Discord confirmed a year ago that it was developing a native client for Windows on ARM. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon X1 series receiving good response in the market, and the next generation X2 about to debut, the Windows on ARM ecosystem is gradually maturing. Microsoft has also actively promoted developers to provide ARM native versions of applications in recent years, greatly improving the usability of the overall platform. Against this background, after more than two years of waiting, Discord finally officially launched a native version for Windows on ARM.
Discord now supports Windows on ARM natively
While Discord has yet to announce the update with much fanfare, the official website has quietly opened up the ARM version for download. When you click “Download Windows version”, the website will provide x86 and ARM64 versions to choose from. If you are not sure whether the Discord currently installed on your computer is a native ARM version, you can open the work administrator, switch to the “Details” tab, and check the “Architecture” field. Microsoft is also recently adding more NPU-related information to the task manager, making it more intuitive to identify application architecture in the future.
While modern ARM-based Windows devices are quite mature at performing x86 emulation and most applications run smoothly, the native version still has clear advantages. The most direct benefits include better performance, lower power consumption, and a more stable long-term use experience. For applications like Discord that remain in the background for a long time and require real-time voice and image processing, the performance difference brought by nativeization is particularly obvious.
Although Discord is mainly targeted at gamers (by the way, Nitro members can also enjoy Game Pass-related discounts), it has already become a cross-field communication tool, used by people from communities, learning to work collaboration. It can provide a complete native experience on ARM-based Windows PCs, which will substantially enhance the appeal of the entire platform. In particular, Snapdragon X2 devices are about to be launched. If these new models can be equipped with more native applications, they will have a better chance of attracting mainstream users.
Microsoft has also recently updated its Surface series, launching new models equipped with Intel Core Ultra 300 series processors. It has also confirmed that the Snapdragon X2 version of Surface for general consumers will also be launched soon. This means that Windows on ARM hardware options will be richer than ever before, and the addition of Discord just fills in an important puzzle piece in the ecosystem.
Currently, the Windows version of Discord is available directly fromOfficial website download, Discord can also be found in the Microsoft Store, but the store page has not yet been updated with ARM64 support information, indicating that this update is still in the gradual promotion stage. For users who are already using ARM devices, downloading the ARM64 version directly from the official website will be the most straightforward way.
Source: KOCPC Chinese