How to Capture Discord in Streamlabs

The short answer

Streamlabs Desktop (the app formerly called Streamlabs OBS) does not need a special Discord plugin to capture Discord. You bring Discord in the same way as any other program. You capture its audio so viewers hear your friends, you capture its window so viewers see a video call or chat, or you add Discord's own speaker overlay as a browser source. Your own voice reaches the stream through your microphone source in Streamlabs, not through Discord.

"Capture Discord" can mean three different things, and each one has a different setup. Pick the one that matches your goal:

What you want viewers to get	What to add in Streamlabs
Hear the people in your Discord voice channel	Desktop audio (often already present) or an application audio capture for Discord
See a Discord video call, screen share or chat	A Window Capture source pointed at Discord
See who is in the channel and who is speaking	A Browser Source using Discord's StreamKit overlay
Go-live announcements or bot features in your Discord server	An account or server integration, which is separate from capturing (covered briefly at the end)

Before you start

• Use the Discord desktop app. The browser version works for audio and window capture, but the StreamKit overlay connects to the desktop app.
• Join a voice channel or call with someone who can talk while you test, or have a second device you can join from.
• In Discord's Voice & Video settings, note which output device Discord uses. Whether Streamlabs hears Discord depends on this.
• Ask the people in the call before you broadcast their voices or video. Discord's Streamer Mode can hide personal details such as account info and server invites while you are live.

Capture Discord audio

Option 1: Desktop audio (simplest)

Desktop audio captures everything your computer plays through a chosen output device. If Discord plays through that same device, your friends' voices are included automatically.

• Open Streamlabs Desktop and look at the Mixer panel.
• If you see a Desktop Audio entry, open Settings, then Audio, and confirm the desktop audio device is the same one Discord outputs to. "Default" works only if Discord is also set to your system default.
• If there is no desktop audio entry, add a source in your scene and choose the desktop or output audio capture type, then select the device Discord uses.
• Have someone speak in Discord and watch the desktop audio meter in the Mixer.

Limitation: desktop audio also picks up game sound, music, browser tabs and system alerts. You can't lower Discord's volume on its own in the Mixer this way.

Option 2: Separate Discord audio

If you want Discord on its own Mixer slider, there are two common ways to do it.

• Application audio capture: recent Windows versions of Streamlabs Desktop include a source that captures sound from one chosen program. Add it and select Discord. If you don't see this source type, check whether your version and operating system support it.
• A dedicated output device: in Discord's Voice & Video settings, set Output Device to a device you don't use for anything else, such as a second headset or a virtual audio device. Then add an audio output capture source in Streamlabs for that device. You won't hear Discord yourself unless that device is in your ears, so plan how you will monitor it.

Avoid capturing Discord twice. If you add a dedicated Discord source but Discord still plays through your desktop audio device, viewers hear every voice doubled, which sounds like echo. Either move Discord to a different output, or mute the overlapping source.

Your own voice

Discord does not play your own voice back to you, so desktop or Discord capture won't include it. Viewers hear you through the microphone or auxiliary audio source in Streamlabs. Make sure that source uses the same microphone you selected in Discord, and that it is not muted in the Mixer.

Capture a Discord video call or window

• Open the Discord call. If you only want the video tiles, pop the call out into its own window if your Discord version offers that option.
• In Streamlabs, add a Window Capture source to your scene.
• In its properties, choose the Discord window from the window list.
• Resize and position it on the canvas. To trim away Discord's sidebars, hold Alt while dragging a source edge to crop it. You can also crop through the source's transform or edit options.
• Keep the Discord window open. Window capture usually shows nothing while the target window is minimized.

Seeing a friend's camera in the Discord window, seeing that window in Streamlabs and getting good video quality are three separate things. Discord's call quality depends on each person's camera, lighting and connection. Streamlabs can only pass along what Discord displays.

If the window capture is black

• Change the capture method in the Window Capture properties, if your version offers a choice, and check the preview after each change.
• In Discord's settings, turn off hardware acceleration (usually under Advanced), let Discord restart, then re-select the window in Streamlabs.
• As a fallback, use a display (screen) capture and crop it to the Discord area. This also captures anything that appears on top of Discord, including notifications.
• On a Mac, Streamlabs needs screen recording permission. Grant it in System Settings under Privacy & Security, then restart Streamlabs.

Show who is talking with the Discord overlay

Discord offers a tool called StreamKit that generates an overlay for streaming software. Its voice widget lists the people in a voice channel and highlights whoever is speaking. It shows avatars and names only, not camera video or audio.

• Search for Discord StreamKit, open it, and choose the option to install or set it up for your streaming app.
• Authorize it with your Discord account when asked.
• Choose the voice widget, select your server and voice channel, and adjust the look.
• Copy the generated source address.
• In Streamlabs, add a Browser Source and paste that address into the URL field. Set the width and height to fit your layout.
• Join the voice channel and have someone speak. Their avatar should highlight in the Streamlabs preview.

The overlay only shows status. You still need one of the audio methods above for viewers to hear anyone.

How to tell it worked

• Audio detected: the relevant Mixer meter moves when someone talks in Discord, and stays still when they stop.
• No doubling: only one source reacts to Discord voices, or the voices don't sound echoed in a test.
• Levels: the meters rise clearly with speech but don't sit at the top of the scale. Balance Discord against your mic and game audio by ear. No verified level target is given here for this setup, so use your own playback test as the reference.
• Video: the Discord window appears in the Streamlabs preview, not a black or frozen box.
• Overlay: the speaking highlight changes as different people talk.

Meters only show that sound is arriving. To check that the result is actually clear, make a short local recording in Streamlabs while talking with someone on Discord, then play it back. Listen for your voice, their voice, balance and echo. This test covers what your setup captures and mixes. It doesn't test your upload connection, the streaming platform's processing, or how the stream sounds on viewers' devices. A short private or unlisted test stream covers those, if your platform allows one.

Connecting Discord and Streamlabs accounts

Some people searching for this mean linking accounts, for example to post an announcement in a Discord server when you go live. That is an integration between services, set up through account or server settings. It has no effect on what appears in your stream. These integration features and where they live in Streamlabs' menus change over time, and no current details were available for this guide. Check the integrations area of your Streamlabs account, or your Discord server's settings, for the options available now.