Top Pick: Why I Prefer Using Discord for Watching Movies

Key Takeaways

• Discord is a versatile app for watch parties with friends, complementing streaming services like Netflix and Disney+.
• You can share your screen and chat in real-time during the movie, show, or sporting event.
• To host a Discord watch party, create a private server, start a call, and share your screen.

When talking about streaming movies and TV, apps that come to mind are probably Netflix, Disney+, or Max. You likely don’t think of Discord, but when I want to enjoy a movie with my long-distance friends, Discord is the perfect complement to any streaming service or even DVD.

Discord Is Great for Watch Parties With Friends

You might think of Discord as an app for gamers . It’s true I initially made my Discord account to voice chat with my friends while on multiplayer games. Since then, though, I’ve found more practical and fun uses for it, including movie watching.

Of course, Discord isn’t a streaming service. There’s no content Discord hosts itself like Netflix and its bottomless pile of flicks and shows. Instead, its chat rooms let me share my screen while watching something on Disney+, Hulu, VLC , or whatever dedicated video app. My long-distance friends can watch along, and at the same time we can all chat in Discord, either with voice or text, to give kudos or throw virtual tomatoes.

Outside of viewings, we use our Discord group chat or server (a shared space for a group of friends or community) to plan the next movie, share memes, and generally have a jolly good time.

My favorite is to watch a B-movie horror flick and go full MST3K with witty commentary and goofy GIFs. Other How-To Geek contributors watch entire TV series and sporting events with their fellow fans over Discord, so all kinds of watch parties are possible.

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How to Use Discord for Watching With Friends

To have a Discord watch party, you and your friends first sign up for Discord . It’s optional, but making a private server for you and your friends is the best next step. If that sounds too intimidating, you can also just friend each other and create a regular group chat like you would on Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

If you’re the one hosting, you’ll ideally use the Discord desktop app on a Windows PC or Mac since that makes watching and chatting easier. Then you go to a streaming service’s website or load up a movie with VLC. You’ll start a voice chat with your friends and then begin sharing your screen in the call. For more detailed instructions and troubleshooting, check out our dedicated guides to streaming anything over Discord or Netflix-over-Discord watch parties specifically.

Sometimes, though, my friends and I ditch the in-app stream and just coordinate pressing play on the same movie, then use the Discord app just for chatting. Staying synced can be tricky, but it makes watching on a TV rather than a computer or mobile screen easier. No matter what, though, Discord friends make movies better.

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