10 Simple Methods to Fix YouTube Black Screen Error

Posted on August 17, 2022 - By Fucosoft | Follow YouTube, Twitter to Get More Information.
                   

Sometimes you may encounter a black screen error while viewing YouTube videos. It’s an error that can strike any time, and the cause can be anything from a problem with the browser/computer or the app itself, malfunctioning ad blockers, or even internet connectivity issues.

youtube black screen

Whatever the cause, experiencing the YouTube black screen can be quite aggravating, especially when you are watching something important or a live show. Nonetheless, there are methods to fix it, and we’ll share 10 of these methods in this article.

These effective methods will resolve anything that turns your YouTube videos black. Check them below.

Why Is My YouTube Screen Black?

The black screen YouTube issue is not tied to one origin. While it can occur at any time, numerous reasons can cause it. The most common ones include:

  • Network Issues – YouTube videos can fail to load properly and thoroughly when the internet connection is poor and unstable, then displaying a black screen.
  • Browser Issues – If the browser is outdated or filled with cookies and cache, this will likely cause YouTube’s black screen. The browser going down temporarily or having wrong settings can also cause YouTube videos to display a black screen.
  • Browser Extensions – Third-party extensions or mini software programs installed on your browser can interrupt YouTube video playback. For instance, ad-blocking plugins can prevent the browser from loading the whole video properly or even block it.
  • Issues with the Computer – YouTube screen can turn black instead of showing videos due to problems with your computer. You can perform a simple restart to fix it.

Why is my YouTube screen black? That’s the question you may ask yourself when encountering this issue. But, as you’ve seen, there’s no specific cause. Any of the above reasons could be the cause or even something else. How do you fix it then? Try these viable solutions.

1. Log Out of Your YouTube Account

You are highly likely to experience YouTube black screen when you are signed into your YouTube account. Therefore, the first solution you should try is logging out of your YouTube account and checking if the videos play normally.

Click the Account icon (top-right corner) on the YouTube page. From the contextual menu, click “Sign Out.” Try launching YouTube videos again. The black screen shouldn’t appear on the videos. If it does, check the next method.

youtube black screen

2. Check Network Connection

As mentioned earlier, one of the common things that can turn YouTube videos black is poor and unstable internet connection. It can prevent the browser not to load the complete YouTube video and instead displaying a black screen or sometimes outputting only the audio.

Once you check and confirm that your network connection is strong and reliable, try to refresh the YouTube page or restart the browser, then check if the video plays normally. Also, check all the programs on your computer to ensure they aren’t taking up much traffic.

3. Refresh the Page or Restart Web Browser

Your YouTube videos can turn black because of some tiny problem on your browser or the YouTube page. You can fix it easily by refreshing the page if that’s so.

To do that, click the reload icon on the browser. Alternatively, you can click the Reload button (left of the address bar) on your keyboard or press F5 to reload the YouTube page. Check if the video plays correctly.

youtube black screen

If it still has the problem, close and restart the web browser. Doing so will thoroughly clear out any issue on your browser. Once the browser is opened, play YouTube videos again and see if the issue is resolved.

4. Check for Browser Updates

You’ll often encounter the black screen YouTube problem if the version of the web browser you’re using is outdated. Besides, your browser could be using an Adobe Flash Player plugin that’s no longer supported by YouTube, which could lead to a black screen. You can resolve these errors by simply updating the web browser.

For the Google Chrome browser, follow these steps:

  • Launch Google Chrome. Click the menu icon (the three vertical dots in the top-right corner).
  • From the menu, select Help and click “About Google Chrome.”
  • Allow Chrome to look for updates automatically. If it finds one, it’ll download it right away. Once downloaded, ensure you’ve saved everything and click the “Relaunch” button.

youtube black screen

For the Firefox browser, follow these steps:

  • Head to the menu icon (same three vertical dots in the top-right corner) and click it. From the menu, select Help and click “About Firefox.”
  • An About Mozilla Firefox tab/window will open, and Firefox will start looking for updates. If it finds any, it will download it automatically.
  • Once downloaded, click the Restart button to update your Firefox browser and restart it.

When your browser is updated and restarted, try watching your YouTube video. If the same issue persist, try the following method.

5. Clear Browser’s Cache and Cookies

Lots of cache and history content in your browser will likely cause videos to get stuck when playing or turn the YouTube videos black. Clearing the browser’s data can therefore help to fix these issues.

To clear browser data on Google Chrome:

  • Click the menu icon on Google Chrome. From the menu, click the “More Tools” option.
  • Click Clear browsing data. On the Time Range option at the top, select the time you want, preferably All time.
  • Next, check the Browsing history box, the Cookies, and other site data boxes, as well as the Cached images and files box.
  • Finally, click Clear data.

youtube black screen

To clear browser data on Firefox:

  • Click the menu icon, then click Settings. Next, click the Privacy and Security tab.
  • Head down to the Cookies and Site Data option. Click Clear Data.
  • Now, uncheck Cookies and Site Data.
  • Next, click Cached Web Content and the “Clear” button.
  • From there, close the Firefox Preferences page. All the changes made will now automatically be saved.

youtube black screen

6. Disable AdBlockers and Extensions

Sometimes browser extensions like Ad-blocking plugins can mess up or cause a conflict with YouTube playback, thereby displaying a black screen. Disable such extensions and plugins on your browser by following these steps.

For Google Chrome:

  • In the address bar, type chrome://extensions and press Enter on the keyboard.
  • Please disable the ad blocking extension by unchecking the Enable box next to it.
  • Now, open the YouTube video you want to watch and check if it plays correctly.

youtube black screen

For Firefox:

  • Click the menu icon, then click Add-ons to open the Add-ons Manager tab.
  • Click the Extensions or Themes panel on the tab.
  • Click the add-on you want to turn off, then click Disable button to disable the extension.
  • Now, click Restart when it pops up. The browser will save your tabs and restore them after restarting.
  • Open the YouTube video you want to watch and check if it plays correctly.

7. Check Adobe Flash Player

Adobe Flash Player is usually pre-installed in most web browsers. Its purpose is to embed videos on various websites. If there’s something wrong with it or if it’s outdated, then it could be the reason why YouTube videos are black. So, to solve the problem, uninstall and install a newer Flash Player version from its official website.

If you’re using the Firefox browser, check if it’s using HTML5 Player to fix the black screen YouTube issue on your Firefox problem because YouTube moved users from Adobe Flash Player to the HTML5 Player by default.

8. Turn Off Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration can sometimes assign tasks to the GPU (graphics processing unit) rather than the CPU to enhance visual Performance. Although not often, this may bring about some unexpected issues like causing YouTube videos not to play normally. You can disable hardware acceleration and see if it fixes your YourTube black screen issue.

For Google Chrome, follow these steps:

  • Start the browser and then open Settings from the menu.
  • Click the Advanced button. Head down to the System section and click it.
  • From the options displayed, click the toggle in front of Use hardware acceleration when available to disable it (toggle moves to the left side). Now restart Google Chrome.

youtube black screen

For Firefox Browser, follow these steps:

  • Click the menu button, then click Options.
  • Next, click on the General panel.
  • Under Performance, locate Use hardware acceleration when available and uncheck it.
  • Restart your Firefox browser and open YouTube videos to see if the issue is solved.

youtube black screen

9. Test with Another Browser

There could be something wrong with your web browser, its settings, configuration extensions, or plugins such as the Adobe Flash Player above, or it may not be compatible with your YouTube web player. All these could be what is turning your YouTube videos black. Therefore, trying a different browser may be what you need.

You can visit its official site on your computer to download and install the new browser. Once it’s set, open a YouTube video on this browser to check if it will normally play or still have issues. If it doesn’t work, contact your browser support to seek advice.

10. Download YouTube Videos

Now, the final resort if the above solutions not work is downloading the YouTube videos, so that you can watch them offline on your device any time you want. Fucosoft Video Downloader is one tool that can help you easily download unlimited YouTube videos.

Besides downloading videos, this desktop software allows you to download subtitles of YouTube videos. It also allows you to select the video quality you want, up to 4K and 8K. It’s a multifunctional downloader that you can also use to convert your downloaded videos to audio files like MP3.

 

Fucosoft Video Downloader Key Features

  • Supports YouTube and over 100 other online video sites like Twitter, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
  • Offers a wide range of video resolutions to select from, even 4K and 8K.
  • Convert YouTube videos/playlists to MP3 audio.
  • Allows you to download multiple videos at a time.

How to download videos from YouTube with Fucosoft Video Downloader;

  1. First, copy the YouTube video’s URL in your browser’s address line, then click the “+ Paste URL” button.
  2. Next, select the video resolution you want, like 1080P or 4K. Select the output format, followed by the subtitle language, and save the directory.
  3. Finally, click the “Download” button. The video will start to be downloaded immediately as either video or audio.

download online video

Conclusion

The viable solutions we’ve listed here will work for you. Just be patient and try them out if one fails. If the black screen still occurs on your YouTube videos, the issue could be the YouTube site or the app itself. The only remedy is to use Fucosoft Video Downloader to download and save the YouTube videos and then watch them offline on your device.