How to Stream With Discord's 'Go Live' Option

What to Know

To go live in Discord, simply join a voice channel and click the Stream icon.
Don't see the your game or the Stream icon? Discord doesn't know you're playing a game.
You can use the generic Share Your Screen button to stream any game or other window on your computer, or add the game you are playing to Discord so it recognizes it as a game.

Discord's Go Live option makes it easier than ever to stream your games to friends and other small audiences. This is a streamlined version of Discord screen sharing that's specifically for games, and it allows you to stream from within any Discord voice channel as long as the server owner allows it. Just join a voice channel, look for a badge with your game to appear beneath the channel listing, and click the Stream (Your Game) icon to get started.

How to Use 'Go Live' on Discord

If you want to stream on Discord, Go Live is the easiest option. This option is only available for games, not your entire screen or non-game apps, so it only works if Discord knows that you're playing a game.

When you're playing a game, and you join a voice channel on Discord, you will see a small badge that shows an icon related to the game, the name of the game, and an icon that looks like a monitor with a video camera. When you mouse over this icon, you'll see text that reads Stream (Your Game), and clicking the icon allows you to jump into the Go Live process.

Server owners are able to disable or restrict streaming. If you're unable to stream in a server, ask the server owner about their policies.

Here's how to use Go Live on Discord:

While playing the game you want to stream, open Discord, navigate to the Discord channel you would like to stream to, and enter a voice channel. You will stream exclusively to other users in this channel.

If you click the Stream (Your Game) button before entering a voice channel, you will be forced to choose a channel at that time. You can't stream to Discord without being in a voice channel.
Below the list of voice and text channels, you will see a banner that shows an icon related to the game you're playing, the title of the game you are playing, and an icon that looks like a monitor with a video camera. To start the streaming process, click that icon.
Verify the game, resolution, and frames per second of your stream, and click Go Live.

If you don't enter a voice channel prior to clicking the stream icon, this menu will force you to choose a voice channel.
If you are successful, you'll see your game stream in a small window inside Discord. You can return to your game and play it at this point.
To stop, return to Discord, and click the Stop Streaming button that's located below the lost of voice and chat channels. It looks like a monitor with an x in the middle.

How to Stream Any App On Discord

Discord is pretty good at figuring out when you're playing a game, but it isn't perfect. If you don't see the name of your game under the list of voice and text channels, you have a couple options. The fastest is to use Discord's generic streaming option, which allows you to stream any app or even your entire window. If you think you'll only stream this particular game one time, then this is the best option.

Enter the Discord voice channel you want to stream in, and click Screen located under the list of text and voice channels.
Select the game you want to stream.

If you select Screens and choose a screen to share, you can stream a game but Discord will not stream the game audio.
Verify the voice channel, resolution, and frames per second, and click Go Live.
If you are successful, your stream will appear in a small window inside Discord. You can go back to playing your game at this point.

How to Add a Game to Discord

If Discord doesn't recognize your game, and it's something you would like to stream on a regular basis, then you might want to consider adding the game to Discord. This will also allow Discord to show your friends when you're playing the game. You only have to do this once, and then you'll be able to use the primary Discord game streaming method outlined above.

Click the gear icon located near the bottom left section of the Discord window.
Click Game Activity.
Click Add it!
Select the game you want to stream from the drop down box, and click Add Game.
Verify that you added the correct game, and click the X icon to close the Discord settings menu.
Join a voice channel, and click the Stream (Your Game) icon to start streaming your game.