How to activate and customize the Overlay in Discord? Step by step guide

Among the most popular gaming applications, without a doubt Discord is in the top positions due to the wide number of functionalities it offers. One of the most interesting things about the platform is that it not only serves gamers, but can also be used in the workplace or to contact friends.

It has a simple interface to workHowever, not everyone takes the time to dig into the slightly more advanced features it has. Such is the case of the Overlays, a rather curious feature.

In this post, we will talk about How to activate and customize the Overlay in Discord?, so you can get the most out of them. In addition, you will know its benefits and the most useful types of overlays.

What are Overlay and what are they for on Discord?

The Overlay they are a pretty cool feature that has included Discord for various devices. Consists in show on main screen, superimposed, some of the elements of the application.

Among the examples of them are: the avatars of the other users of the server with whom you speak, their user names, notifications, etc. Each of these aspects can be modified to decide what can and cannot be displayed. Besides, you can choose where on the screen they will be displayed. In consecuense, while you play you will know who is available within a voice chat, access the shortcuts for mute, speaker, etc.

What are the benefits of using Discord Overlay’s overlay widgets?

The use of Discord Overlay widgets They are used especially by gamers, because it considerably facilitates communication while they are in a game. Through the options such as seeing notifications, setting a text or voice channel, etc., it is possible to be attentive to updates and conversations from people within the platform.

In consecuense, while playing you can exchange tactics or just have a fluent conversation. Consequently, you do not have to exit any app or game to be able to answer. Directly from the game you can reply to messages and keep up to date with information from a text or voice channel. Likewise, the opacity of the Overlays can be adjusted, so that they do not interfere with the graphics.

Learn step by step how to enable and configure Discord Overlays like an expert

Activating this functionality is easier than it seems. The configuration varies slightly if it is done from computers or from devices Android.

Therefore, we show you what to do in each case:

Computers

Next we will explain what you must do to enable and configure this functionality on computers.

Open the app from Discord.
Login in the User Settings.
Go to the tab Overlay and activate the function.
Press in the section Game activity.
Enable the Overlay for the game what you wish.

Android mobile

On the other hand, it is possible to activate Overlay on your mobile device. The procedure for Android mobiles is:

Go to Discord.
Press in the lower right corner, specifically about your profile picture.
Go to the section of Application settings.
click in Voice and video.
Choose in Activate Mobile Voice Overlay.
Now you have to grant the permissions so that the app can work while using the other apps.
By last, you will see the button Overlay on the screen while browsing an application. In this way, you can use it at any time.

List of the Most Useful Discord Overlay You Can Activate While Playing

Within Discord, you have access to different types of Overlay that will be very useful while you play.

Therefore, we want to share a list with the main ones so that you can configure them and start using them as soon as possible:

Text chat

With this option, you can interact with a text channel as you are usually used to. It allows you to exchange between channels, generate invitation links, reactions and emojis.

Fixation

You can set the pinning a voice widget and a text channel while you play. Through this function, you will make the box corresponding to the Overlay remain visible during a game. When you pin a channel, you can keep an eye on the live updates while in a game. However, the platform specifies that you cannot respond or interact until you enable the Overlay with the key binding.

To enable it, head towards User Settings / Keyboard Shortcuts. In there, click Activate Overlay Chat and you will be able to configure the key binding. Added to that, a preview mode was enabled within the game, so you can do it correctly. When you adjust the widget, it automatically puts you in preview mode. Thanks to this, you will have an idea of how it will look while you play. By clicking and holding those two areas you can move or change the size of the widget.

Notifications

Another interesting element are the notification options in Overlay. You can configure this section without problems by going to User Settings / Overlay / Overlay Notifications. If you want to disable them, you have to select in the X.

Regarding the types of notifications that you will be able to appreciate, there are some like incoming calls, text notifications, game invite notifications. Also, it is worth mentioning that this type of notification boxes can be customized as far as size and location are concerned.

Important information about Overlays

It can be said that the Overlays represent a very powerful function that makes life easier for users, as it offers them access to Discord content from any other application. However, Enabling Overlay may cause your antivirus software to prohibit use of the application.

You should not worry about that notice, since it is a small problem that the platform is presenting. Using Overlay on Discord is 100% safe! They are currently working to get different companies to approve its use. Added to that, there is a list of games that can give you problems by enabling the Overlays.

It does not always happen, but to be aware, we show you a list of the main ones: