Discord is home to private invite-only communities as well as large open communities centered around games, art, sports, and much more. On top of that, its VoIP capabilities add to the experience for all the users.
However, lately, many Windows users have been experiencing an issue of messages not loading on the text channel. This typically happens when you are not connected to the Internet or have a temporary ban. However, if neither is the case, continue reading on as below-mentioned are 12 such fixes that will help you get back in on the action.
1. Check your Internet Connection
The most elementary fix is to check if you are connected to the Internet.
Click on the 'Wi-Fi' icon on the left of the Taskbar. Once the flyout menu is visible, check if you are connected to a network and the connectivity is not displayed as 'Limited'.
2. Check Discord Server Status
The next logical step is to make sure that Discord itself is not facing any issues.
First, head to discordstatus.com using your preferred browser. Next, you will be able to see the uptime status of all components. If you see a red bar, hover over it and you will be able to learn more about the incident.
In case the server is experiencing downtime, wait for it to resolve and the messages will resume loading properly.
You can also subscribe to server updates on email, text, webhook, or RSS feed. To do so, click on the 'Subscribe to updates' button and choose the medium most convenient to you.
3. Make Sure you are not Temporarily Banned
If you are not able to receive or send messages to any of the channels, there is a chance you might be temporarily banned. Discord tends to ban users temporarily who spam a channel with too many reactions or copy+paste the same message in many channels.
Fortunately, a typical ban tends not to last more than 24 hours and your account should be active once the ban has been lifted. Moreover, Discord bans the IP address so creating or using a new/separate account won't help this issue.
4. Select a Specific Text Channel
When you launch Discord, it tends to load updates on all channels simultaneously. If you are working with a slow internet connection, selecting a particular channel will help it load faster.
On the Discord app/website, head to the server that you are trying to load. Then, from the left sidebar, click on the text channel that you are facing the problem with. This would force Discord to load the channel before everything else.
5. Use Mark as Read Method
Apparently, one of the Redditors has been able to load the messages by marking the channel as 'Read'. After this, the messages loaded normally and the issue was resolved. A strange fix but definitely worth a try.
From the server screen, right-click on the text channel where you are trying to load messages. Then, from the context menu, click the 'Mark as Read' option.
6. Restart/Force Quit Discord
If nothing seems to be working till now, a simple restart of the app might do the trick for you.
To restart Discord, close the app as usual. Make sure that you quit the app from the system tray as well.
Then, launch it again using the Desktop icon, Taskbar icon, or heading to the Start Menu.
If restarting also doesn't work, you can force quit the app which will force it to fetch data from the servers.
To force quit the app, press Ctrl+ Shift + Esc on your keyboard to invoke the Task Manager. Then, make sure you are on the 'Processes' tab and right-click on the 'Discord' app. Next, click on the 'End Task' option from the menu.
7. Disable Firewall and Grant Discord Network Access
If Discord has been blacklisted to access the network by your firewall, the messages will fail to load. We will be showcasing the process using Windows Defender; if you have a third-party antivirus, you can also configure its firewall.
First, head to the Start Menu and type Defender to perform a search for it. Then, from the search results, click on the 'Windows Security' tile.
Then, click on the 'Firewall & network protection' tile present in the Windows Security app.
On the next screen, click on the 'Allow an app through firewall' option to proceed. This will open a separate window on your screen.
On the separately opened window, click on the 'Change settings' button.
Next, locate the 'Update' app in the list and make sure it is allowed on both (Public and private) networks. Finally, click on the 'OK' button to save changes.
8. Try Using a Different Discord Client
You can access Discord in various ways: from the desktop app, the mobile app, or the web app in the browser. To make sure that the problem isn't with the current client you're using, try using Discord in other clients. If the messages are loading, well, you've found your culprit.
9. Disable VPN
In case you are using VPN, it can cause interference to the Internet connection. If VPN is the culprit, all you need to do is disable it on your computer and that would be it. The problem should resolve.
First, head to the Start Menu and click on the 'Settings' tile icon.
After that, click on the 'Network & internet' option from the left sidebar.
Then, click on the 'VPN' tile from the right section to proceed further.
Now, click on the 'Disconnect' tile on each VPN you are connected to. Once disconnected, relaunch the app or reload the website and check if the issue has been resolved.
10. Disable Browser Extensions
If you are using Discord on your browser, there is a chance that a third-party extension might be interfering with the website. Try disabling the extensions one by one and check if that resolves the issue. Here we are showcasing the process on Chrome browser; however, the process remains largely similar on all browsers.
From the Chrome main screen, click on the 'jigsaw puzzle' icon on the ribbon menu. Then, click on the 'Manage extensions' option.
On the next screen, click on the 'Remove' button one by one on each extension. That is, after clicking the 'Remove' button on the extension, check if that resolves the issue for you. If it doesn't, then proceed with the second extension and check the issue, and so on, until you have checked all the extensions.
11. Clear Discord Cache
An accumulated cache can also be one of the culprits for messages not loading. We will display the cache-clearing process for the Discord desktop app and the web browser if you are facing problems on the website.
To clear the cache for the Discord app on Windows, head to the Start Menu and type or copy+paste the below-mentioned code and hit Enter on your keyboard.
%appdata%
In the file directory, locate and double-click on the 'Discord' folder to proceed.
On the next screen, right-click on the 'Cache' folder and select the 'Delete' option.
Once deleted, relaunch the Discord app and check if the problem still persists.
If you are using Discord on your browser, clearing the browser cache will help.
To clear the browser cache, from the Chrome home screen, click on the 'ellipsis' icon and then select the 'Settings' option.
After that, click on the 'Privacy & security' tab from the left sidebar.
Next, click on the 'Clear Browsing data' option. This will bring an overlay window to your screen.
After that, click on the dropdown menu and select the 'All time' option. Then, check the 'Cached images and files' along with the 'Cookies and other site data' option. Finally, click on the 'Clear Data' button to proceed.
Restart the browser and reload Discord. Check if the problem still persists.
If you are a Microsoft Edge user, you can check this guide for instructions on clearing the cache.
Shivam Malani
12. Reinstall Discord
If none of the aforementioned methods are working and you are sure that your account does not have a temporary ban on your account, reinstalling is the last resort left. First, you will need to uninstall Discord from your computer and then download a fresh copy of the installer.
To remove Discord from your computer, head to the Start Menu and click on the 'Settings' tile to proceed.
After that, click on the 'Apps' tab from the left sidebar to proceed.
Next, from the right section of the window, click on the 'Installed apps' tile to continue.
On the next screen, either use the search bar or locate the 'Discord' app manually by scrolling.
Once located, click on the 'ellipsis' icon and then click on the 'Uninstall' option from the list.
Again click on the 'Uninstall' button to proceed. Wait for a few minutes and Discord will be uninstalled completely. Do note you will not receive any status bar or confirmation dialog box of the successful installation.
Once uninstalled, restart your computer to remove any residual files from the system.
After restarting your system, head to discord.com using your preferred browser. Then, click on the 'Download for Windows' option.
Next, head to your default downloads directory, and double-click on the DiscordSetup.exe file to run the installer.
Wait for a couple of seconds and you should see an overlay window displaying the status of install. Once completed, you shall be able to see the Dashboard of your Discord account.
That's about it, people. Using the above-mentioned methods, you can easily resolve the 'Messages failed to load' error.
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