Have you ever tried to send a flurry of messages on Discord, only to be met with an ominous "You are being rate limited" error? With over 150 million active users as of 2022, Discord has to vigilantly maintain the availability and integrity of its infrastructure. This is achieved through rate limiting – temporarily blocking users who trigger alarms of suspicious activity.
As a cybersecurity evangelist and long-time Discord power user, I‘ve compiled this comprehensive guide on dealing with rate limiting based on my experience and expertise. Follow along to understand what causes this error, and more importantly, how to fix it quickly using proven methods.
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Why Does Discord Rate Limit Accounts?
Before we get into solutions, it‘s important to understand what purpose rate limiting serves. Discord rates limits accounts to prevent the following potentially malicious activities:
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Brute forcing passwords or codes – Repeatedly guessing passwords for private channels/groups can be used to crack access. Rate limiting stops endless trial-and-error.
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Spamming and harassment – Mass sending friend requests or messages can disrupt users. Rate limits curb bulk unwanted communication.
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API abuse – Overloading Discord‘s servers by excessively pinging its API endpoints using bots or tools. Rate limits ensure fair API usage.
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Ban evasion – Users blocked for violations trying to instantly create new accounts and regain access. Rate limiting blocks such repeats.
Essentially, Discord is emulating the logic of a firewall – allowing benign traffic but instantly blocking usage patterns that appear dangerous based on frequency, volume and intent. This system prevents compromising the platform‘s stability, security and compliance.
Discord‘s daily active users crossed 150 million in 2021. The platform has to manage immense scale while battling spam and abuse.
Discord‘s exponential growth in monthly active users [Source: Backlinko]
While rate limiting enhances protection, incorrectly flagging normal user behavior does disrupt legitimate platform enjoyment. Let‘s discuss workaround to get you safely back into Discord.
Best Ways to Fix "You are Being Rate Limited"
Based on the hundreds of rate limit errors I have troubleshooted, here are smart, proven tactics to unblock your Discord access:
1. Take a Break!
When hit with a rate limit warning, your instinct may be to immediately retry the blocked action repeatedly. But that will only reset the rate limit timer and prolong the ban!
The ideal solution is simply waiting out the limit. As Discord‘s official tweet confirms, cooling off for just 15 minutes resets the limit and restores access in most cases:
A rate limit means there were too many attempts in a small period of time. You‘ll need to wait roughly 15 minutes before attempting it again. – @discord
Switching apps or stepping away from your device for a quarter hour lets the limit expire naturally. Just be sure not to refresh Discord compulsively as that keeps resetting the timer.
Expert Tip – Use a browser extension like LeechBlock to temporarily block yourself from accessing Discord for 15 minutes. This prevents obsessively reloading the app during the cool off period.
2. Reset Your Network Connection
Rate limits on Discord are typically implemented as IP bans. Your home or office internet connection has a dynamic IP address assigned by your ISP.
Restarting your router forces a refresh of this IP address. This can evade Discord‘s blocking of your earlier IP.
Here are the simple steps to reset your network connection:
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Logout of Discord on all devices. Then power cycle your router and modem – unplug them and disconnect all cables for 2 minutes.
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Reconnect the hardware and turn them back on. Wait for internet access to be restored on connected devices.
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Relaunch Discord and see if the new IP address has resolved the rate limiting issue.
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Unplug and reset modem and router to force a new IP address [Source: Lifewire]
Resetting your router essentially tricks Discord into thinking you are a new user, escaping the penalization.
3. Browse Anonymously via Tor
The Tor browser routes your traffic through a globally distributed network of relays operated by volunteers. This masks your original IP address, allowing you to browse anonymously.
Accessing Discord via Tor browser circumvents IP bans since it appears you are connecting from a random Tor exit node.
To get started:
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Download and install the Tor browser from torproject.org
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Open Discord in a Tor window and login to your account. The new masked IP should lift the rate limit.
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You may need to complete any pending verification such as email/SMS confirmation using Tor.
Tor has over 2 million daily users. Its encryption and IP masking helps bypass geo-blocks, censorship and evade tracking.
The downside is Tor can be slower than normal internet browsing. But it offers a quick fix if you urgently need Discord access.
4. Try a Different Device
There is a small chance your specific device like laptop or phone has been flagged by Discord. Trying to access your account from a different device can possibly circumvent the block.
Options to try:
- Login to Discord from another computer
- Access it on your smart TV or gaming console
- Use your smartphone instead of PC or vice versa
- Switching browsers like trying Firefox instead of Chrome
This pinpoints whether the rate limit applies broadly to your account or narrowly to just that device. Switching hardware might just do the trick.
5. Leverage a VPN Service
A reliable albeit paid option is using a VPN service. VPNs funnel your internet traffic through an intermediary remote server.
This masks your real IP address, allowing you to bypass IP bans. Connecting to a VPN before accessing Discord essentially tricks their system into thinking you have a completely new identity and location.
Popular paid VPN services like NordVPN, ExpressVPN and TunnelBear offer apps across platforms. Some also provide browser extensions. Enable the VPN and then launch Discord to skirt rate blocks.
Top VPN services allow switching server locations – useful to test if bans apply only to specific regions.
Free VPNs have bandwidth limits and potentially weaker privacy. For best results, use reputed paid VPN services when dealing with rate limits.
6. Clear Browser Cookies, Cache and App Data
For browser apps, clearing cookies and cache wipes your local Discord session info. Upon reloading, Discord treats you like a first-time visitor.
Follow these steps based on your browser:
Chrome
- Click the 3-dot menu > Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear browsing data
- Choose a time range like Last hour. Select Cookies, Cache and Site data. Click Clear data.
Firefox
- Click the 3-line menu > Options > Privacy & Security > Clear Data
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content. Click Clear.
Safari
- Click Safari > Clear History and Website Data
- Select Cookies and other website data and Cached files. Click Clear History.
For Discord mobile apps, uninstall completely and do a fresh install. This resets the app‘s internal state.
Clearing identified tracking data forces Discord to revalidate you as a user.
7. Use Alternate Accounts
If the rate limit persists through the above measures, it is likely placed on your main Discord account due to activity violations.
Creating alternate accounts on new emails lets you start afresh. Use these alt accounts until restrictions on your primary account expire.
Some ways to create alt accounts:
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Set up a new email just for Discord. Avoid linking social media profiles.
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Use masked/disposable emails from services like Guerrilla Mail or MailDrop.
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Register using Tor browser for added anonymity.
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Enable 2FA for security. Avoid repeating past behaviors that got you rate limited.
Juggling multiple accounts does violate Discord‘s terms. Only use alts as a last resort to temporarily regain access.
8. Appeal to Discord Support
If the rate limit persists for over 24 hours despite your best efforts, it may be a harsher restriction imposed by Discord. Reach out to their support team via:
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Twitter – Tweet @discord with your issue and username. Their support staff may respond with ban details.
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Support Page – File a ticket in the ‘My Account is Disabled‘ category. Explain you were unfairly restricted.
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Email – Write to [email protected] with your account credentials and request to review ban.
Discord generally does not entertain appeals. But for unfair repeat limits, they may investigate and restore access if it was mistakenly flagged.
Best Practices to Avoid Future Rate Limits
Along with resolving current rate limits, adopting these measures enhances your overall Discord security:
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Limit bot activity – Scale down intensive bots hitting API repeatedly to avoid crossing usage thresholds.
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Manage server roles wisely – Don‘t overwhelm new users with too many role assignments as that spikes API calls.
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Moderate message frequency – Avoid bombarding channels, especially public ones, with a barrage of messages that can be seen as spam.
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Strengthen account security – Enable two-factor authentication and use strong unique passwords to prevent compromise leading to violations.
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Review server access – Revoke permission for unused third-party integrations. Restrict admin privileges to trustworthy members.
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Report abuse – Pre-emptively flag scams, harassment, threats for moderation before they trigger restrictions.
Adopting prudent precautions aligns your usage patterns closer to Discord‘s expected baselines. This minimizes adverse rate limiting scenarios.
Stay in Control of Your Discord Experience
I hope this detailed guide gives you expertise-backed solutions to circumvent erroneous or prolonged rate limiting bans on Discord. Just stay calm, implement the fixes methodically, and you will be chatting and playing alongside your online buddies in no time.
With social platforms continuing to scale rapidly, implementations like rate limiting are important to combat ever-evolving threats from spammers, scrapers and malicious actors. As aware users, we have to take reasonable precautions and exercise some patience when caught in the crosshairs of automated security systems.
Connect with me on social media if you have any other questions around maximizing your Discord functionality and security!
