How to Stream Live with Discord
In 2019 Discord announced an add-on to its existing gaming chat platform that allowed users to stream games and other applications to their friends: Go Live. Go Live allows users to easily stream whatever it is they’re enjoying, whether it’s a game, a video, or a program, with anyone else on their voice channel.
Streaming in Discord isn’t about broadcasting to the world, it’s about sharing with friends, which is what makes it a different experience to streaming on platforms like Twitch or YouTube. Although there are certain settings that users can use to modify their streaming output, it’s quite a straightforward process that won’t take you very long to master. Don’t believe us? Read on to find out more.
Discord Download
Before you start streaming on Discord, you’ll need to download the desktop application, as streaming on the platform works best in this format. Navigate to Discord.com in your web browser, and on the landing page click the Download for Windows/Mac button.
Once downloaded and installed, Discord will open automatically. If you’re not already a Discord user, you’ll need to set up an account to get started. If you have a Discord account, enter your login details and let the fun begin!
How to go live on discord
To start streaming in a voice chat, first connect to the chat and you’ll see options for Video and Screen above your username on the bottom left side of the desktop app. Clicking Screen will bring you to the source selection page, where you can choose the windowed application you want to share with the chat. Make your selection, and hit Go Live in the following tab.
Discord can also natively detect if you’re running a game. When you launch a game Discord will show it in a shortcut above your username, with an option to stream. If your game isn’t detected by Discord, you can add the game by going into the Gameplay Activity tab in User Settings and clicking Add It!
How do I stream to a friend on Discord?
In the past, streams were only available to servers, but now you can stream to your friends in a one-on-one call, too. The interface is the same for both options, and the only requirement is that you’re in a call, whether that’s a private DM call or a voice channel in your favorite server.
Once you’re in a one on one call with a friend, you can follow the same streaming procedure as you would if you were in a server by clicking Screen at the bottom left of the Discord UI, or the Share Your Screen button in the main window.
How to stream on Discord with audio
After entering into the Screen Share menu by clicking Screen above your voice channel, and choosing the streaming source from the Applications tab, you’ll be presented with some options for your stream.
Along with the frame rate and resolution, if you’re streaming from a PC, you’ll also see an option for sound. Make sure this button is switched on, and you’ll be able to stream your computer audio as well as your microphone.
How to stream video on Discord with sound
As we mentioned previously, being in a voice channel gives you the option to share your screen and sound using a Screen button. When you click into this button to choose what your streaming source will be, choose a source from the Applications tab to make sure that you’re streaming audio.
If you select a source from the Screens tab, you will not be able to share your sound with other users. To stream video on Discord with sound you will also need to make sure that the Use an experimental method to capture audio from applications option in the Screen Share section of User Settings is on.
How do I stream video on Discord?
Beside the Screen option above your voice channel is the Video option. If you click Video, your webcam will turn on (Discord might ask for permission to use it), and you’ll begin a video call with the other members of your voice chat. You can change which camera Discord uses in the Voice & Video settings menu.
From here, you can stream only the video from your webcam, or choose to stream your screen to other people on the video call as well.
Can you stream Discord chat?
If you want to stream your Discord chat, you’ll have to select Discord itself as the app that you want to share with your channel. You can do this from the Screen Share page, which can be opened by clicking Screen above your chat. Once you’ve opened up the Screen Share page, you’ll see a grid featuring the source options you can stream. Select the tab with Discord on it, and hit Go Live on the next screen.
How many people can join my live stream on Discord?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Discord increased the size limit for its Go Live streaming and screen share function. Normally, the number of people this feature can reach is 10 users, but the limit has since been increased to 50 people.
The video chat function can accommodate a total of 25 people. When you activate a video call within a server, the channel will automatically put a cap on the number of people who can join until all camera streams stop. Once the channel is filled with 25 people, everyone else in the server will be blocked from joining the call.
How to stream on discord server
To stream a Discord server, you’ll first need to create one. You can do this by following these steps:
- Click on the icon with the plus sign on it in the menu on the far left of your screen
- Choose Create My Own from the server creation options
- Enter a name for your server, upload an image for the server icon, and click the Create button
- Discord will now create your server, which will appear in the left hand side of your screen.
Now that you’ve created a Discord server, you can use the streaming options in the server’s voice channel to stream to your friends.
How do I stream Discord on Twitch?
If you want to be able to stream Discord on Twitch you need to link Twitch to Discord. This will give you and your Twitch subscribers many advantages in being able to promote your channel to a new audience.
Discord itself provides a StreamKit, a resource section that shows you how to integrate Twitch to Discord for streaming, sync Twitch subs to a Discord role, and set up your Twitch emotes to be used by subs in Discord.
How to connect Twitch to Discord
Connecting Twitch to Discord is a two step process that involves integrating your accounts and servers together. The first step is to connect your accounts:
- Launch the Discord app
- Select the Settings gear icon located near the bottom of the Discord window
- Click into Connections under User Settings and select the Twitch icon displayed in the Connect Your Accounts box in the main pane.
The second step is to integrate your Discord server with Twitch:
- Go to Server Settings in Discord.
- Click on the Twitch Integration option
- Set up a server for your Twitch account and sync it with Discord
- Adjust the new permissions role for Twitch subs in “Roles” under “Server Settings”.
How to stream with OBS and Discord?
Discord allows you to capture your webcam, gameplay or full screen. OBS isn’t a recognised source for Discord, so you’ll have to download a separate plugin to enable streaming and enjoy all the functions that come with OBS.
You can download a free OBS Studio plugin, VirtualCam, to connect to Discord. Once you’ve installed VirtualCam, head into OBS. In the Tools dropdown menu select VirtualCam and hit Start.
Now Discord will recognise OBS as a video capture device, so head back into Discord and click Screen above the channel you want to stream. Select VirtualCam from the What You’re Streaming section.
How to stream from Discord to Facebook
Linking your Facebook to your Discord account follows the same procedure
- Launch the Discord app
- Select the Settings gear icon located near the bottom of the Discord window
- Click into Connections under User Settings and select the Facebook icon displayed in the Connect Your Accounts box in the main panel.
How to stream from Discord to YouTube
The first thing you’ll need to do if you want to stream from Discord to YouTube is to sync your Discord account with your YouTube account:
- Launch the Discord app
- Select the Settings gear icon located near the bottom of the Discord window
- Click into Connections under User Settings and select the YouTube icon displayed in the Connect Your Accounts box in the main panel.
The second step is to integrate your Discord server with YouTube:
- Go to Server Settings in Discord.
- Click into the Integrations tab
- Select your YouTube account to connect it with the Discord server
Once you’ve done this, you’ll find that a new permissions role has been auto-created specifically for YouTube members. You can adjust user permissions in the Roles section of Server Settings, and rename it if you want. Since this role is automatically managed by the YouTube integration, you can’t manually assign or delete members from it.
How do I make Discord streaming louder?
A simple way of making your Discord stream louder is to adjust the volume mixer for your desktop audio. Right click the Volume icon in your Windows taskbar and open the Volume Mixer. Everything that’s producing sound on your PC will have a volume fader in there that can then be adjusted individually.
How do I increase the volume of my stream?
An alternative way of increasing the volume of your stream is to adjust the audio on the individual applications. You’ll need an external program like Voicemeeter Banana to separate out your audio sources and adjust their volume individually. An in depth tutorial on how to do this is available here.
You can also adjust the internal volume of the game or application you’re using. Most games have sound settings in which you can adjust game audio, so it’s possible to increase the volume from here.
How do you make it so people can hear your Discord stream?
The best way of getting clear and audible sound while streaming on Discord is by making sure that you have the correct sound settings applied in the app.
Finding the sound settings menu in Discord is easy, all you need to do is to click the User Settings gear icon on the bottom left corner of your screen, and then head into the Voice & Video tab. From here, you can select input and output devices, adjust volume settings, and optimize your audio with voice processing features.
How do I change audio output on discord?
You can change the audio output In Discord by heading into the User Settings menu and clicking into the Voice & Video tab under App Settings. on the left. In the Voice & Video tab you have the option to choose both your audio input and output. Click into the Output Device dropdown menu to change your audio output.
How do I make my phone into a Discord speaker?
To use Discord with your phone speaker you’ll have to follow a few simple steps:
- Connect to a private call or voice channel
- Swipe up to open the call settings
- Tap and hold the music box icon until you get a prompt
- Select the speaker option.
Advanced Matters and How to’s
How to add bots to Discord
Bots are a useful way of policing your server, and can perform useful tasks like welcoming new members, banning troublemakers, and moderating discussions automatically. You can download premade bots and then adjust what exactly they do and say in your server.
As all bots are slightly different, the procedure for adding them to Discord will vary, but you can find a helpful guide to adding bots to Discord using the popular MEE6 bot as a reference here.
Screen sharing on Discord
If you just want to share your screen on Discord, and not just the application that you’re using, you;ll need to select a source from the Screens tab after you’ve hit Go Live. Selecting a screen as a streaming source will make sure that your entire computer screen is being shared with your friends on Discord, meaning they’ll be able to see exactly what you see!
If you change your mind on which screen you’d like to share, you can switch the screen that is being shared by selecting Screen and then Change Windows.
How to add roles in Discord
Here’s how to add and assign roles in Discord:
- Click the arrow next to your server name
- Hit Server Settings
- Click on Roles, and then the + icon
Once you’ve created a role, you can assign it to any member on your server. To assign roles to members follow these steps:
- Click on the Members tab in the server settings menu
- Click the + sign under the member you want to assign a role to and select the role from the drop down window
How stop Discord from opening up on startup
The default setting for Discord is that it opens straight away as you boot up your computer, which can be a little annoying. Here’s how to disable Discord’s automatic startup:
- Click into User Settings in Discord
- Head into the Windows/Mac Settings tab
- Deselect the Open Discord slider
How do I stream audio on discord mobile?
Discord currently supports audio sharing on Android 10 devices and up. Due to Android OS limitations, older versions of the Android OS will be unable to use the audio share feature.
Although most apps are supported, you might find that certain streaming apps do not support audio streaming due to their app restrictions, including Netflix and Spotify.
How to stream with sound on Discord mobile
Although the Discord desktop app is more suited to streaming, it’s also possible to stream with sound using Discord on your phone. Here’s how to do it:
- Join a server voice channel or a direct call to a friend/group of friends.
- Press the share screen button at the bottom of your screen.
- Accept the warning message asking if you want to start streaming with Discord
- Exit Discord and swap to the app you want to share.
And there you have it! Anyone who joins the call and taps on your name can now watch you stream from your phone screen live. When you want to stop streaming, open up the Discord app and press the button in the center of the screen labeled Stop Sharing.
Streaming on Discord is a great way of creating even better connections between you and your friends. By sharing what you’re seeing and hearing on your screen with your voice channel, you can allow others to join in and feel like they’re in the room with you. It’s like gathering around a screen in the same room, except you can do it no matter where you are in the world!
