Discord begins rolling out redesigned UI for desktop app

Update 26/03/25 – 09:12 pm (IST): The redesigned desktop app UI is now rolling out more widely, so more of you can enjoy the fresh look. Highlights include a sleek new full dark mode called Onyx — perfect for those OLED screens—and a revamped game overlay that’s easier on your system’s performance. Plus, you can now watch Discord streams right from the overlay. If you haven’t seen the update yet, don’t worry — it should be hitting your app soon!

Original article published on February 4, 2025, follows:

If you’ve logged into Discord recently and thought, “Wait a minute, something looks different,” congratulations! You’re among the chosen 6% who have received Discord’s fresh new desktop app UI. The rest of us are still stuck in the old UI, watching from the sidelines as the redesign slowly trickles out.

Last month, Discord started preparing for the first public tests of its revamped desktop app. At the time, reports suggested that testers would also get a settings toggle to disable the redesign if they weren’t vibing with it. Fast-forward to today, and the new UI is finally making its way to users — albeit in an ultra-slow drip, currently sitting at just 6% rollout. That means 94% of users (including yours truly) are still rocking the familiar old interface, eagerly waiting the inevitable switch. If you’re dreading this change, a user says you should be able to disable it in Settings > Appearance > Enable desktop refresh. However, this setting will only be available after you receive the updated UI.

From the images we’ve analyzed, the most prominent changes appear in the text input area. The new design brings a cleaner, more modern aesthetic, likely aimed at improving readability and user experience. While Discord has yet to release an official changelog detailing every tweak, early adopters have noticed refined spacing, new icon placements, and a sleeker look overall. The tweaks may seem subtle at first glance, but for hardcore Discord users, even minor UI shifts can feel like tectonic changes. Click/tap on the images below to view the changes.

Change is always a mixed bag — some users will welcome the redesign with open arms, while others will scramble to find that “disable new UI” setting as fast as humanly possible. The good news? If you’re not a fan of the new look, you might still have the option to revert, at least for now. But knowing how these things go, Discord could eventually phase out the old UI entirely, meaning everyone will have to embrace the changes sooner or later.

That’s the golden question. With only 6% of users currently onboarded, it’s unclear how long Discord plans to stretch out the rollout. If history is any indication, we can expect a gradual expansion over the coming weeks or months. For now, if you’re still on the old UI (like me), just sit tight and keep an eye out — you might wake up one day to a freshly redesigned Discord experience.

So, have you received the new UI yet? Love it or hate it? Let us know in the comments.