for Discord’s engineering team to resolve it. Do not repeat the troubleshooting steps above during an outage.

ISP Throttling Discord Traffic

Some internet service providers throttle or deprioritize real-time communication traffic. To test this, use a VPN that you know works with Discord (such as a trusted paid VPN) and connect to a server in a different region. If the loop stops, your ISP is the cause. Contact your ISP and ask them to stop throttling Discord, or continue using the VPN as a workaround.

Fix Method	What It Does	When to Use
Restart hardware and Discord	Clears temporary network and app state	First step for any reconnection loop
Switch to Ethernet	Eliminates Wi-Fi signal instability	If Wi-Fi is weak or intermittent
Disable VPN/proxy	Removes routing interference	If a VPN or proxy is active
Flush DNS cache	Forces fresh DNS resolution for Discord’s servers	If other internet services work but Discord does not
Reset Discord Voice Settings	Restores default network and audio parameters	After changing voice settings
Allow Discord in firewall	Permits Discord’s WebSocket traffic through Windows Firewall	If Discord is blocked by security software
Windows Network Reset	Resets all network adapters and settings to factory defaults	Last resort before reinstalling Windows

You now have a complete network troubleshooting path for Discord’s “Reconnecting…” loop. Start with the simplest fix restarting your hardware and Discord and work your way through each step until the problem stops. If you reach the Windows Network Reset and the loop persists, check Discord’s status page for a regional outage or use a VPN to bypass ISP throttling. For ongoing reliability, consider using a wired Ethernet connection and keeping Discord’s Voice Settings at their defaults.