How to Stream Dolphin on Discord

The short answer

Dolphin is a GameCube and Wii emulator, and Discord treats it like any other desktop program. To stream it, run your game in a window, join a Discord voice channel or call, and use Go Live (in a server voice channel) or Share Your Screen (in a direct message or group call) to share the Dolphin game window. Choosing the specific window gives viewers the game, and on systems where Discord supports it, the game's sound, without showing the rest of your desktop.

One detail matters: Dolphin often shows the game in a separate render window from its main menu window. If you share the main Dolphin window while the game plays in another window, viewers may see only the game list or a blank frame. The steps below cover how to pick the right window.

Before you start

• The Discord desktop app installed and signed in. The desktop app offers fuller sharing options than the browser version, especially for audio.
• Dolphin installed, with a game you can launch.
• Access to a server voice channel, or a direct message or group call, where you have permission to stream or share video.
• Headphones, if you plan to talk while you play. They stop your microphone from picking up game sound from your speakers.

Step 1: Set up Dolphin's game window

• 1. Open Dolphin and go to the graphics settings, under the General tab.
• 2. Decide where the game should appear. With Render to Main Window turned on, the game plays inside the main Dolphin window, so there is only one window to share. With it off, the game opens in its own window, which is the one you will share.
• 3. Play in windowed mode, or in borderless fullscreen if your setup offers it. Exclusive fullscreen is a frequent cause of black streams with window capture. If you are already in fullscreen, Dolphin's fullscreen hotkey (often Alt+Enter by default; check the Hotkey settings to confirm) switches back.
• 4. Launch your game and leave it running so its window exists when Discord looks for it.

Success check: the game is running and visible in a window you can move or resize, not taking over the whole display.

Step 2: Start the stream in Discord

• 1. Join the voice channel or start the call you want to stream to.
• 2. In a server voice channel, select the screen-share or Go Live option in the voice controls. In a direct message or group call, select Share Your Screen.
• 3. In the picker, choose the Applications or Windows tab instead of a full screen. Pick the window that shows the running game. Its title usually includes the game name or Dolphin's performance details, not just the word Dolphin.
• 4. Choose the stream quality options available to you, then start the stream.
• 5. If Discord offers a setting to include the application's sound, turn it on so viewers hear the game.

Success check: Discord shows a small preview of your stream, and the preview shows moving gameplay rather than a menu, a frozen image or a black box.

Step 3: Confirm it works for viewers

• Ask someone in the channel to open your stream and confirm they see moving gameplay.
• Ask whether they hear the game's sound, and whether they hear it once rather than echoed.
• Speak and ask whether your voice comes through clearly over the game.
• Pause the game or change scenes and ask them to confirm the change shows up on their side.

Your own preview only proves that Discord is capturing the window on your computer. It does not show what viewers receive, including their picture quality, delay or whether game audio reaches them. Only a viewer's report confirms those. If nobody is free to check, you can join the call from a second device and watch your own stream, keeping that device muted to avoid feedback.

Game audio and your microphone

Discord carries two separate sounds during a stream: the game audio captured with the shared window, and your voice from your microphone. Each can fail independently. A viewer might see the game but hear nothing, or hear the game but not you.

If viewers hear the game twice, or hear it with a slight echo, your microphone is likely picking up sound from your speakers on top of the shared audio. Headphones usually solve this. If viewers can't hear you, open Discord's Voice and Video settings, confirm the right input device is selected, and watch the input level indicator move as you speak. A moving indicator means Discord is receiving sound from the microphone. It doesn't confirm your voice sounds clear, so ask a listener to check that. No specific input-level target for this setup was verified for this guide, so use the indicator and a listener's feedback, not a fixed number.

Support for sharing application audio has varied across Windows, macOS and Linux, and across Discord versions. If no sound option appears or game audio never reaches viewers, check what your current Discord version supports on your operating system.

Fixing common problems

Problem | Likely cause | What to try

Viewers see a black screen | Exclusive fullscreen, or a conflict between Dolphin's graphics backend and Discord's capture method | Switch Dolphin to windowed mode. Try a different graphics backend in Dolphin's settings. In Discord, toggle hardware acceleration or the screen-capture method in its settings, then restart Discord and the stream.

Viewers see Dolphin's game list, not the game | The main window was shared while the game runs in a separate render window | Stop the stream and pick the window showing gameplay, or turn on Render to Main Window and share the main window.

The game window isn't in Discord's list | The game wasn't running when the picker opened, or the window is minimized | Launch the game first, restore the window, then reopen the picker.

No game sound for viewers | Application audio wasn't enabled, or your system or Discord version doesn't support it | Enable the sound option when starting the stream. If none appears, check whether your Discord version supports app audio on your operating system.

The stream stutters or looks blurry | Limited upload bandwidth, high system load or the stream quality setting | Lower the stream quality, close other heavy programs, and check whether Dolphin itself runs smoothly when you're not streaming.

Discord doesn't show you as playing a game | Discord may not recognize the emulator automatically | Add Dolphin through Discord's registered games or activity settings. This affects only your status, not the stream.

Limits to know about

Discord limits stream resolution and frame rate depending on your account. Higher settings are tied to a paid Nitro subscription. Exact limits change over time and weren't verified for this guide, so check the quality options Discord offers when you start a stream. Your webcam is separate from the stream. Turning the camera on shows your face in the call but does not share the game, and sharing the game does not require a camera.