Discord desktop app: the official client, and a window of the website
Use Discord's own Mac, Windows or Linux app for voice while another window is in front. discord.com is the browser client for the same account, and a Pake window of that site keeps the browser's limits. Discord's help says push to talk works in the browser only while its window is focused, puts the Keybinds tab and the Windows game overlay on the desktop client, and lists application-audio capture for the Windows and macOS desktop clients, Chrome and mobile.
Discord's own desktop apps
Discord's download page says the desktop app is available on Windows, macOS and Linux, and the install guide recommends those clients. On 5 November 2026 the download page offered two Mac builds, labeled Intel and Apple Silicon, two Windows builds, labeled x64 and ARM64, and four Linux packages, labeled deb, tar.gz, rpm and pkg.tar.zst. The Linux rows do not name a CPU architecture, and all four links resolve to x64 builds; asking the same download address for arm64 returns an error.
The system requirements, updated 21 July 2026, list Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, and on Linux Ubuntu 20.04 or later, Debian 11 or later, openSUSE 16.2 or later and Fedora Linux 32 or later. Browser minimums on that page are Chrome 108 or later, Firefox 142 or later, Opera 72 or later, Edge 86 or later and Safari 15.4 or later.
The guide's Windows steps are Download for Windows, then DiscordSetup.exe. Mac is Download for Mac, open Discord.dmg, and drag Discord onto Applications. Linux is Download for Linux, and the only commands it shows are sudo dpkg -i or sudo apt install for the downloaded deb on a Debian-based system. tar.gz, rpm and pkg.tar.zst stay as labels on the download page.
Desktop support on 32-bit Windows ended on 15 June 2024. The browser remains available when it meets the minimums above. An old install might still open, without updates. Check with the Start menu, search for "about", open About your PC, and read System Type.
What the browser client leaves out
Voice input, updated 25 March 2025, opens from the cogwheel at the lower left, then User Settings, Voice & Video, Input Mode. Voice Activity transmits when you speak, with a 200ms delay plus the distance to the server. Push to Talk sends only while you hold the key from Edit Keybind. Push to Talk Release Delay is how long audio continues after you let go. In the browser app that key works only while the window is focused. System-wide push to talk is the desktop app.
The keybinds article, last updated 2 October 2020, says you cannot set keybinds in the browser or on mobile. Add a Keybind creates them one at a time, and they stay off while that page is open. The actions there are Push to Talk, Push To Mute, Toggle Mute, Toggle Deafen, Toggle VAD, Toggle Streamer Mode, Toggle Overlay and Toggle Overlay Lock.
Game Overlay, updated 2 April 2025, is a desktop-client feature for Windows. Its FAQ names Windows 10 and 11, and says it does not run on Mac or Linux. The switch is User Settings, Overlay, Enable Overlay, and the default hotkey is Shift plus the backtick key. With a game open, the Go Live article starts a share from that overlay with Stream, then Go Live. The website has no layer to draw over the game.
The same article, updated 19 June 2026, says application audio is captured by the Windows desktop client, the macOS desktop client, Chrome and mobile, and is unavailable on Linux and on other browsers. A browser stream cannot adjust quality. Everyone can stream up to 720p/30fps, and Nitro and Nitro Classic up to 4k/60fps. On Linux the official client is still the one for system-wide push to talk and keybinds. The 32-bit Windows note is the case that sends you to the website.
What the Pake window loads
The gallery recipe discord is an address, a name and a description. It uses https://discord.com/app, the name Discord and the description "Voice, video and text communities", with no CSS, no JavaScript and no window size. The gallery manual says some entries come with a tuned window size, options, CSS or JavaScript. Discord's comes with none, so it starts at the default 1200 by 780.
Pake opens that address in the system web view, the shell described in How Pake works. The CLI docs name WKWebView on macOS, WebView2 on Windows and WebKitGTK on Linux, and the desktop app manual says its Windows apps run on the WebView2 Runtime. Discord calls this the browser app, so push to talk still follows window focus, and the overlay stays a Windows desktop feature.
With no --user-agent, the CLI sends Safari on macOS and Linux and Chrome on Windows. An empty User agent in the desktop app is Safari on Mac and Chrome on Windows. Discord's browser table names Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge and Safari. The audio note names Chrome, and does not name WebView2 or WKWebView, so a share from this window is a test, not a documented Chrome capture.
Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and openSUSE are on Discord's requirements list, so the official client there comes from the download page. The Pake desktop app manual covers macOS 14 or later, Windows 10 version 2004 or later on x64 or ARM64, and Arch-based Linux such as Omarchy on x86_64. Discord's Mac minimum is 12, so on macOS 12 or 13 use Discord's app. A Pake window on Discord's other listed distributions is a CLI build.
Build the window
After the CLI setup, Node.js 20.9 or later and Rust 1.85 or later:
pake https://discord.com/app --name Discord --hide-on-close --show-system-tray --microphone --camera--hide-on-close hides instead of quitting. It is already on for macOS and off for Windows and Linux. --show-system-tray adds the menu bar or tray icon. The menu bar guide covers bringing the window back. --microphone and --camera add the macOS entitlements and, per the CLI docs, are ignored on Windows and Linux. Without them a Mac build does not request either device. --width and --height override 1200 by 780, and on a Mac --install copies the app into /Applications. The rest is in CLI options.
The Pake desktop app does this without a terminal, on the systems named above. On the Create tab, type Discord into Paste a web address or search the apps below to start. It is under Social. Paste https://discord.com/app if the tile is missing. Turn on Hide on close (Hide to tray on close on Linux; on Windows this also turns the tray icon on). Menu bar icon and Tray icon start off. Size, Window size on Windows, is already 1200 by 780. Click Create App. There is no microphone or camera control in the manual. Create an app lists the rest.
Sign in, quit, and open it again. Leave Incognito (--incognito) off, or it keeps no cookies and no sign-in. On macOS, Pake's FAQ says passkeys and Touch ID are unavailable in these apps, so use a password and a second factor.
Hold Push to Talk with the window focused, then again after clicking another app. Discord says the second hold is silent in the browser. On Windows, Shift plus backtick in a game should not open the overlay. Share from the screen icon in the voice status panel and see if application audio is offered. With the window hidden, a message tests alerts. Pake forwards a Notification call while the app is running and does not deliver web push after the page is gone. Discord does not say which one discord.com uses. See website notifications. A second sign-in is Add Another Account on the ⋯ menu in My Apps, or another --name. Storage is separate per name, as two accounts on one website describes.
If it does not work
- The page is blank or login loops. Press
Cmd RorCtrl R, then the same account in a browser from Discord's list. On a Mac,Cmd Lcopies the address. Both keys are in the shortcut list. - Nobody can hear you on a Mac. Rebuild with
--microphone, and--cameraif you need video. The desktop app manual has neither switch. - A call fails on Linux. The two flags do nothing there, and WebKitGTK is not in Discord's browser table. Use Discord's package, or a listed browser.
- Pop Out replaces the channel. Go Live describes Pop Out View and Stay On Top for that stream window. Pake keeps a new-window request in the current window unless you pass
--new-window(Open new windows in the app). - A link leaves the app. Another host opens outside.
--safe-domainreplaces the same-site rule, so includediscord.comif you add hosts.
FAQ
Does push to talk work while a game is focused?
Discord says no, in the browser app.
Can Linux share application audio at all?
Discord's Go Live page says no, for the Linux desktop client too. Chrome is the browser it names for that capture.