How to fix ‘RTC Connecting’ Discord Issue
If you have recently been having issues with Discord RTC connecting error - you are not alone.
After doing some research online, I found out that many Discord users also experiencing these errors.
So what exactly happened? Why is your Discord stuck at “RTC connecting” without making any progress? Why did you suddenly stop being able to connect? And why does it happen only sometimes?
In this article, I will explain what RTC connecting issue is, what causes it, and list down a couple of solutions on how to fix it.
What Does “RTC Connecting” on Discord Mean?
“RTC Connecting” happens when a Discord client cannot establish a connection with other Discord servers.
Discord uses the Real-Time Chat protocol (or WebRTC) to facilitate concurrent communication.
This usually means the server has either gone offline or there’s an error with the server itself.
In most cases, if you’re unable to connect to a specific server for more than 5 minutes, then it might be best to just create another account and try again.
If however, after waiting longer than 10-15 mins, you still can’t connect, then we need to dig deeper into the problem.
What Causes RTC Connecting issue on Discord?
Below are the most common issues that may cause Discord RTC connecting errors:
1. Unstable or slow internet connection
Stable connection matters. Try testing it Speedtest to check how fast your Internet connection really is.
If other people in your network are using bandwidth at the same time - be it downloading files, watching movies, or playing games - this will negatively affect the speeds.
If that’s not the case but your internet connection still seems to be off, it’s worth contacting your Internet service provider and see whether this could be something on their end.
2. Poor WiFi signal
Distance from your PC/laptop to your WiFi router matters - if your router is relatively far away, this will likely impact the WiFi signal you are getting.
3. DNS network issues
Sometimes, even though you’ve got good connectivity, you might be experiencing lags due to a DNS server.
For that reason, it’s worth it to have a handly preferred DNS server to switch to.
We explain how to change to an alternate DNS server in the “How to Fix RTC Connecting Error” section below.
4. Discord server is offline or does not exist
It’s possible that the server has been taken down temporarily because of maintenance work.
This could also mean that the server was taken down due to spamming or other malicious activity or simply the owner decided to delete Discord server.
5. Firewall blocks Discord
Discord, like any other app installed on your computer, uses ports to communicate with the outside world.
It uses a random UDP port between 50,000 and 65,535 to establish communications.
Your computer’s firewall might be blocking one of these ports along with any incoming or outgoing requests received and sent by Discord.
6. Wrong server region
To utilize the voice chat feature, for stable connection, Discord relies on a network of servers in different parts of the world.
If you are using the wrong server, this might be causing RTC connecting error.
7. Discord app is outdated
Every update, Discord introduces new features including improved stability and performance.
For that reason, it’s worth always keeping your Discord up to date by downloading the newest version.
How to Fix Discord Stuck on ‘RTC Connecting'
The following steps will help resolve this issue if it occurs in the future.
Fix 1: Restart Discord
The first thing you’ll want to do is restart Discord entirely.
Once everything is done, relaunch Discord and try to reestablish your connection.
Fix 2: Restart your PC/laptop
If restarting Discord alone did not help, a reboot of your computer usually fixes many types of errors including networking ones.
After rebooting, open Discord and try connecting again.
Fix 3: Check Network Settings
Check your settings to see whether there are any network issues.
For example, check your router configuration, firewall rules, etc.
If everything seems fine, try restarting your modem/router.
If you use WiFi, try moving closer to the router so as to improve the quality of your WiFi signal.
Fix 4: Update Discord Client
Updating your Discord client might be necessary for fixing connectivity issues.
Find the version number and then download the latest version from the official site.
Fix 5: Choose a different server region
Discord has many servers around the world.
Some regions work better than others when it comes to making connections.
For example, some countries like Australia or New Zealand have very good broadband speeds while others such as India or China have slower ones.
This difference affects how fast a server connects.
Therefore, you should set up different server regions depending on where you live.
Here’s how to do it: Select the Servers tab.
In the left sidebar, select Region. Then choose one of the available options. Change its value accordingly.
Fix 6: Use VPN
A Virtual Private Network allows you to connect to various websites through encrypted tunnels.
It works similarly to a proxy but without actually modifying the traffic.
Discord only works on VPNs that have UDP (User Datagram Protocol) – a networking protocol that transfers your data over the internet from your device to your web server.
If the VPN you are using currently does not rely on UDP, try another VPN to see whether it solves the problem.
Fix 7: Disable IPv6
IPv6 stands for internet protocol version six.
The protocol was introduced in 2001 and provides much faster data transfer rates compared to older versions.
However, most ISPs don’t support IPv6 yet.
As a result, they block it so that people won’t abuse the service.
Therefore, disable IPv6 temporarily until you get a working connection.
Follow these steps to turn off IPv6:
Scroll down to the Connection section and uncheck Enable automatic TCP fallback over IPv4 only.
Then press the OK button. After doing so, reconnect to the Discord server.
Fix 8: Disable Quality of Service (QoS) on Discord
Quality of Service (QoS) allows you to prioritize certain types of traffic over others.
For example, when using Skype or Google Hangouts, you might want to set up priority for voice calls while leaving video streaming alone.
In case you’re experiencing problems with Discord’s voice call quality, disable QoS.
Here’s how:
Go to the Settings, click “Voice”. Then click the “Advanced” tab.
Then disable “Enable Quality of Service High Packet Priority”.
Restart Discord if needed.
If you’re the admin of your own Discord channel, it’s always worth changing the voice region in the server settings. You can do this by going to ‘Server Setting> Server Region'.
Fix 9: Change DNS Settings and clean DNS cache
DNS stands for domain name system.
It converts website addresses into IP address numbers.
When you visit a page, your computer sends a request to find the corresponding URL.
To make things easier, DNS servers store all possible URLs in advance.
They are used to resolve web requests.
To solve this, try changing your DNS server addresses, settings from OpenDNS to Google Public DNS.
We recommend you to try the following DNS server addresses: Preferred DNS server, use 8.8.8.8; Alternate DNS server, use 8.8.4.4.
Also, if your ISP uses caching services, check if there are any outdated entries stored in those databases.
You can remove them manually. Otherwise, contact your provider about updating them.
Fix 10: Turn Off Firewall
Firewalls allow computers connected to the internet to communicate with each other securely.
Unfortunately, some firewalls have been known to cause connectivity issues. Therefore, disabling them may solve the problem.
You should know that turning off the firewall doesn’t mean exposing yourself to security risks.
Instead, it just makes sure that no unauthorized programs access your PC.
Here are the steps required to do so:
If you are on Windows, to turn off Windows Defender Firewall, click the “Turn On/Off Windows Features” link.
Select the “Programs and Features” option under the Programs tab.
Unselect the items you want to disable. Then press the “OK” button.
Fix 12: Try using an alternative browser
If you are using the web version of discord, and experiencing connection issues, switching to a different browser might help.
Try Chrome instead of Firefox or Internet Explorer.
If you are on Windows, alternatively, you can also install Microsoft Edge which is built into Windows 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I stuck on RTC connecting in Discord?
Discord RTC Connecting error happens when a Discord client cannot establish a connection to a remote server.
This likely means that either the connection is blocked on your local computer or the issues are network-related.
Why can’t I join a Discord call?
You may have issues joining a Discord call if the input mode/audio settings of the Discord application is not configured properly.
The problem may be solved by changing the input mode to voice activity.
Go to Discord’s settings and check input mode/audio settings.
RTC Connecting error on Discord: Final Note
I hope this post sheds more light on Discord’s RTC connecting error and one of the solutions listed above worked for you.
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.