Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Discord is a group-chat app designed to bring together communities of like-minded people. It launched in 2015 aimed at gamers, and while it is still extremely popular in the gaming world it has also branched out to cover all manner of common interests and themes. You might want to get together to discuss a classic movie series, study on a project together, or just to get involved with the fanbase of your favorite YouTuber.

You don’t just have to chat via text – Discord makes it easy to have voice chats and video calls , and you can share your screen too – ideal whether you want to stream just to a smaller audience than something like Twitch, or you need your colleagues to review your work while you talk it through. Here I’ll take you through how to screen share on Discord step-by-step.

Here you can set the quality of the image you’ll be sharing. 480p and 720p (HD) are available by default along with 15fps and 30fps. If you want 1080p or to use the Source option, or 60fps, you’ll need to pay for a Discord Nitro account, which is an upgraded tier of membership that starts at $49.99 for the year or $4.99 per month.

Once your settings are ready, you’re good to go. You can currently share your screen using the online Discord browser or on the Discord app. You can’t screen share on mobile. Screen sharing works on Windows, Mac and Linux but you can only share audio on Windows 10.

With that out of the way, here’s how to screen share on Discord on the desktop app.

Firstly, you’ll need to be in a voice channel server. This means that you’ll need to be on a server that either you’ve set up or joined with friends, and active in the voice chat. You’ll start in a text channel by default, so make sure to join a voice channel. Once you’re here, you’ll be able to start chatting to anyone else in the voice channel.

Once you’ve joined, you’ll see a new option at the bottom left of the screen to share your screen. Click this button and you’ll be presented with the option to start sharing your screen – you can choose which application you want to share specifically, or your whole screen.

Once you’ve chosen your screen to share, you can set the settings as mentioned above.

It’s important to note that, if you’re sharing your screen via online Discord in your web browser, you won’t get these same customization options. When you click on share screen, you’ll just get the chance to choose which window you want to share, and it’ll look slightly different. Once done, you’ll be sharing – you can’t change your resolution or frame rate on the online browser. If that’s an issue, you might want to download the app – it is free to use and is often faster.

If you want to share your screen on Discord in a private direct message, the steps are slightly different. Firstly, there’s no automatic voice channel to join, so you’ll need to begin a video call. To do this, click on the video call button at the top right of your screen when you’re in your DM folder with the person you want to share your screen with.

Then, you simply need to click the share screen button which will appear on your main call controls in the middle of the screen. Once done, you can share you screen in the same way as you would in a voice channel.

Once you’ve started a screen share on Discord, you don’t need to stop and start again if you want to change any of the settings. Instead, you can alter them as you’re working. It’s quite simple too.

Firstly, when you’re sharing your screen, you’ll see a little pop-up window of your screen on Discord. Hover over this and you’ll see a cog with Stream Settings highlighted. Click on this cog.

From here, you’ll get the stream settings menu where you can change the frame rate and resolution, or switch to a different window or application if you want to share something else.

This is really useful if you want to work on different applications or projects at the same time, while lowering the resolution or frame rate can really help out if your stream is lagging. If the people you’re screen sharing with are finding that your stream is stuttering or your audio and video keep cutting out, try lowering the resolution and frame rate to make it more manageable.

Unfortunately, if you’re using the Discord app on your Android or iOS smartphone, you won’t be able to share your screen. These operating systems block apps which record your screen, which means it’s not a feature that’s likely to come soon unless Discord can come to an agreement with Google and/or Apple. You can join a stream, and watch someone else’s screen, from your phone.

By default, the only operating system that lets you share audio when you’re screen sharing is Windows 10. So, if you’re using a MacBook or iMac, or you’re on a system running Linux or any other lesser-known OS, you won’t be able to share audio by default.

There are workarounds available, such as this one that was shared on Reddit, but it involves a lot of steps and downloading of additional software. Always check downloads with your antivirus software.

Traditionally, there was a limit of 10 people for any Go Live streams on Discord, to make sure that all users had a good experience without any performance issues. However, Discord themselves increased that limit from 10 users to 50 back in March 2020, to help people through the Coronavirus pandemic. No definitive end date has been given for the increased limit but it is expected to be lowered again.

If you’re struggling to share your screen on Discord, there are a number of potential issues. Firstly, make sure you’re on the desktop program and not the mobile app. Secondly, ensure you’re running Discord as an administrator. If it still isn’t working, try uninstalling and reinstalling Discord. If the new version doesn’t work, you may need to email [email protected] .

If you share your screen but it is simply black, you might have an issue with your graphics hardware. Update your graphics card drivers, and update Discord to the latest version too. Make sure you close any unnecessary programs at the same time, as they might be using up precious memory which could be causing your screen share to fail.

If you want to improve your discord screen share quality because it is lagging, you’ll need to check whether your internet connection has a sufficient upload speed. Many broadband providers offer fast downloads but with slow upload speeds, so if you’re uploading a video it may stutter and struggle.

If you want to improve the video and frame rate of your screen sharing because you want it to look better, you’ll need to upgrade to Discord Nitro, which starts at $49.99 per year or $4.99 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Which Online Platform Stands Out? Discord & Skype Compared

Discord Vs. Skype: Which One is Better For You?

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

What would be a catchy but concise way to describe Discord? A modern voice and text communication app that’s free.

It’s also wildly popular with gamers, secure with DDoS protection, and compatible with desktops as well as mobiles.

And what if you had to describe Skype in a similar manner? An all-in-one app for voice calls, messaging, video conferencing, and file transfer that allows you to connect with others no matter where you are.

Employees need to rely on VoIP apps like Skype and Discord to maintain communication with their colleagues and clients.

You might be wondering which is the better option among the two? Is Skype better than Discord, given that it’s more popular and been around for longer?

Or is Discord more secure than Skype? Both these apps have different backgrounds and target different audiences. While Discord is more popular with gamers, Skype is readily used in offices.

Yet, at the same time, both offer similar sets of features that most users require from VoIP apps. So, let’s get into discussing which VoIP app is better: Skype or Discord?

Which Platform Is Better: Discord or Skype?

Our criteria will consider some aspects that are important when discussing communication platforms.

These include Privacy, Security, Sound Quality, Group Calls, Screen Sharing, Call Recording, File Sharing, The Interface, Supported platforms.

1. Privacy

Both Skype and Discord can be classified as VoIP apps because of their similar functionalities. However, there are also many differences in their features and who they cater to.

But when considering privacy, both apps seemed to be lacking.

Unfortunately, there have been reports of data breaches from both apps, with users complaining of having their locations and personal data compromised and leaked.

Neither of these apps promises complete privacy, and our recommendation would be to use them in combination with a reliable VPN service.

2. Security

Discord offers its users both DDoS and IP address protection, offering full client-to-server security.

On the other hand, Skype was rated poorly for its security but has recently upgraded its measures, hiding user’s IP addresses.

3. Sound Quality

Discord differs from Skype in its audio-transmission methods and data usage. Skype works much like a phone connection, transmitting audio data continuously, like a phone call. In contrast, Discord only sends audio data when a user speaks during a call.

Both apps differ in their recommended bandwidth, with Skype having an extensive bandwidth of 100 kbps for voice calls and Discord with only 64 kbps in comparison.

For this reason, we would rank Skype higher than Discord for sound quality and audio transmission.

4. Group Calls

When comparing the two for group calls, Skype trumps Discord as the better and more widely popular option.

With Skype, users can make group audio and video calls, with as many as 25 people at the same time. On the other hand, Discord limits the number of users who can join a group call to just 10.

Also, Skype allows users to make calls on other phone numbers, including landlines, while Discord only limits calls to other Discord users.

Overall, Skype comes through as a much better choice for group calling.

In this age of remote working, the need for screen-sharing has increased drastically to enhance professional collaboration.

In this regard, both Discord and Skype offer a decent screen-sharing experience.

With Skype, users can share their screens even during audio calls, and it is relatively easy to do so, requiring only a single click to start screen-sharing. Plus, it allows users to take a simple screenshot as well.

In comparison, Discord offers screen-sharing options that are more customizable and thorough, with more features for users to benefit from, such as fragmented sharing for people who don’t want to share their full screen.

When comparing the two, Discord offers more customization, while Skype offers simple features but is more dependable and convenient. Therefore, Discord edges Skype out by a slight margin for its customizable features.

6. Call Recording

Skype has a definitive advantage over Discord in this department, as there is no in-built audio or video recording feature or option in Discord.

Users cannot record calls on Discord, while Skype does grant a call recording option for both video and audio calls.

It must be noted that the call recording feature in Skype is a recent addition, after frequent customer complaints about the lack of any call recording option.

It is also relatively simple to do so on Skype; click on the “+” icon and tap on “Start Recording.” This procedure works for both the desktop and mobile versions of Skype.

However, Discord users do not need to despair, as there is a way out for their call recording woes:

They can record calls by installing third-party apps ; however, there have been controversies regarding data breaches through third-party apps, so we’d advise treading with caution.

Both Discord and Skype allow their users to share multiple files with unlimited users; however, they seem to differ in the file volume that can be shared.

For Skype users, this limit is restricted to files up to 300MB. If the file volume exceeds this limit, the users will be redirected to OneDrive to share with as many users as they want.

Compared to Skype, Discord’s file volume limit varies, depending on free users and Nitro users. The file limit for free users is a rather mediocre 8MB, while Nitro users have an ample limit of 50MB.

The monthly subscription for Nitro costs $4.99, so if you’re looking for free options, Skype takes the win here.

When considered objectively, the Discord free version is somewhat limiting, and users will need to move onto Discord Nitro if they wish to post pictures or videos.

However, Discord does offer its users external cloud storage platforms. These storage platforms require bots to create shortcuts when exceeding the sharing limit and can be rather tedious. Overall, Skype seems to take the lead in file sharing.

8. The Interface

Both Skype and Discord have different interfaces, with Skype following a minimalistic layout and interface from its inception.

Since then, it has incorporated new updates and additions to account for new features that boost the user experience.

Skype has traditionally been considered a business tool, ideal for making landline and international calls, with perfect compatibility with most business apps.

On the other hand, Discord is not as easy to use as Skype because of its more complex layout.

Discord, unlike Skype, is much more than a VoIP app. The gaming community relies on it to stream gaming sessions; online fan clubs also use it to share content among their communities.

Instead of just an app used to make calls, Discords presents itself as a forum for peers to hang out online.

Additionally, due to its tilt towards the gaming community, Discord includes a unique feature, where each time a user makes a call, they are assigned a server. Other users can join this server without the original users having to leave their game.

This way, gamers can display their gaming skills to others in real-time. These calls are called drop-in calls and require no invites, meaning you can chat with anyone without them being your friend inside a server.

Due to its enhanced useability, Discord wins this category!

9. Supported Platforms

In this regard, Discord wins over Skype with a considerable lead. Discord allows users to sync with Facebook, Skype, Twitter, Steam, and many other apps, making it easy to find friends and families and connect with them.

It even allows you to check what music your friends are listening to on Spotify!

In contrast, Skype is considerably limited as it only syncs with Facebook. However, its value lies in its compatibility with business apps, notably Docs, Excel, and Powerpoint, as well as polls and whiteboard.

Recently, you will find Skype Business to be included in the Office 365 Suite, costing $8.99 as a whole.

Skype Vs. Discord: Which One Should You Choose?

These apps deliver much of the essential features that users expect from top VoIP apps, yet they cater to different sets of users.

While Skype allows you to make mobile and landline calls by buying credit online, Discord limits itself to only app-to-app communications.

Skype also offers bots that can be found using the search option. These bots include games and music bots, but compared to Discord, they’re somewhat limited.

Discord’s bots keep in spirit with its gaming audience and include a diverse range of features, including some that allow you to play games, play music or create memes.

In contrast, Skype is considerably business-oriented, allowing you to host large meetings with 250 participants.

All in all, both of these apps offer unique features for their intended audiences. How useful you find each app depends on the category you belong to.

If you’re a gamer who likes to connect with other gamers or stream videos, Discord is the choice for you. However, if you are a business professional looking to host video conferences, Skype is the better option.

In case that you want to record the desktop screen and the audio simultaneously, you should try Wondershare Filmora, which provides both the recording and editing tools.