Discord boosts performance on Snapdragon X PCs by releasing a native Arm app

Studio photos of the 2026 ASUS Zenbook A16 laptop featuring the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor.
PCs with Snapdragon X processors have a growing library of native applications that now includes Discord. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino | Windows Central)

Discord is now available as a native app on Snapdragon X-powered PCs. Before the native app rolled out, you could still use Discord on any PC running Windows on Arm, but you had to run the app through emulation or use your web browser. The native version of Discord should perform better on PCs like the ASUS Zenbook A16.

Discord has not officially announced the release of its Arm-native app, but you can download that version through Discord's official website. Neowin spotted the addition recently.

Since Discord is now Arm-native, it should run better on Windows on Arm PCs. Microsoft's Prism emulation has improved greatly over the years, but a native app is preferred to an emulated one.

Discord
ARM-Native
Discord: at discord.com

Discord is now available as a native application for Snapdragon X-powered PCs. The app has the same features as the version you're familiar with, it just performs better on PCs running Windows on Arm.

A busy year for Discord

Considering that Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam handed the social market to Discord and people have remained on the platform, it's a good time for Discord to gain an Arm-native application.

It's a bit strange that we saw an unofficial way to use Discord on Windows Phone 7 this year before we got an official Arm-native version of Discord shipped to PCs, but now people have more ways to chat.

Discord came under fire back in February when it started requiring some users to verify their age to use the app. When age verification rolled out, searches for "Discord alternatives" spiked, but many found it difficult to switch to other apps.

Like X, Discord’s strength comes from the size of its community. Getting people to migrate away from Discord can be difficult.

Many have decided to stick with Discord. Microsoft has embraced Discord as well by adding Discord Nitro to a new tier of Xbox Game Pass.

Discord joining the growing list of Arm‑native apps is another sign that Windows on Arm is settling into its rhythm.


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Sean Endicott
News Writer

Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.

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