Discord update failed? Here is how to fix it

Discord is a popular app used mostly by gamers to communicate via text, voice and video chat. It has versions for PC, Mac, iOS and Android, so you should be able to install and use it without problems. Discord has a dedicated and competent team behind it, so there are constantly new features rolling out.

What is the ‘Discord update failed’ error?

Sometimes a new update to the app can send your computer into an infinite loop. This is because Discord is a very complex app that needs lots of different permissions, which can get into conflict with the settings on your computer.

The solutions below will help you fix this error.

6 ways to fix the ‘Discord update failed’ error

Run as administrator

The simplest method to try solving the Discord update failed error is to run the Discord app as administrator:

  1. Right-click the Discord icon on your desktop. Select Run as administrator.
Run Discord as administrator
  1. On the dialog panel that pops up, choose Yes.
Allow this app to make changes to your device

If you still can’t update Discord, it is possible that your antivirus is blocking it. If you are using a third-party software, try disabling it temporarily. If you are using Windows 10, you can try the following method.

Disable Windows Defender

  1. Click on Start>Settings.
Open Windows Settings
  1. Scroll down and choose Update & Security.
Update & Security
  1. Click on Windows Security>Virus & threat protection.
Windows Security
  1. Click Manage settings.
Manage virus and threat protection settings
  1. Put the Turn on Real-time protection toggle into Off.
Turn real-time protection off
  1. Try installing the update now. Don’t forget to turn your Real-time protection back on when you finished the installation!

If this didn’t work, you can try disabling the firewall to unblock incoming connections.

Disable Firewall

  1. Type “firewall” in the search bar and click Open.
Open Windows Defender Firewall
  1. Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.
Turn Windows Defender Firewall off
  1. Uncheck Block all incoming connections under Windows Defender Firewall.
Uncheck Block all incoming connections
  1. Click OK. Check if you can install the update now. If this is not the case, repeat the steps, but instead of unblocking connections, disable the firewall entirely.
Disable the firewall temporarily

If this did not fix the problem, there are still a number of options you can try. Sometimes renaming the update file solves the issue.

Rename the update file

  1. Click Start then hit R, choose Open under the Run app.
Open the Run app
  1. Type “ %localappdata% “ in the search box and hit Enter. The Local App Data folder will pop up.
Open the Local App Data folder
  1. Double-click the Discord folder in the window.
Go to Discord folder
  1. Rename the Update.exe file into Updatex.exe.
Rename Update.exe
  1. Try updating now.

If this also did not help, you can try moving the Discord folder somewhere else and updating from there.

Move the Discord folder

  1. Click Start then hit R, choose Open under the Run app.
Open the Run app
  1. Type “ %localappdata% “ in the search box and hit Enter. The Local App Data folder will pop up.
Open the Local App Data folder
  1. Move the Discord folder from this window into another one.
Move the Discord folder to another location
  1. When the install wizard prompts you to choose a folder, navigate to this new location.

If none of the previous options helped, you can try reinstalling the Discord app entirely.

Reinstall the Discord app

  1. In the search bar, type “task“, then click Open under Task Manager.
Open Task Manager
  1. In the list of processes, look for any process related to Discord. If you find any, select it, then click End task.
End the Discord task
  1. Click the Start button, then choose Settings>Apps.
Windows Settings
  1. Find Discord in the list, select it, then click Uninstall.
Uninstall Discord

A window will pop up, where you have to confirm with the Uninstall button. This will uninstall the Discord app, however, there will still be some lingering data. In the next steps, we will delete these.

  1. Press the Start button, then hit R, and click Open under the Run app.
Open the Run app
  1. Type “ %appdata% “ and hit Enter.
App data folder
  1. Select the Discord folder in the window that pops up, select it, right-click, then choose Delete.
Delete Discord app data
  1. In the Run window, type “ %localappdata% “ and hit Enter.
Local app data folder
  1. Select the Discord folder in the window that pops up, right click it, then choose Delete.
Delete Discord local app data
  1. Restart your computer.
  2. Go to Discord’s download site and download the installation package.
Download Discord installer
  1. Right-click the downloaded file in the system tray, then choose Show in folder.
Show Discord installer in folder
  1. Find the DiscordSetup file and double-click it to start installing.
Start Discord reinstallation

These methods should have helped you update your Discord app. Some of these methods may seem strange, but they have proven to work for many users. Let us know in the comments below which solution worked for you!

7 thoughts on “Discord update failed? Here is how to fix it”

  1. When I had this issue before, it was the updateX.exe fix that worked for me.

    Now nothing is working. I’ve tried each solution individually, in order, and have even tampered with the order. After over half a dozen attempts for each method, I’m at a loss.

    Has there been any development on another solution?

    Reply
  2. Same here, 3 months after the last comment. With this many people having the problem but so little information to be found, are they aware the application is struggling this much just to get installed?

    Reply
  3. I’ve deleted everything that I could find on my computer related to discord and when I try to reinstall discord via the website I still get the message update.exe .Net Framework initialization error please help

    Reply
  4. i literally have the same probem with discord failing to update and i tried literally every way possible to fix it and it s not working :/

    Reply

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