Worried you’ll miss a message from your friend while you’re engaging in an epic battle?
Worry no more with the Game Overlay!
Discord’s Game Overlay is a built-in feature that allows you to access Discord's interface while playing games, without having to switch between windows. It provides a seamless way to chat, join voice channels, and manage notifications while staying immersed in gameplay. It’s also highly customizable - letting you adjust its position, transparency, and shortcuts to optimize your in-game experience.
How to Enable Game Overlay
1. Tap on the cogwheel [] next to your Discord username to access your User Settings.
2. Press the Overlay tab and press the toggle button next to Enable Overlay to enable it.
A check mark means the option is enabled; an x means the option is disabled.
How to enable Game Overlay
Customizing the Game Overlay
Text Settings
Slash commands, stickers, and GIFs can be received as messages, but not sent through the Game Overlay.
Exploring Azeroth and worried about missing important messages from your friends? Enable Text Chat notifications!
To see messages in the Game Overlay, go to User Settings > Game Overlay and enable Messages.
Once enabled, new messages through DMs, group messages, or servers will be displayed right over your gameplay.
Example of a new message with Game Overlay enabled
Voice Settings
During voice chats or calls (DMs, group calls, or server voice channels), you can see who's speaking and who's muted, and modify the following for your Overlay:
- How to Display Users
- How to Display Names
- How to Change the Avatar Sizes
You can customize these displays under User Settings > Game Overlay. Let’s go over each setting!
Display Users
First off, you can change how a user is displayed. They can be shown always, or only while speaking.
Example of Display Users option
Always - Shows users whenever they're in the call. Muted or deafened status appears as an icon right beside the user.
Example of what Always looks like for users in a Voice Channel
Only While Speaking - Shows users only when they are actively talking or when their microphone picks up audio.
Example of what Only While Speaking setting looks like for a Voice Channel
Display Names
Now that you’ve selected WHO appears - you can now choose how to show names for those users in your voice call or channel! This can be set to one of the following options:
Always - Display names are always visible
Only While Speaking - Display names appear only when users are actively speaking
Never - Display names are hidden and will never be shown.
Example of all available Display Names options
Here's an example of how different display name settings look in the Game Overlay:
Example of all available display options
Avatar Size
Finally, you can choose between Large or Small avatars in your Overlay. Avatar Size can be Large or Small depending on your preference.
All available setting options for Avatar Size
| Here is what a Small avatar will look like |
Example of a Small Avatar |
| Here is what a Large avatar will look like |
Example of Large Avatar |
How Do I Preview my Voice Overlay Settings?
In the right side of the Overlay Voice Widget section, preview your selected settings to test display options and find your perfect setup.
Call Setting
Answer calls through Game Overlay using your keybind or by hovering over the incoming call and pressing Join Call or Decline.
Example of an incoming call while Game Overlay is enabled
Show/Hide Window in Game
You can show or hide certain aspects of the Game Overlay (chat window, video, etc) based on your preferences.
1. With a game running, press your overlay keybind (the default keybinding is ‘Shift +`).
2. Tap on the pin icon [] to show or hide the Window in game. A blurple-colored icon means the window is set to show.. This works for the following settings:
- Notifications
- Voice
- Video
- Activity
- Streams
How to show or hide the Window in game setting
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which operating systems are compatible with the overlay?
A: The overlay is compatible with Windows 10 & 11 only; it does not function on Mac OS or Linux.
Q: What troubleshooting steps should I try if my Overlay is not working?
A: Try changing your game display settings to either windowed or borderless windowed.
Q: What if my game crashes while using the Overlay?
A: If you experience a game crash while you have the overlay enabled, please grab this log:
%appdata%\discord\0.0.***highest-number***\modules\discord_hook\hook
Then submit a ticket to our Support team along with what the issue is and what game this happened with, so they can take a closer look.