10 Fixes For YouTube Black Screen

You wanted to watch a video on YouTube, so you went to the site. A video player appears on your screen when you click on the video on YouTube. You patiently waited for the video to load and begin playing on your computer.

After some time, you see nothing playing on your computer screen. The YouTube video player appeared to be completely black!

youtube black screen

Many YouTube users have experienced the “YouTube videos black screen” issue, a typical occurrence in the YouTube community. When you encounter this problem, you may become frustrated. If you’re frantically searching the Internet for solutions to this problem, this article is here to resolve the issue.

When Does the YouTube Black Screen Error Occur?

Whenever you see a black screen on YouTube, the video cannot load due to a technical problem. It’s possible that the problem is with your computer or caused by issues with YouTube or the internet service provider (ISP).

It is typically possible to resolve a problem on your end by updating your web browser, removing your ad blocker, restarting your computer, resetting your network hardware, and other simple alternatives.

When the issue is triggered by your internet service provider or a YouTube issue, there is nothing you can do to resolve.

There are various reasons why you may experience a black screen while watching videos. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most common issues.

Problems with the internet connection

A slow or unreliable internet connection can hinder your YouTube videos from playing wholly and correctly. As a result, the YouTube video appears as a black screen with sounds.

Browser issues

If your web browser is out of date, or if it has a large number of cookies and cache, you may experience a YouTube black screen.

Extensions

You may have installed some little software packages on your browser to personalize it and provide additional functionality. However, some of them, such as ad-blocking, may prevent your browser from loading the entire movie properly.

You might try restarting your computer when YouTube displays a black screen instead of videos due to technical difficulties with your computer.

Solutions for YouTube Black Screen Issue

Here are some strategies that can effectively solve your YouTube black screen problem. Give them a shot and see what happens! In some cases, you may not need to try them all. Work your way down the list until you discover one that works for you.

  1. Log Out of Your YouTube (Google) Account
  2. Ensure Your Network Connection
  3. Disable AdBlockers and Extensions
  4. Check Adobe Flash Player
  5. Delete Browsing History (Cache and Cookies)
  6. Download The YouTube Video
  7. Update Your Web Browser Version
  8. Use A Different Web Browser Or The Incognito Mode
  9. Disable Hardware Acceleration
  10. Update Graphics Card Drivers

1. Log Out of Your YouTube (Google) Account

You can try signing out of your account and see if the video can play. 

  • To sign out, click the Account icon in the top right corner of the YouTube app page and click Sign out. 
  • If this method works for you, you won’t see the black screen on your YouTube video player again.
A guide to sign out of your Google / YouTube Account

2. Ensure Your Network Connection

If your network connection is not functioning correctly, you may be encountering this problem. There are a few things you should attempt before proceeding with the following steps:

Make use of a virtual private network (VPN):

  • Consider using a virtual private network (VPN). 
  • If you are having problems with your local Internet connection, this will assist you in getting past them.
  • Suppose you have your VPN server and the necessary abilities to set up the connection. 
  • In that case, you can complete this task manually.

Take a look at your Internet usage:

  • Thoroughly examine all of the programs running on your computer and all the other devices linked to the same network. 
  • Disconnect the network connection of the software or device, causing your network to respond sluggishly.

Check to ensure your Internet connection is up and running correctly before continuing.

  • Check your WiFi router or your mobile/cellular data.
  • Check if your Internet connection is functioning correctly.

3. Disable AdBlockers and Extensions

Ad blockers are browser plug-ins that prevent certain web page elements from loading on a specific web page when enabled. In most cases, they can block standalone advertisements on web pages and ads that play during videos on websites such as YouTube.

When an ad blocker is configured correctly, it blocks adverts from loading. At the same time, the rest of the page continues to load normally. When an ad blocker fails to function correctly, it may allow advertisements to load while blocking page elements such as text and video that you desire to see.

Here’s how to determine whether or not an ad blocker is causing black displays on YouTube:

  • Navigate to YouTube and then select a video to watch.
  • Disable the ad blocker for the time being. The method you use to accomplish this depends on the web browser.
  • After that, reload the page and play the video.
  • Whether the video begins to play, check the ad blocker’s instructions to see if there is a setting that allows you to prevent it from blocking YouTube videos in the future.

4. Check Adobe Flash Player

Adobe Flash Player comes pre-installed in many web browsers and is frequently utilized to embed movies on various websites is, without a doubt, actual.

If your Adobe Flash Player is no longer up to current, you may get the YouTube black screen problem. Try uninstalling and reinstalling the Flash Player from its official website, the most recent version available.

If you are using Firefox, you should check if your browser is utilizing HTML5 to resolve the YouTube black screen Firefox issue. YouTube has switched users from using the Flash Player to use the HTML5 player as the default.

5. Delete Browsing History (Cache and Cookies)

Because of the cache and history data stored on your browser, your YouTube videos may appear black. It’s possible they were piling up and causing your browser to become stuck or interfere with your browser.

They can also alter your browser’s settings, preventing it from functioning correctly. All of these factors could be contributing to your YouTube or other problems.

We recommend you erase the browsing data from your browser as a precaution. Using Google Chrome or Firefox, you can delete this information following the procedures outlined below.

* Please remember that this will erase all your browsing history, passwords, and preferences stored in your internet browser. Additionally, you will be required to re-enter your information and re-adjust your choices each time you access any websites you have already visited.

  • At the exact moment, hold down the Ctrl, Shift, and Delete keys (on your keyboard). After that, a data clearing window will appear.
  • Clear all browsing data from your web browser by doing the following: Set the time range to include everything from when you first opened your browser to the present.
Clear all browsing data
  • To clear all of the things, select them all.
For Google Chrome: To clear all of the things, select them all.
For Firefox: To clear all of the things, select them all.
  • Remove them all from the scene.
For Google Chrome: Remove them all from the scene.
For Firefox: Remove them all from the scene.
  • Check to determine if you can see videos on YouTube before proceeding.

6. Download The YouTube Video

If none of the abovementioned alternatives work, you might try downloading YouTube videos and playing them on your device.

  • MiniTool uTube Downloader is a free YouTube downloader that does not display advertisements and allows you to download an infinite number of video files. It can also download YouTube playlists and video subtitles, among other things.
Download MiniTool YouTube Downloader to download the YouTube video
  • MiniTool uTube Downloader is a free YouTube downloader that you may get by downloading and installing.
  • Copy and paste the URL of the video you’d like to download into the box provided, then click the Download button to begin the download.
  • Choose a video file format such as MP3, MP4, or WMV and click on the Download button to begin downloading it.
Download YouTube videos by downloading the MiniTool uTube Downloader
  • Finally, you can watch YouTube videos on various devices without connecting to the internet.

7. Update Your Web Browser Version

It is possible that your YouTube videos are not playing correctly because your web browser is out of date. It may still utilize the Adobe Flash Player plug-in, which is not supported by YouTube and can cause problems watching videos.

Alternatively, some settings or functionality on your previous web browser may be interfering with the YouTube player.

Suppose you want to avoid problems with YouTube videos playing on your computer. In that case, you should avoid using an ancient web browser. 

  • Before you can update your browser, you must first uninstall it. 
  • Then go to its official website and download the most recent version, which you should install on your computer. 
  • After that, check to see if it has resolved the black screen issue with your YouTube videos.

8. Use A Different Web Browser Or The Incognito Mode

You may require a different browser at some point. The web browser you are using now may not be compatible with the YouTube web player, which is possible. You can install a different browser on your computer by downloading and installing it from the browser’s official website.

Then, using that browser, try to watch a YouTube video to see if that resolves your black screen problem. If none of these suggestions work, you may need to contact your browser’s support and ask for assistance.

You have the option of using another method. To check if it helps, you can open a new tab in your browser and try to play a YouTube video on it to see if that resolves the problem.

9. Disable Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration is delegating some processing duties to specially designed computer hardware, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), rather than your CPU. This has the potential to improve the performance of linked software.

However, hardware acceleration can occasionally result in unanticipated problems. Suppose you have enabled hardware acceleration in your web browser.

In that case, the YouTube videos may not be able to play as smoothly as you would expect them to. As a result, you can experiment with disabling hardware acceleration in your browsers to see if it makes a difference.

To disable hardware acceleration in Chrome and Firefox, follow the procedures outlined in the following section.

If you are using Google Chrome: 

  • Go to the menu button in the upper right corner and select “Exit.”
  • Then pick the Settings option.
Go to the menu button in the upper right corner and select "Exit." Then pick the Settings option.
  • At the bottom of the page, select Show advanced settings.
At the bottom of the page, select Show advanced settings.
  • Uncheck the box labeled Use hardware acceleration when available in the System section.
Uncheck the box labeled Use hardware acceleration when available in the System section.
  • Restart your browser to make the changes take effect.

If you are using Firefox: 

  • Go to the menu button in the upper right corner and select Options. 
  • If you are using Internet Explorer, go to the menu button in the upper right corner and choose Options.
Go to the menu button in the upper right corner and select Options.  If you are using Internet Explorer, go to the menu button in the upper right corner and choose Options.
  • Select Advanced from the drop-down menu.
  • Then uncheck the box, “Use hardware acceleration whenever possible.”
Select Advanced from the drop-down menu in Firefox or Internet Explorer
  • Restart your browser to make the changes take effect.

After you’ve restarted your browser, watch a YouTube video to check if this strategy is effective.

10. Update Graphics Card Drivers

A graphics driver is responsible for drawing every pixel on your computer screen. Whether an image (including a photo or video) or text, your graphics driver is responsible for what you see on websites, games, and video streaming services. To ensure peak performance and crystal-clear images, you should learn how to update your graphics driver.

On Windows 7, you may use Windows Update to update your graphics drivers.

  • Please navigate the Control Panel by selecting it from the Windows Start menu.
  • Select System and Security, then Windows Update from the drop-down menu.
  • If you don’t see any results immediately, click Check for Updates. This instructs the operating system to check for standard Windows Updates and new drivers.
  • Find graphics card drivers with manufacturer names associated with graphics components, such as Intel Graphics or NVIDIA. AMD Graphics is another option to look for.
  • It is possible to find these either in the main view or in the Optional Updates category. If you see these graphics card drivers, select them and press the Install button. The installation will take a few minutes to complete.
Meet the Author

Abdul Rahim has been working in Information Technology for over two decades. Learn how Abdul got his start as a Tech Blogger , and why he decided to start this Software blog. If you want to send Abdul a quick message, then visit his contact page here.