Getting a YouTube black screen when you try to watch videos? This happens to tons of people across Chrome, Firefox, Safari, mobile apps, and smart TVs. The video player loads, but all you see is a black rectangle—sometimes with sound, sometimes totally silent.

Good news: most YouTube black screen problems are fixable in a few minutes. I'll walk you through the solutions that actually work, starting with the quickest ones.

Quick Fix: Test Your Display First

Before spending time troubleshooting, verify if it's YouTube or your screen hardware:

Start Free Display Test (Takes 2 minutes)

How it helps:

If our tool works: Your display is fine → It's a YouTube/software issue (use solutions below)

If our tool shows black: It's your display hardware → Check dead pixels, backlight, connections

Can't fix it? Use our free black screen testing tool to check if it's a display hardware issue.

Why Does YouTube Show a Black Screen?

Here's what usually causes it:

Browser Cache Corruption

Your browser stores YouTube's player code locally. When that cache gets corrupted or outdated, the video player can't load properly and you get a black screen. This is the most common cause.

Extension Conflicts

Ad blockers, privacy extensions, and VPNs can block parts of YouTube that you actually need. AdBlock, uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger—they sometimes block too much and break video playback.

Hardware Acceleration Problems

Your browser can use your GPU to render videos. When there are driver conflicts or GPU bugs, this causes black screens. Turning off hardware acceleration makes your browser use the CPU instead.

Outdated Browser or App

YouTube updates its player constantly. Old browsers or apps don't work with the latest version, so videos fail to play.

Network or DNS Issues

Slow internet, ISP throttling, or DNS problems can stop video data from loading while the player frame loads—giving you a black screen.

Browser Fixes (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

Solution 1: Clear Browser Cache

Start here. This fixes more YouTube black screens than anything else:

Google Chrome:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac)
Select "All time" from the time range dropdown
Check "Cached images and files"
Optionally check "Cookies and other site data" (you'll need to log in again)
Click "Clear data"
Restart Chrome completely (close all windows)
Go to YouTube and test

Mozilla Firefox:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete
Select "Everything" from time range
Check "Cache"
Click "Clear Now"
Restart Firefox

Safari (Mac):

Safari menu → Preferences → Privacy
Click "Manage Website Data..."
Find YouTube in the list or click "Remove All"
Restart Safari

Why this works: Removes corrupted player code that's preventing video rendering.

Solution 2: Disable Browser Extensions

Extensions, especially ad blockers, cause a lot of black screen issues.

Quick Test:

Open Incognito/Private Mode:
- Chrome/Edge: Ctrl + Shift + N
- Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P
- Safari: File → New Private Window
Try YouTube in private mode
If it works → An extension is the problem

Find the Problematic Extension:

Go to your extensions page:
- Chrome: chrome://extensions
- Firefox: about:addons
- Safari: Safari → Preferences → Extensions
Disable all extensions using toggle switches
Test YouTube – does it work now?
Re-enable extensions one by one, testing YouTube after each
When the black screen returns, you've found the culprit

Common problematic extensions:

AdBlock, AdBlock Plus, uBlock Origin
Privacy Badger
NoScript
Any VPN extension
Ghostery

Fix: Update the extension or add YouTube to its whitelist instead of disabling entirely.

Solution 3: Disable Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration uses your GPU to render videos, but it can cause problems.

Chrome/Edge:

Go to Settings (⋮ menu → Settings)
Search for "hardware" in the settings search bar
Find "Use hardware acceleration when available"
Toggle it OFF
Click "Relaunch" to restart the browser
Test YouTube

Firefox:

Settings → General → Performance
Uncheck "Use recommended performance settings"
Uncheck "Use hardware acceleration when available"
Restart Firefox

Heads up: Videos might be slightly less smooth with this off, but it fixes a lot of black screens caused by GPU driver bugs.

Mobile Fixes (iPhone & Android)

Solution 6: Update the YouTube App

Android:

Open Google Play Store
Search "YouTube"
If an update is available, tap "Update"
If already updated, try "Uninstall"Reinstall for a fresh install

iPhone/iPad:

Open App Store
Tap your profile icon (top right)
Scroll to YouTube in "Available Updates"
Tap "Update"

Solution 7: Clear YouTube App Cache

Android only (iOS doesn't let you clear cache directly):

Go to Settings → Apps → YouTube
Tap "Storage"
Tap "Clear Cache" (NOT "Clear Data")
Restart the YouTube app

📝 Note: "Clear Data" logs you out and resets all settings. "Clear Cache" only removes temporary files.

Still Not Working? Test Your Display

If you've tried all solutions and YouTube still shows a black screen, the issue might be your display hardware, not YouTube.

Our free tool helps you:

Test for dead pixels that may cause black screen appearance
Check display uniformity and backlight bleed
Verify OLED burn-in (can look like black areas)
Confirm your screen hardware is functioning

Try Free Black Screen Tool

No download required • Works on all devices • 100% free

Quick Reference Chart

Symptom	Most Likely Cause	Best Solution
Black screen with sound	Hardware acceleration conflict	Disable hardware acceleration (#3)
Black screen, no sound	Cache corruption or extension blocking	Clear cache (#1) + Disable extensions (#2)
Works in incognito mode	Browser extension issue	Find and update/remove extension (#2)
Only on mobile app	Outdated app or app cache	Update app (#6) + Clear cache (#7)

Frequently Asked Questions

Does YouTube black screen mean my device is broken?

Nope, almost always it's software—browser cache, extensions, or an outdated app. Not hardware. If our black screen testing tool shows your display works fine, then your device is fine. It's just a software thing.

Why does YouTube work on my phone but not my computer?

They use different tech. Phones use the YouTube app, computers use web browsers. If it works on one but not the other, the problem is specific to that device's software (browser, extensions, cache).

Can antivirus cause YouTube black screen?

Yeah, if your antivirus or firewall is too aggressive, it can block YouTube's video delivery or certain video formats. Try turning it off temporarily to test.

Will clearing cache log me out of YouTube?

Only if you clear "Cookies and site data" too. Just clearing "Cached images and files" (Solution #1) keeps you logged in and only removes the corrupted player code.

Conclusion & Prevention

YouTube black screens are annoying, but they're usually fixable. Start with these three in order:

Clear browser cache (Solution #1) – this works most often
Disable extensions/try incognito (Solution #2) – catches extension conflicts
Disable hardware acceleration (Solution #3) – fixes GPU issues

These three fixes solve most YouTube black screen problems in a few minutes.

Prevention Tips

Keep browser updated – Enable auto-updates in settings
Clear cache monthly – Prevents accumulation of corrupted files
Limit extensions – Only install essential ones
Use wired internet when possible – More stable than WiFi for streaming
Update graphics drivers – Especially important for desktop PCs (quarterly updates recommended)

YouTube Black Screen - Fix & Solutions