Lately many Discord users found themselves constantly stuck at the RTC Connecting/No route error. If you happen to be one of them, don’t worry. It’s usually not hard to fix at all. Here we put together several fixes that work for many users, try them and get your problem fixed right away.
What does “RTC Connecting” mean?
First thing first, a little info about the “RTC Connecting” error. As Discord relies on the WebRTC protocol to function properly, the “RTC Connecting” error is then a network-related problem. It simply means Discord is experiencing issues when trying to connect to a remote server.
Try these fixes
You might not need to try all the methods. Simply work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick.
- Reboot your network
- Try another browser
- Change your DNS servers
- Update your network driver
- Disable QoS High Packet Priority
- Temporarily disable your firewall
- Use a VPN
Fix 1: Reboot your network
The first method is also the easiest and quickest. While easy as it may seem, sometimes all you need is a restart of your network. It allows your network equipment to recover from overheating and overloading. So try it before digging into other advanced solutions.
You can use these steps to restart your network:
- On the back of your modem and router, unplug the power cords.
Modem 
Wireless router - Wait at least 2 minutes and put the cords back in. Make sure the indicators are back to their normal state.
- Open your browser and check your Internet. Once you’re back online, check if Discord is working normally.
If this method doesn’t work for you, simply continue to the next one.
Fix 2: Try another browser
The “RTC Connecting” error may indicate there’s something wrong with your browser. This could happen when you installed some conflicted plugins, or the cache is preventing the site to work properly. In these cases, you can try using Discord on other modern browsers, such as Firefox, Chrome and Opera. If the problem disappears on other browsers, try disabling all extensions and clear all cache on your favorite one.
If you’re on the Discord app or the error persists on other browsers, you can take a look at the next fix.
Fix 3: Change your DNS servers
In simpler terms, a DNS server serves as a phonebook of the Internet. It translates your target website to the actual IP address.
By default, we’re using DNS servers assigned by our Internet service provider. Changing them to the popular and widely-recognized ones improves resolution accuracy and protects privacy.
Here’s how (Screenshots below come from Windows 10 and the fix work for Windows 7 or later):
- On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run box. Type or paste control ncpa.cpl, then click OK.
- Right-click your current network and select Properties.
- Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4) to view its properties.
- Select Use the following DNS server addresses:. For Preferred DNS server, type 8.8.8.8; and for Alternate DNS server, type 8.8.4.4. Click OK to save the changes.
8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 are the most popular DNS servers by Google. - For the changes to take effect, you need to flush your DNS cache. On your taskbar, type cmd in the search box. Then Select Run as administrator.
- In the pop-up window, type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
Now you can open Discord and see if the error has gone.
If this method doesn’t do the trick, please move on to the next one.
Fix 4: Update your network driver
The “RTC Connecting” error could also indicate that you’re using a faulty or outdated network driver. If you don’t remember when was the last time you updated your drivers, definitely do it now as it might save your day.
You can update your network driver manually, by visiting the website of your motherboard/PC’s manufacturer, finding your model and downloading the latest installer. But if you’re not comfortable playing with device drivers, we recommend using Driver Easy. It’s a tool that detects, downloads and installs any driver updates your computer needs:
- Download and install Driver Easy.
- Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
- Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system.
(This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to pay for the Pro version, you can still download and install all the drivers you need with the free version; you just have to download them one at a time, and manually install them, the normal Windows way.)
After updating your network driver, restart your PC and check if Discord is working correctly.
If this solution doesn’t help your case, you can try the next trick below.
Fix 5: Disable QoS High Packet Priority
Some users reported that a Discord feature named Quality of Service High Packet Priority is causing high ping in game, and disabling it could be a fix to the connection problem too. You can try the same and see how it goes.
Here’s how:
- Open Discord and go to User Settings.
- From the left menu, select Voice & Video. Under the QUALITY OF SERVICE section, make sure Enable Quality of Service High Packet Priority is set to disable.
- Now check if the problem persists.
If this fix doesn’t give you luck, take a look at the next one below.
Fix 6: Temporarily disable your firewall
The Windows Firewall is designed to prevent unauthorized users from accessing your computer files and resources. But it can also block some unharmful traffic accidentally, making it a suspect for the “RTC Connecting” error. To find out, you can temporarily disable your firewall and see how things go.
Here’s how (Screenshots are from Windows 10 and the method works for Windows 7 or later):
- On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run box. Then Type or paste control firewall.cpl and click OK.
- From the left menu, select Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.
- Select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) for Domain network, Private Network and Public network. Then click OK.
Now you can check if Discord is functioning correctly.
If the issue persists, take a look at the next fix below.
Fix 7: Use a VPN
The “RTC Connecting” error could also mean there’s a problem with your network. If every website works except for Discord, you can try to improve the connection with a VPN. VPN servers tend to have a stable connection and a negligible downtime.
But note that we absolutely don’t recommend free VPNs, as they could be after your personal data. Even the cheapest subscription offers decent privacy protection.
And here’re some VPNs we recommend:
So these are the solutions for your “RTC Connecting” error in Discord. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to drop a line and we’ll get back to you.