How to Stream Games Using Lossless Scaling on Discord

The short answer

If you share only the game's window in Discord, viewers may see the game's original frames rather than the upscaled or frame-generated image. To stream what you actually see on your monitor, share your entire screen (the display the game is on) instead of the individual game window. Then ask a viewer, or check the stream preview, to confirm which image is being sent.

Lossless Scaling is a paid Windows app that upscales games and can generate extra frames. It does this by capturing the game's window and drawing a processed copy over it. The upscaled or interpolated image exists in Lossless Scaling's own output, not in the game window itself. When Discord captures the game window directly, it can grab the original frames underneath. Capturing the whole screen picks up the final image as it appears on your display.

One clarification changes what this guide covers. "Lossless scaling" is sometimes used loosely for integer or nearest-neighbor scaling in general. This guide is about the Lossless Scaling application and its frame generation and upscaling features.

What to expect from the stream

• Viewers get Discord's encoded video, not your local output. Discord compresses the stream and limits its resolution and frame rate according to the stream quality options available on your account. If your generated frame rate is higher than the stream's frame rate, viewers will not see all of the extra smoothness you see.
• Frame generation does not lower input latency. Interpolated frames make motion look smoother, but your controls respond on the game's base frame rate. Viewers are unaffected by this. It matters only to you as the player.
• Streaming adds workload. Encoding a Discord stream while the game and Lossless Scaling share the same GPU can reduce performance. If the game or the stream starts to stutter, the combined load is a likely cause.
• Your webcam is separate. Lossless Scaling processes the game image only. It has no effect on webcam video you share in the same Discord call.

Before you start

• Lossless Scaling installed, with scaling or frame generation already working in your game when you are not streaming.
• The Discord desktop app, signed in and joined to a voice channel or call where you can go live or share your screen.
• The game running in a mode Lossless Scaling supports. Windowed or borderless windowed is generally the recommended mode. Check the app's current guidance for your version.
• A second person, or a second device signed into another Discord account, so you can see the stream from the viewer's side.

Step-by-step setup

• 1. Start the game and switch it to windowed or borderless windowed mode.
• 2. Open Lossless Scaling and choose your scaling and frame generation settings.
• 3. Activate Lossless Scaling on the game with its hotkey or Scale button, then click back into the game window. Check: the game looks upscaled or noticeably smoother on your monitor. If your version has an FPS display option, turn it on to confirm frame generation is active.
• 4. If the Discord in-game overlay is enabled, consider turning it off in Discord's settings. Overlays drawn on top of the game are a common source of conflicts with capture-based tools like Lossless Scaling. Leave it off if you notice flickering, black screens or scaling that will not stay active.
• 5. In Discord, join the voice channel and choose to share your screen.
• 6. In the picker, choose the Screens tab and select the monitor showing the game. Do not pick the game's application window.
• 7. Choose the stream resolution and frame rate available to you, then start the stream.
• 8. Return to the game. Make sure Lossless Scaling is still active, because switching focus to Discord can interrupt it on some setups. Reactivate it if needed.

How to confirm it worked

The stream thumbnail in Discord is only a rough check. The reliable test is to watch the stream as a viewer would. Ask a friend in the call, or join from a second device. Move the camera in-game or turn quickly, and compare what the viewer sees against your own screen.

• The stream shows the same image framing and sharpness you see locally, rather than a smaller or lower-resolution game image. This means the Lossless Scaling output is being captured.
• Turning Lossless Scaling off and on causes a visible change on the viewer's side. This is the clearest confirmation that the stream follows the processed image.
• The stream is black, frozen or shows only your desktop. The capture is not getting the game image. See the troubleshooting section below.

This check confirms which image Discord is capturing. It does not tell you how smooth or sharp the stream will look on every viewer's device. That still depends on Discord's compression, your upload connection and each viewer's own connection and screen.

If it doesn't work

• Viewers see the unscaled game: you are probably sharing the game window. Stop the stream and share the full screen instead.
• Viewers see a black screen: try sharing the screen again after Lossless Scaling is already active. Also try switching the capture method in Lossless Scaling's settings if your version offers more than one, and turn off Discord's in-game overlay.
• Lossless Scaling turns off when you open Discord: set up the stream first, then return to the game and reactivate scaling. If you have two monitors, keeping Discord on the other one avoids pulling focus away from the game.
• The game or stream stutters: lower the stream resolution or frame rate in Discord, use a less demanding Lossless Scaling mode, or lower the game's own settings to free up GPU headroom.
• Viewers can see private notifications or other windows: full-screen sharing shows everything on that monitor. Close or move anything you don't want shown, or turn on do-not-disturb, before going live.

Gaps in this guide

No verified measurements were available for this guide. That includes recommended Lossless Scaling settings for streaming, specific performance costs, and exact Discord stream resolution or frame rate limits for each account type. Both apps also change menu names and capture behavior through updates. If an option described here isn't where you expect, check the current settings in each app, then confirm the result with a viewer-side test.