Discord was initially created as an app where gamers and developers could hang out and connect, and many of its native features still reflect the initial design.
One such feature is the gaming overlay. Discord’s overlay is a feature that pins a chat window on your game, allowing for viewing messages, notifications, and calls when you’re playing a game.
If you’re a Discord user and a Minecraft enthusiast, learning to get the Discord overlay can help you keep up with your account activities while playing.
Click the settings icon on your Discord desktop app. Open the “Activity Settings” tab and slide the toggle next to “Enable in-game overlay.” Select the hot bind key in the next tab. Next, launch Minecraft. Press the keybind you chose earlier. Go to “Overlay Settings” in the popup window and adjust settings to your preference. Click the “X” button to close the window. You’ll notice the overlay at your Minecraft game’s top-left or right corner.
Read to the end to learn more about getting a Discord overlay on Minecraft.
Overview of Getting an Overlay on Minecraft
Discord uses a chat system called servers. Servers comprise communities of like-minded individuals who do activities together and share information. Some of the most popular Discord communities are in the online gaming niche. As the introduction notes, Discord initially targeted gamers, and many of its features are meant to support and integrate gaming activities with the app.
One of the features intended for gamers is the “Overlay.” As the name suggests, an overlay is a window that appears over another app. In this case, a Discord overlay is a window that will appear over your Minecraft game. Discord’s gaming overlays serve various purposes. The primary ones include allowing you to view messages, notifications, and other account activity when playing.
If you’re part of a Minecraft community on Discord, you likely play competitively with some server members. You must interact actively with them while playing because it’s a community activity. This is where the overlay comes in. Discord’s gaming overlay also helps detect your voice so you can participate in your voice channels without exiting or pausing the game.
Next, we’ll discuss the steps to getting a Discord overlay on Minecraft.
Step-by-Step Guide to Getting a Discord Overlay on Minecraft
The first step to getting a Discord overlay on Minecraft is to enable the overlay feature on your app. Here’s how to do it.
- Launch the Discord desktop app.
- Click the gear settings icon at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- Scroll down the menu until you get to “Activity Settings.”
- Under “Activity Settings,” click “Game Overlay.” An overlay page will open.
- Slide the toggle next to “Enable in-game overlay” to on. It will change from white to green.
- Next, click the keybind box to the right of the overlay tab.
- Select a keybind combination currently not used in your Minecraft game.
- Scroll down the Overlay window and adjust the “Avatar Size,” “Display Names” options, and whether to display users.
- Scroll to the bottom and choose whether to receive text notifications in the overlay.
- Next, return to the “Activity Settings” section and click “Registered Games.”
- Spot the “Added Games” section and select Minecraft on the list.
- If there’s a red checkmark next to Minecraft, click on it to enable the Discord overlay.
- If Minecraft isn’t on the list of Added games, click the “Add it!” button.
- Select Minecraft from the list of games and click “Add Game.”
Now that your overlay is enabled, follow the steps to get it on Minecraft.
- Launch Minecraft.
- Press the keybind you chose earlier. The overlay popup window will appear over your game.
- Click the gear settings icon at the top-left corner of the overlay to go to settings.
- Pick the corner of the screen where you want the overlay to go.
- Next, close the overlay window and click the “X” icon at the top-right corner.
Please note that the default keybind for Discord’s gaming overlay is SHIFT. However, many games, including Minecraft, already use this key for various gaming mechanics like sprinting or movement.
Retaining it as your overlay keybind will prompt a different game activity instead of the overlay, which can be confusing. Choose a keybind combination with keys you’re not using in the game.
Summary
Learning to get a Discord overlay on Minecraft is a valuable skill. It will make your online games more interactive as you can participate in your voice channels and see notifications and messages without exiting the game.
When enabling a Discord overlay, the most crucial thing to remember is to select keybinds with a key combination not involved with the game to avoid prompting a game activity instead of opening the overlay.
