Simple Steps to Stream Movies on Discord

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Learn how to watch movies with friends on Discord without the black screen

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: November 11, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Adding a Browser or the Netflix App As a Game
|
• Disabling Hardware Acceleration
|
• Screensharing & Streaming
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• Video

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Do you want to watch that movie together on Discord? Keep in mind that streaming copyrighted content violates the TOS for many platforms, but if they have an account with that platform (Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO), why not watch a movie together? This wikiHow article guides you through the process of streaming a movie on Discord without that annoying black screen.

Things You Should Know

• In order to watch movies with your friends on Discord without a black screen, you'll need to do a few things first.
• In Discord, add your browser or movie app as a game in "User Settings > Registered Games > Add game."
• Finally, disable hardware acceleration in your browser then restart it.
• Screen share your screen after you relaunch your browser.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Adding a Browser or the Netflix App As a Game

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1. 1
   Open your movie's app or in a web browser. If you don't have the app (like the Netflix app) open, you won't see it available as a source to add in Discord.

   • If you only complete the first part, you'll most likely see a black screen whenever you attempt to stream a movie. Follow all the steps listed to make sure you have the best streaming experience.
2. 2
   Open Discord. Click the app icon that looks like a controller on a light blue background.
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3. 3
   Click

   

   . You'll see this gear icon on the bottom of the Discord window towards the left side of the window.

   • This will open "User Settings."
4. 4
   Click Registered Games. It's under the "Activity Settings" header in the panel on the left side of the Discord window.
5. 5
   Click Add it. This is next to the text, "Not seeing your game?" and will prompt a drop-down menu to open.
6. 6
   Select your web browser or Netflix app. You should see any application or program that's running on your laptop.

   • If you don't see your web browser or movie-watching app, relaunch it.
   • Click Add Game to complete this part.
   • Press the ESC key to close User Settings.
   • If you use an app, like the Netflix app, instead of a web browser, you can skip the next part.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Disabling Hardware Acceleration

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1. 1
   Open your browser. If you don't turn off hardware acceleration, you'll most likely see a black screen when you stream a movie.
2. 2
   Go to Settings. The orientation of the three-dot or three-line menu icon changes between vertical and horizontal, but the steps are the same. For any web browser, click the three-dot or three-line menu icon and select Settings.
3. 3
   Disable hardware acceleration. The steps for this vary depending on your browser, but you can also use the search function to find where "hardware acceleration" is.

   • For Chrome, click System and make sure the toggle next to "Use hardware acceleration when available" is off.
   • For Edge, click System and performance" and make sure the toggle next to "Use hardware acceleration when available" is off.
   • For Firefox, scroll down in the General tab until you see the "Performance" header, then uncheck the box next to "Use recommended performance settings" to see more options. Finally, make sure the box is unchecked next to "Use hardware acceleration when available."
4. 4
   Restart your browser. Once you've relaunched your browser, you can stream a movie without showing a black screen!
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Screensharing & Streaming

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1. 1
   Go to the movie you want to watch on your web browser. Make sure you're using the same browser in which you disabled hardware acceleration!
2. 2
   Open Discord and navigate to the channel where you want to stream your movie. Click the app icon that looks like a controller on a light blue background, then click the server and then the channel that you want to stream in.

   • Since you can't screen share in text channels, make sure to join a voice channel, which is identified by an icon of a speaker.
3. 3
   Click the screen share icon. This icon looks like a screen with a video camera in the top right corner. It's above the User Settings gear icon.
4. 4
   Choose your stream settings. By default, 720p resolution and 30 fps is selected. If you want to stream with higher quality, you'll have to pay to unlock Discord Nitro.

   • Make sure the correct channel that you want to stream to is selected in the first drop-down.
5. 5
   Click Go Live. Anything in the selected app or in your web browser will show up for everyone else to see.

   • Your friends can join you by right-clicking your username in the chat and selecting "Watch livestream."
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