Have you ever wanted to chat with your online gaming friends on Xbox using Discord? Discord is a popular free voice and text chat app for gamers, but it doesn’t come pre-installed on Xbox consoles.
The good news is there are a few different methods you can use to integrate Discord with your Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the main options so you can start chatting while you game.
Top 6 Ways to Use Discord on Xbox
1. Use the Discord App on Your Phone
One of the easiest ways to use Discord on Xbox is to simply run the Discord app on your smartphone. Here’s how:
- Install the Discord app on your iPhone or Android device if you haven’t already. It’s a free download.
- Log into the Discord app with your account.
- Join any Discord servers and channels you want to have access to on Xbox.
- Make sure your phone and Xbox are on the same WiFi network.
- On your phone, tap your profile icon in Discord and enable “Connect to Voice” under Voice & Video.
- Turn on your Xbox and launch the game you want to play.
- Plug your headset into the Xbox controller.
- On your phone, tap and hold a Discord channel to connect your phone’s mic and audio.
You should now hear Discord audio through your Xbox headset and be able to speak to your Discord friends using the mic! It’s a quick and easy way to use voice chat without changing any Xbox settings.
The only downside is you’ll need to have your phone handy while gaming to see text chat and switch channels. But overall it’s a simple method.
2. Link Your Discord Account on Xbox
In August 2022, Microsoft rolled out an official way to link your Discord account directly on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles. Here’s how to set it up:
- On your Xbox, go to Settings > General > Online safety & family > Privacy & online safety > Messaging.
- Select “You can join external Discord voice chats from your console” and agree to the prompt.
- Open the Discord mobile app and go to User Settings > Connections > Linked Accounts.
- Tap on Xbox Live and follow the prompts to sign in and link your Xbox account.
- Go back to your Xbox settings and refresh the Messaging page. You should now see your Discord username listed.
Once linked, you’ll be able to join Discord voice channels directly from your Xbox Party menu or through game invites in supported games. Microsoft is also planning to add Discord text chat to the Xbox mobile app soon.
Linking accounts makes it easy to see your Xbox friends in Discord and join their channels. Just keep in mind that this feature is still in beta, so you may encounter bugs.
3. Use Discord on Your PC While Gaming on Xbox
If you regularly play Xbox but also have access to a Windows PC, you can run the Discord app on PC to voice chat with friends playing on Xbox. Here’s how to set it up:
- On your PC, download and install the Discord desktop app if you don’t already have it.
- Log into Discord on your PC with your account.
- Join any Discord servers and channels you want. Make sure to join voice channels on PC.
- On your Xbox, start a party chat with your Xbox friends who will be gaming with you.
- In the party chat, select “include audio from connected devices”. This allows Xbox party chat to output your PC audio.
- On PC, mute the microphone in Discord voice channels to avoid echo. The Xbox mic will transmit your voice back to Discord.
- Now you can chat with your Discord friends on PC while hearing and talking to your Xbox party at the same time!
This setup allows you to bridge Xbox party chat with Discord voice channels. The only catch is you’ll temporarily mute your Discord mic to prevent echo issues. But it works well for casual gaming chat.
4. Install Discord as an Xbox App (Unofficial)
There are a couple of unofficial Discord apps you can install on Xbox One/Series consoles to directly access Discord text and voice chat:
Quarrel
Quarrel is an open source Discord client made specifically for Xbox. Here’s how to install it:
- On your Xbox, go to Settings > System > Console info and enable “developer mode”.
- Restart your Xbox.
- Download the latest Quarrel app package on your Windows PC from the Quarrel GitHub page.
- Connect a USB drive to your PC and copy the Quarrel package to the root folder.
- Insert the USB drive into your Xbox and open My Games & Apps. Go to Full Library > Apps and locate Quarrel to install it.
- Launch Quarrel and log in with your Discord account. Join servers and channels as you normally would!
Quarrel provides nearly full Discord access on Xbox, including text and voice chat. It’s not an official app so the interface is a bit clunky, but it works well. The main catch is you’ll need to enable developer mode on your console.
5. Use an HDMI Audio Splitter
This last method is a workaround that allows you to run Discord audio from your PC through your Xbox headset:
- Connect your PC to the Xbox via HDMI as you normally would for game streaming.
- Purchase an HDMI audio splitter device. These split off the audio from an HDMI signal.
- Connect the HDMI splitter between your PC and Xbox:
- Plug the source HDMI cable from your PC into the splitter input.
- Run one HDMI output from the splitter to your Xbox.
- Run the optical/RCA audio output from the splitter to your Xbox controller or headset.
- On your PC, mute Discord so the audio transmits to Xbox but your mic input doesn’t echo back.
- On Xbox, go to Settings > Volume & audio output and set “HDMI audio” to Bitstream out.
With this setup, the HDMI video goes to your Xbox as normal, while the Discord audio is split off and merged into the Xbox audio output. Just mute your mic in Discord to avoid echo.
It’s more complex than the other options, but allows Discord audio integration with any headset on Xbox. The quality depends on the splitter device used.
6. Discord Bots for Xbox Parties
Another fun way to integrate Discord with Xbox parties is by adding specialized Discord bots to your servers. Here are some top bots for Xbox gamers:
- Xbox Party Bot – Joins your Xbox party and relays chat between Discord and Xbox. Lets everyone communicate.
- Xbox Ninja – Allows sending Xbox messages and inviting gamertags from Discord. Also relays party chat.
- Console Port – Links PSN, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Xbox accounts to Discord. Join voice channels straight from your console.
- Roxyz Gaming – Joins Xbox parties and integrates Discord text and voice chat. Allows music streaming too.
The bots require some setup and permissions, but make it easy to bridge Discord and Xbox chats in creative ways. They help keep all your gaming communication centralized in Discord.
Conclusion
Being able to bring Discord into your Xbox gaming opens up exciting new social opportunities. You can finally communicate with all of your gaming friends in one place.
Hopefully this guide has given you some helpful tips and ideas for integrating Discord voice, text, and chat bots with your Xbox console and parties. Just pick the solution that works best based on your gaming setup and preferences.
With so many options like mobile apps, account linking, third-party clients, audio splitting, and bridge bots, you can create the ultimate Discord-Xbox collaborative environment.
Now there are no restrictions on which gaming platforms your communities can access. Start uniting your friend groups and finding new teammates to take your Xbox gaming to the next level!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I link Discord to my Xbox account?
Go to Xbox Settings > General > Online safety & family > Privacy & online safety > Messaging and enable “You can join external Discord voice chats from your console”. Open the Discord mobile app, go to User Settings > Connections > Linked Accounts and tap on Xbox Live to link your account.
Can I use Discord on Xbox without a phone?
Yes, you can install unofficial Discord apps like Quarrel or Cord directly on your Xbox console to use Discord without a phone. Just enable developer mode first.
Does Xbox Series X/S support Discord?
Yes, you can link your Discord account or install Discord apps directly on Xbox Series X/S consoles. Discord works the same way as Xbox One.
How do I hear Discord on my Xbox headset?
To hear Discord audio chat through your Xbox headset, connect via the mobile app, link accounts, use a desktop/console combo, or install an HDMI audio splitter to merge the audio feeds. Make sure to mute mics as needed.
Can I see Discord text chat on my Xbox?
The official account linking only supports Discord voice on Xbox for now. To see text chat, use the mobile app, install Quarrel/Cord on Xbox, or use a Discord bot in tandem with a PC.
Does Discord work on Xbox 360?
Unfortunately Discord does not directly integrate with Xbox 360 consoles. The best option is using Discord on your phone or PC while gaming on Xbox 360.
What’s the best way to chat in Discord on Xbox parties?
The Xbox Party Bot Discord bot is great for bridging chats between Discord and Xbox party chat. Console Port and Roxyz Gaming bots also allow Xbox party integration.
Can I stream game audio from my Xbox to Discord?
Yes, you can use an HDMI audio splitter to isolate just the game audio from the HDMI source and merge it into Discord on your PC. This lets you stream Xbox party and game audio to Discord.
Will Discord be fully integrated on Xbox soon?
Microsoft plans to expand on the account linking features over time, including adding Discord text chat to the Xbox mobile app. But full native integration may still be a ways off.
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