How to Fix The Discord Stuck on “RTC Connecting”

While using Discord on PC, many people have run into the ‘Stuck on RTC Connecting‘ error. It is a common error, appearing when your Discord can’t establish a connection with a distant server or when a local interference is preventing the connection between your PC and the Discord server.

Before trying to fix the issue RTC Connecting issue with Discord, you first need to know why it occurs, so we have prepared a shortlist of all the culprits that cause this error:

Now that you are aware of all the possible scenarios that lead to the appearance of the Discord stuck on RTC Connecting error, here’s a list of methods that will help you fix it:

Change the Audio Subsystem

When you start troubleshooting this particular issue, the first thing that you need to do is check if the current audio subsystem that Discord uses the newer component or the legacy equivalent.

Certain audio hardware drivers will exhibit problems when using your operating systems’ modern audio subsystem. This is especially prevalent on Windows 10 and Windows 11 if you’re using a dedicated sound card.

If this scenario looks like it could be applicable, you should by modifying the default audio subsystem that Discord uses to Legacy. You can do this directly from the Audio settings of discord.

Follow the instructions below for the complete guide on changing the default audio subsystem of Discord to Legacy:

1. Inside the Discord app, click on the gear icon from the bottom left corner to access the Settings menu.

   

2. Now inside the left-sided list, search for Voice & Video, then access it.

   

3. Search for Audio Subsystem, then click on the drop-down menu and select Legacy, after that click on Okay.
4. Finally, reboot your Discord application and see if the problem is fixed once you start the app once again.

If you’re still seeing the same ‘Stuck on RTC Connecting’ error with Discord, move down to the next potential fix below.

Disable the Quality of Service High Packet Priority

Another reason why you might experience this error with discord is the packet transfer method that your router uses by default during data exchanges on Discord.

Using Quality of Service High Packet Priority will give you the best latency and is enabled by default in Discord, but some routers or ISP (Internet Service Providers) might misbehave when this option is enabled in Discord settings.

If this scenario is applicable and the Enable Quality of Service High Packet Priority option is enabled inside the Voice & Video settings of Discord, follow the instructions below for step by step instructions on disabling this option and fix the error:

1. From the Discord starting screen, click on the gear icon on the bottom left.

   

2. Search for Voice & Video in the left-sided list, then select it.

   

3. Once you’re inside the Voice & Video screen, scroll down until you find Quality of Service, then make sure that the QoS High Packet Priority setting is disabled.
4. After you disable this option, close the Discord app before opening it up again and checking if the ‘RTC Connecting’ error is fixed.

If the problem is still not resolved, move down to the next potential fix below.

Perform a Winsock Reset & Flush the DNS data

If none of the methods above have been effective in your case, you should start considering the possibility that you might be dealing with an IP (Internet Protocol) or DNS (Domain Name System)-related issue.

An inconsistent DNS or a badly assigned IP can inhibit the connection between your PC and Discord’s servers.

In this case, you should open up an elevated Command Prompt and do a complete Winsock Reset accompanied by a few other commands in order to clear any temporary files that might be causing this issue.

Follow the instructions below to do a Winsock reset and flush your current DNS cache in order to resolve the RTC Connecting error:

Note: This operation will reset important network settings to the default values. Flushing your DNS will clear the Domain Name system cache, allowing your current network to accumulate new information about your connected devices.

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘cmd’ inside the text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an elevated Command Prompt with admin access. When you’re prompted by the User Account Control, click Yes to grant administrative privileges.

   

2. Once you’re inside the elevated Command prompt, type the following commands in the same order and press Enter after each command to perform a Winsock reset  + a DNS reset:

   ipconfig /flushdns 
   netsh int ipv4 reset 
   netsh int ipv6 reset 
   netsh winhttp reset proxy 
   netsh winsock reset 
   ipconfig /registerdns

3. After every command has been processed successfully, reboot your PC and see if the problem is fixed once the next startup is complete.

If the ‘RTC Connecting’ issue is still persisting even after you flushed your DNS and did a Winsock reset, move down to the final potential fix below.

Disable your Antivirus (if applicable)

If none of the methods above have proven to be effective in your case and you’re using a 3rd party antivirus, chances are you’re dealing with some kind of interference caused by an overprotective 3rd party antivirus.

There are several different suites that are known to produce this kind of behavior and most of them double-down as a firewall.

In case you’re using a 3rd party antivirus, you should start by disabling the real-time protection of your 3rd party antivirus before re-launching Discord and seeing if the problem is fixed.

Of course, the process of doing this will be different depending on which 3rd party security suite you’re using, but in the vast majority of cases, you can do this directly from the tray bar icon.

To do this, right-click on the icon of your 3rd party antivirus and look for an option that allows you to temporarily disable the antivirus.

But keep in mind that your 3rd party suite might come with a firewall, meaning that even if you disable the antivirus, the same security rules are applicable – In this case, the only way to fix this error is to uninstall the AV suite altogether and remove any remnant files.

After you disable or uninstall the problematic antivirus suite, reboot your PC and launch Discord to see if the ‘RTC Connecting’ error is now fixed.