Discord is rebuilding its desktop client in Rust, with the aim of replacing its current Electron app. The mobile apps are also due to share Rust code while keeping native interfaces. The work is still in development: Discord’s CTO says user testing is hoped for soon, but no public test or release date has been announced.

What Discord is changing

On November 4, co-founder and CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy said the plan is to move the whole client to Rust. The desktop app will leave Electron; mobile will retain its native UI while sharing app code with desktop. He also identified GPUI, a Rust UI framework, as the desktop framework. His post on X described user testing as a near-term goal, without giving a date.

That makes this an architectural rebuild rather than a new chat feature. Discord has used Rust in parts of its infrastructure and voice technology for years, according to Vishnevskiy; the stated goal is to bring more of the client onto the same language.

Why users may notice

Discord’s CTO has shown an early build and described it as more responsive. A Task Manager screenshot shared during the announcement showed about 290 MB of memory use. That is a single development-build snapshot, not a controlled comparison or a promise of what the released app will use; actual memory use can vary with operating system, settings, servers, calls, and workload.

PC Gamer and Windows Central also reported on the early demos, including a faster startup shown by Vishnevskiy. Those demonstrations support the direction of the project, but independent testing of a public release is not yet possible. PC Gamer’s report and Windows Central’s coverage both note that the app has not been released for users to evaluate.

What Discord users should do now

There is nothing to install or change yet. Keep using the official Discord app and wait for an announcement about testing or availability. Treat the memory and speed figures as early-demo claims until the client can be tested under comparable real-world conditions.

Sources

Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord CTO, November 4 post on X; PC Gamer; Windows Central.