Developers include refresh shortcuts for a reason. Discord is built on Electron (a framework that runs web technology on desktops). Just like a browser tab can bog down after watching hours of video, Discord can suffer from memory leaks or render issues.
However, the shortcut is not without its risks. In a crowded server with rapidly scrolling text, hitting Ctrl+R means losing the current message input box content and the exact scroll position. For a user typing a long message, an accidental refresh can be a minor tragedy, erasing minutes of work. Furthermore, while it resets the interface, it does not clear the deep cache or fix underlying hardware acceleration issues—for those, a full application restart or even a cache purge is still necessary. discord refresh shortcut
Mac users have a slightly different key combination, but the result is identical. Developers include refresh shortcuts for a reason
Using Ctrl + R or Cmd + R is the digital equivalent of a power nap for the app. It keeps you online, maintains your place in the chat, and fixes 90% of display bugs instantly. However, the shortcut is not without its risks