How to Fix Screen Going Black when Playing Online Videos

A few laptop users have messaged us recently to inquire about why the screen goes black when watching videos online. Use this guide if you’ve been having the same issue.

When watching videos on a desktop or laptop, the screen may go black for a number of reasons. Let’s investigate the causes of these issues.

When watching videos online, why does the screen turn black?
If you’re using Google Chrome to watch online videos and you’re having issues with the screen going black, you can blame the web browser.

However, issues with the GPU drivers, system files, or hardware may be the cause if the same issue arises when using a different web browser.

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Since the cause of this issue might vary, it is challenging to identify a single cause. The good news is that Chrome’s screen goes black when you watch videos online, which is typically a software issue.

We don’t know why the screen goes black when watching movies online, therefore we need to follow these troubleshooting techniques to fix problems with the web browser, display drivers, and faulty system files.

1. Make sure the Screen Resolution is Correct
When watching videos, the most common reason for the screen to revert back is choosing the wrong screen resolution. Therefore, you should make sure that the screen resolution that your display chooses is correct. This is what you must do.

1. Start your computer’s Settings app.

2. Select the System tab when the Settings app launches.

3. On the right side, click on Display.

4. Now, move to the Scale & layout section.

5. Click on the drop-down next to Display resolution and set the recommended one.

After making the changes, restart your PC and try playing an online video. Check whether the screen still goes black as you watch the video.

2. Disable the Hardware Acceleration on Chrome
Using a dedicated GPU, you can utilize the web browser’s hardware acceleration feature to improve video playback. However, sometimes, it’s best to turn off the feature because it can trigger issues like a black screen while watching online videos.

You can try turning off the hardware acceleration feature of your Google Chrome browser and see if it helps. Here’s how to do so.

1. Launch the Google Chrome browser and click on the three dots at the top right of the screen.

2. On the Chrome menu, select Settings.

3. When the Chrome Settings, switch to System.

4. On the System, turn off the toggle for ‘Use hardware acceleration when available’ and then click the Relaunch button next to it.

Your web browser will restart, and the hardware acceleration feature will be disabled.

3. Remove the Recently Installed Extension
Certain Chrome extensions can conflict with the video playback on websites. So, if you’re facing the Black screen issue on Chrome after installing an extension, it’s time to disable or remove it.

If you cannot recall any extensions, you can manually turn off extensions one by one until you find the one triggering the problem.

To review your Chrome extensions, click the three dots at the top right and navigate to Extensions > Manage Extensions.

4. Update your Display Drivers
Outdated or corrupted display drivers are another reason for browser showing black screen while watching online videos.

Update your display drivers to fix such issues. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Type in Device Manager on the Windows 11 Search. Next, open the Device Manager app from the list of best match results.

2. When the Device Manager opens, expand the Display adapters, right-click on your display adapter, and select Update driver.

3. On the How do you want to search for drivers screen, select Search automatically for drivers.

The driver update tool will automatically download and install the required display drivers on your device. After making the change, make sure to restart your PC.

5. Update your Chrome Browser
An outdated version of Google Chrome can have bugs & glitches that can ruin your video-watching experience.

Hence, you can try updating your Google Chrome to the latest version to see if it helps. Also, it’s a good security practice to keep the web browser up to date to eliminate security and privacy risks.

To update your Google Chrome browser, click on the three dots at the top right corner and select Help > About Google Chrome. This will trigger the Chrome update tool, and your browser will be updated.

6. Check if there’s a problem with the website
You should investigate whether there is an issue with the website where you are viewing the video if the issue has not been resolved.

Watching movies on other websites can help you verify this. It’s not your problem if it just occurs on a particular website.

You can attempt to get in touch with the webmaster of the website and request that they fix the problem. Another option is to view the video on a separate website.

Here are several practical ways to repair Chrome’s screen going dark when you’re watching videos online. We’re confident that the solutions we discussed would have resolved the issue already. If you need further assistance with this subject, please let us know in the comments.