How to disable Steam and Discord Overlays

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What is Steam Overlay

Steam Overlay is a feature that lets you use Steam tools and chat with friends while playing games, without leaving the game.

You press a key (usually Shift+Tab) and the Steam Overlay appears on top of the game, showing your friends list and chat window. You can then type a message to your friend without having to exit the game.

What is Discord Overlay

Discord Overlay is a feature that allows you to see and interact with Discord features, such as chat, voice channels, and friend lists, while playing games, without having to leave the game or minimize the Discord app.

You're playing a game and you want to see who's talking in your Discord voice channel. You enable the Discord Overlay, and a small window appears on top of the game, showing you who's speaking and what voice channel you're in. You can also use the overlay to mute or unmute yourself, or switch channels, without leaving the game.

How to Disable Steam and Discord Overlay

To disable Steam Overlay:

1. Open Steam
2. Go to Steam > Settings (or Preferences on Mac)
3. Click on "In-Game"
4. Toggle the switch next to "Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game"

To disable Discord Overlay:

1. Open Discord
2. Click on the gear icon (User Settings)
3. Go to "Overlay"
4. Toggle off the switch next to "Enable in-game overlay"

Can Steam and Discord Overlays Affect Gaming Performance?

Steam and Discord overlays can affect gaming performance, but the impact is usually small. Here’s why it might happen:

1. Resource Usage: Overlays use your computer’s CPU, memory, and graphics power, which means less is available for the game.
2. Frame Rate Drops: Some players notice a slight drop in frame rates, especially with demanding games.
3. Input Lag: Overlays might add a bit of input lag, which can be noticeable in fast-paced games.

However, it's worth noting that:

• Modern computers and gaming hardware can usually handle overlays just fine.
• Both Steam and Discord have optimized their overlays to keep performance issues minimal.
• Many games won’t be affected at all.

If you’re worried about performance, you can try turning off overlays or tweaking their settings to see if it helps.

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