Discord notifications are silent because of one of five common settings — most of them are off by default or get turned off accidentally

If Discord is open on your computer or phone but you hear nothing when someone messages you, the problem is almost always in one of these places: your notification volume is muted, Discord itself is muted, your device's Do Not Disturb mode is on, the specific server or channel has notifications turned off, or your operating system is blocking Discord notifications. The fastest way to find which one is the culprit is to check them in order, starting with the simplest.

This guide walks you through each setting on Windows, Mac, and mobile so you can hear notifications again. Most people find the problem within the first two checks.

Key Takeaways

  • Discord has a separate mute button in the top left corner that silences all notifications even when the app is running — this is the most common cause.
  • Your phone or computer's Do Not Disturb or Focus mode will block Discord notifications system-wide, regardless of Discord's own settings.
  • Individual servers and channels can have notifications turned off, so you may hear notifications from some conversations but not others.
  • Windows and Mac both have notification settings that let you control whether Discord can send alerts at all.
  • Restarting Discord completely (closing it and opening it again) fixes notification problems about half the time.

Check if Discord itself is muted

Discord has a mute button separate from your device's volume. Look at the top left corner of Discord where your username appears. You should see a speaker icon next to it. If that speaker has a line through it, Discord is muted and you will not hear any notifications.

Click that speaker icon to unmute Discord. The line should disappear. Test it by having someone send you a message in a server where you are a member — you should hear the notification sound now.

This setting is easy to turn on by accident, especially on mobile when you are scrolling quickly. Check it first because it solves the problem in roughly 40 percent of cases.

Turn off Do Not Disturb or Focus mode on your device

Your phone or computer's Do Not Disturb mode (called Focus mode on some iPhones and iPads) blocks all notifications from all apps, including Discord. Even if Discord is unmuted, your device will not send the alert through.

On Windows: Open Settings, go to System, then Notifications. Look for "Do Not Disturb" and make sure it is set to Off. If it is on, click the toggle to turn it off.

On Mac: Click the Control Center icon in the top right corner of your screen (it looks like a rectangle with sliders). Look for "Focus" and click it. If a focus mode is active (it will be highlighted), click it again to turn it off.

On iPhone or iPad: Swipe down from the top right corner to open Control Center. Look for the Focus icon (it looks like a circle with a line through it). If it is highlighted, tap it to turn off Focus mode.

On Android: Swipe down twice from the top to open Settings. Look for "Do Not Disturb" or "Notifications". If it is on, tap it to turn it off.

Check notification settings for the specific server or channel

Discord lets you turn notifications on or off for individual servers and channels. You might hear notifications from your friends' server but not from a work server, because one has notifications enabled and the other does not.

Right-click the server name on the left side of Discord (or long-press it on mobile). Select "Notification Settings". You should see options like "All Messages", "Only Mentions", or "Nothing". If it is set to "Nothing", change it to "All Messages" or "Only Mentions" depending on what you want to hear.

For individual channels, right-click the channel name and select "Notification Settings". The same options appear. Make sure it is not set to "Nothing".

If you want to hear notifications from a channel but not from the rest of the server, set the server to "Nothing" and the specific channel to "All Messages".

Check your operating system's notification permissions for Discord

Windows and Mac both have a master list of which apps are allowed to send notifications. If Discord is not on that list, or if it is blocked, you will not hear anything even if every other setting is correct.

On Windows: Open Settings, go to System, then Notifications. Scroll down to "Notifications from apps and other senders". Look for Discord in the list. If it is there, make sure the toggle next to it is on (blue). If Discord is not in the list, scroll down further and look for "Get notifications from these senders". Discord should be listed there with a toggle that is on.

On Mac: Open System Settings, go to Notifications, and look for Discord in the list on the left. Click Discord. Make sure "Allow notifications" is checked. Also check that "Notification Center" is selected as one of the alert styles.

On iPhone or iPad: Open Settings, go to Notifications, and look for Discord. Tap it. Make sure "Allow Notifications" is toggled on. Check that "Sounds" is also toggled on.

On Android: Open Settings, go to Apps, and find Discord. Tap Notifications. Make sure notifications are enabled for Discord and for the specific channels you want to hear from.

Restart Discord completely

Close Discord entirely — do not just minimize it. On Windows, right-click the Discord icon in the system tray (bottom right corner) and select "Quit Discord". On Mac, click Discord in the menu bar and select "Quit Discord". On mobile, swipe Discord away from your recent apps or force-close it in Settings.

Wait 10 seconds, then open Discord again. Notification problems that come from temporary glitches or settings that did not save properly often disappear after a restart.

If you still do not hear notifications after restarting, go back through the checks above in order. Most of the time one of those settings has been changed without you realizing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I hear notifications from some servers but not others?

Each server and channel has its own notification setting. Right-click the server or channel name and select "Notification Settings". If one is set to "Nothing", you will not hear from it. Change it to "All Messages" or "Only Mentions" to hear notifications again.

I turned off Do Not Disturb but still hear nothing. What is next?

Check that Discord itself is not muted (look for the speaker icon with a line through it in the top left). Then restart Discord completely by closing it and opening it again. If you still hear nothing, check your operating system's notification permissions for Discord — it may be blocked there.

Does Discord have a notification sound I can change?

Discord uses your device's default notification sound. You cannot change the Discord notification sound itself, but you can change your device's notification sound in Settings. On Windows, go to Settings > System > Notifications > Advanced. On Mac, go to System Settings > Notifications > Discord and select a different alert style.

My phone is on silent but I want to hear Discord notifications. Can I do that?

On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Discord and turn on "Critical Alerts". This lets Discord notifications come through even when your phone is on silent. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Discord > Notifications and set the importance level to "Urgent". On other devices, you will need to turn off silent mode to hear any notifications.

Why did my notifications stop working after I updated Discord?

Updates sometimes reset notification settings to their defaults. Check that Discord is unmuted in the top left corner, that your device's Do Not Disturb is off, and that your operating system still has Discord in its notification permissions list. Restart Discord after checking these settings.