Discord Portable v1.0.9264-rev.3 released!

Discord Portable

Discord Portable is a portable build of Discord, the voice, video and text chat app. It runs the build that's native to the computer (x64 or ARM64), keeps itself up to date, and can load BetterDiscord, Vencord or Equicord if you want it to.

It's built with the PortableApps Compiler (PAC-MAN): every change it makes to Windows is recorded first and undone when Discord closes, or on the next launch if something went wrong.

I was given permission by Discord Inc. to continue developing this project. They can't officially endorse it because, "...we do not have a hand in development directly." They go on to say:

"As a result, if they happen to be released, we recommend to all of our users to be cautious when using third party applications with Discord in general and any usage is at their own risk."

Download

Downloads are in the Releases section. The package is in PortableApps.com format, so it installs into the PortableApps.com Platform or any folder you like.

Features

• The full Discord desktop app.
• Native on every PC: x64 and ARM64 builds. On Windows on ARM the launcher downloads and runs the ARM64 build instead of running x64 under emulation. (See Builds)
• Updates itself: checks Discord's official downloads at start, and also runs any update Discord installs for itself. A failed or interrupted update keeps the version you had. (See Updates)
• Repairs itself: if Discord's files are missing or damaged, the launcher offers to download Discord again instead of failing to start.
• Optional client mods: BetterDiscord, Vencord or Equicord, chosen with one setting. (See Client mods)
• Your data travels with it: settings, sign-in and your client mod's plugins, themes and settings are kept in Data.
• Leaves nothing behind: the discord:// link, the "Open Discord" at startup entry, the uninstall entry and the shortcuts Discord makes for itself only exist while it runs. An installed Discord's are put back exactly as they were.
• No administrator rights: everything is done for the current user only.

System Requirements

• Windows 10 or later, 64-bit (x64 or ARM64). Discord has had no 32-bit build since December 2023.
• PortableApps.com Platform (optional).
• An internet connection.
• Data on a local drive (a USB drive is fine; a network share isn't). See Data.

Configuration

DiscordPortable.ini, next to the launcher, holds the user settings. If it gets damaged, or you want to go back to the defaults, copy Other\Source\DiscordPortable.ini over it.

[DiscordPortable]
AdditionalParameters=
UpdateCheck=true
Architecture=auto
ClientMod=none

Key	Values	Default	What it does
UpdateCheck	true, false	true	Check for a new Discord at start and offer to update.
Architecture	auto, x64, arm64	auto	Which build to run. auto picks the native one.
ClientMod	none, BetterDiscord, Vencord, Equicord	none	Load a client mod into Discord. See Client mods.
AdditionalParameters	text	empty	Extra command line switches passed to Discord.

Builds

Folder	Build	Runs on
App\Discord	x64	x64 Windows, and Windows 11 on ARM under emulation
App\DiscordARM64	ARM64	ARM64 Windows

Each folder is laid out the way Discord's installer leaves it, with one app-<version> folder per version. The launcher always starts the newest one.

The package ships the x64 build. The first time it starts on ARM64 Windows (with UpdateCheck=true), it offers to download the ARM64 build; until then the x64 build runs under emulation. To force a build, set Architecture=x64 or arm64. The ARM64 build can only be forced on ARM64 Windows.

Updates

Discord updates its own modules every time it starts, and sometimes installs a new version of itself too. The launcher always starts the newest version, so those updates just work.

With UpdateCheck=true, the launcher also asks Discord for the latest version each time it starts, the same download links discord.com uses. When there's a newer version for a build the package has, it asks before doing anything.

An update is all or nothing:

1. Every installer is downloaded, with a progress bar. If a download fails, nothing changes.
2. Discord is unpacked straight out of each installer, next to the current build. The installer is never run, so nothing gets installed on the PC. If anything can't be unpacked, or isn't the version Discord announced, nothing changes.
3. The new builds are swapped in. Each swap is recorded first, so if one fails, or the launcher is interrupted halfway, the previous version is put back, on the spot or on the next launch.

The launcher carries its own copy of 7-Zip for the unpacking, so it needs no other tools.

A new version starts out the way a fresh install of Discord does: it downloads its voice and other modules the first time it runs, so that start takes a little longer.

A build can't be replaced while it's in use. If the update says so, quit Discord (also from the notification area), then try again.

Damaged or missing Discord

If the package has no Discord it can run, or Discord's own code (resources\app.asar) is missing or empty, the launcher offers to download Discord before it starts. Copies that went through a sync tool or source control are the usual reason for empty files.

Client mods

Set ClientMod=BetterDiscord, ClientMod=Vencord or ClientMod=Equicord to load one of them into Discord, or none to run Discord without one. Only one can be loaded at a time; switching is just a matter of changing the setting, and each keeps its own plugins, themes and settings.

Both are downloaded from their official GitHub releases the first time, and update themselves from their own settings after that. Discord started any other way than through the launcher runs unmodded.

Client mods are third-party modifications. Using them is against Discord's Terms of Service, so it's at your own risk.

BetterDiscord

• Its folder (plugins, themes, custom CSS and settings) is kept in Data\BetterDiscord. Put plugins in Data\BetterDiscord\plugins and themes in Data\BetterDiscord\themes, or use the buttons in BetterDiscord's settings.
• Discord's core module is changed so that it loads BetterDiscord only when the launcher asks for it, and switching to another setting puts the original module back.

Older versions of Discord Portable kept BetterDiscord in App\BetterDiscord. It's moved to Data\BetterDiscord the first time the new launcher runs, or when the new version is installed over the old one. Their BetterDiscord=true setting still works as long as ClientMod= isn't set.

Vencord and Equicord

Equicord is a fork of Vencord with more plugins; the launcher sets both up the same way.

	Vencord	Equicord
Settings, themes, Quick CSS	Data\Vencord	Data\Equicord
Its files	Data\Vencord\dist	Data\Equicord\equicord.asar

• While Discord runs, the version that starts is set up the way the mods' own installers do it: Discord's resources\app.asar is moved to _app.asar, and a small app.asar folder takes its place. It starts the mod, and the mod starts Discord's own app from _app.asar.
• Nothing is copied: the move is a rename, so it works the same on NTFS, FAT32 and exFAT drives.
• Everything is removed again when Discord closes, or on the next launch if Discord didn't close properly.
• The mod works from the first start, also right after the launcher updates Discord. If Discord installs a new version of itself while it runs and restarts into it, that restart runs without the mod until the next launch.

If an installed Vencord or Equicord (or another mod's installer) already changed the portable Discord, the launcher leaves it alone, starts Discord without the mod, and says so.

Data

Discord uses	Kept in
%APPDATA%\discord (settings, sign-in, cache)	Data\AppData\discord
%APPDATA%\BetterDiscord	Data\BetterDiscord
%APPDATA%\Vencord	Data\Vencord
%APPDATA%\Equicord	Data\Equicord

While Discord runs, all of them are linked into Data with NTFS junctions, so nothing is copied back and forth. If an installed Discord or client mod already has any of these folders, it's moved aside for the session and put back when Discord Portable closes.

An installed Discord can't run at the same time as Discord Portable. If one is open, the launcher says so; quit it from the notification area first.

If something goes wrong

If Discord Portable didn't close properly (a crash, a power cut, a USB drive pulled out), the next launch tells you and undoes everything the last session changed before it starts again. You don't need to do anything else.

When reporting a problem, please include an export of the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\pac-man\Journal registry key and the contents of %LOCALAPPDATA%\pac-man\Journal.

Building from source

The launcher is built with the [PortableApps Compiler][PACMAN]. Its configuration lives in App\AppInfo:

File	Contents
App\AppInfo\appinfo.ini	Package details and version
App\AppInfo\Launcher\DiscordPortable.ini	The launcher configuration: the data links
App\AppInfo\Launcher\custom.nsh	Build and version selection, the updater, the client mods and the session changes
Other\Source\7-Zip	The 7-Zip the updater uses, embedded in the launcher at compile time

Point PortableApps Compiler at the package folder and compile. When cloning this project, either copy a Discord installation into App\Discord or let the launcher download Discord the first time it runs.

Credits

• Discord Portable is a redistribution of the Discord app, developed by Discord Inc.
• BetterDiscord by the BetterDiscord team, Vencord by Vendicated and contributors, and Equicord by the Equicord team, downloaded on request.
• The updater uses 7-Zip by Igor Pavlov, licensed under the GNU LGPL. See Other\Source\7-Zip\License.txt.
• PortableApps.com Platform by PortableApps.com.
• PortableApps Compiler developed by daemon.devin.

License

• Portable application code released under the MIT license.
• The Discord EULA.