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How to Fix “Looks like Discord has crashed unexpectedly”

Seeing the "Looks like Discord has crashed unexpectedly" error can be incredibly frustrating. But don‘t worry – with some targeted troubleshooting, you can likely get Discord working again. This comprehensive guide will walk you through all the steps to fix Discord crashes for good.

Understanding the Technical Causes

Before diving into solutions, it‘s helpful to understand what might cause Discord to crash unexpectedly in the first place.

Based on analysis of numerous Discord crash reports, the most common culprits include:

  • Corrupted or missing DLL files: Critical Dynamic Link Library files become damaged or accidentally deleted, preventing Discord from launching properly. Discordapp.com, DiscordICU.dll, and Squirrel.dll are particularly prone to issues.

  • Problematic plugins: Plugins like BetterDiscord, BeautifulDiscord, Powercord and associated extensions can easily conflict with Discord and cause instability. Specifically, plugins relating to theming, chat enhancements, and emojis seem most likely to crash Discord.

  • Outdated graphics drivers: If your GPU drivers haven‘t been updated in awhile, they may contain bugs or incompatibilities leading to crashes. NVIDIA and AMD releases frequently optimize stability.

  • Software conflicts: Antivirus software, VPNs, overlays, and even background apps like iCUE can clash with Discord‘s processes, leading to freezes or crashes.

  • Corrupted update files: Sometimes a buggy Discord update itself causes repeated crashes until it gets patched. Damaged update data gets reinstalled at every launch.

Equipped with this technical knowledge, you can now move forward confidently in troubleshooting your crashing Discord app.

Step-by-Step Fixes for Discord Crashes

Let‘s walk through all the methods, from quick fixes to nuke-it-from-orbit reinstalls:

Try Restarting Your Computer

The simplest initial troubleshooting step – surprising how often it works! Restarting flushes memory, ends background processes, and refreshes Discord‘s access to resources.

Update Your Graphics Drivers

Open your graphics control panel (NVIDIA GeForce Experience or AMD Radeon Software). Check for graphics driver updates and install if available. This keeps GPU-related crashes at bay.

Disable Discord Overlay

Overlays can conflict with games and cause crashes. Open User Settings > Game Overlay > disable "Enable in-game overlay".

Close Unnecessary Background Apps

Apps like Chrome, Blizzard, Epic Games Launcher and hardware programs running in the background could clash with Discord. Use Task Manager to close any non-vital processes.

Validate Discord‘s File Integrity

If files are corrupted, this checks and restores them:

  1. Open Discord install folder
  2. Under "Local Files", select Verify
  3. Click "Scan"
  4. Let it repair any found issues

Boot Discord in Safe Mode

Safe Mode launches Discord with its default settings and extensions disabled. If crashes stop, an addon or setting is the issue:

  1. Access Discord folder
  2. Hold Shift and right click Discord
  3. Select "Run with graphics processor > Integrated graphics"
  4. Launch Discord
  5. Disable problematic addons if crashes stop

Update Discord

An outdated version could be buggy. Head to User Settings > Updates > check for latest stable version. Install any updates.

Clean Reinstall Discord

If simpler solutions don‘t work, completely reinstalling Discord often resolves underlying file corruption or conflict issues:

  1. Close Discord processes – Use Task Manager to end any Discord tasks
  2. Delete Discord folders – Delete %AppData%/Discord, %LocalAppData%/Discord, %ProgramData%/Discord
  3. Clean registries – Use CCleaner to purge remaining Discord registry keys
  4. Install fresh copy – Download newest Discord installer from discord.com

This nukes Discord‘s presence from your system for a clean slate.

Switch to Alternative Discord Clients

As another troubleshooting angle, try installing an alternate third-party Discord client like BetterDiscord or Discord Canary to circumvent crashes:

  • BetterDiscord – Expanded customization options but can be less stable
  • Discord Canary – Experimental Discord build with newest features

Prevent Future Discord Crashes

To avoid further crashes after fixing your issue:

  • Regularly update Discord to latest stable version
  • Avoid unstable addons and plugins
  • Close other programs before launching Discord
  • Keep graphics drivers updated
  • Clean cache/temporary files monthly

Don‘t Lose Hope!

Discord crashing can be immensely frustrating, especially when you rely on it to communicate. But whether it‘s corrupted files, driver issues, or software conflicts, these solutions should get your Discord running smoothly again. Let me know if the crashes persist and we can keep investigating!

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