How to Fix a YouTube Black Screen (2024)

You can fix a variety of YouTube playback problems pretty quickly but it might take a while to track down the exact reason you see a black screen.

What Can Cause a YouTube Black Screen?

A black screen on YouTube means the video failed to load. The problem could be on your end or caused by issues with YouTube or your internet service provider (ISP).

Some potential fixes include updating the web browser, disabling the ad blocker, restarting the computer, restarting network hardware, and other simple solutions. However, if this is an ISP problem or an issue on YouTube's side, there's nothing you can do but wait for a resolution.

Here are the most common causes of black screens on YouTube:

• An ad blocker is preventing the video from starting
• The web browser or app is outdated, or its cache is corrupted
• Your internet is too slow to load the video correctly

What to Do When Your Ad Blocker Is Causing YouTube Black Screens

Ad blockers are browser plug-ins that selectively prevent certain web page elements from loading. Most are capable of blocking standalone ads that appear on web pages and ads that play during videos on sites like YouTube.

When an ad blocker works properly, it prevents advertisem*nts from loading, and the rest of the page loads normally. When it malfunctions, it could allow ads to load or block page elements, like text and video.

Here's how to check if an ad blocker causes black screens on YouTube:

1. Open the YouTube video.

2. Disable the ad blocker.

3. Reload the page, then play the video.

4. If the video plays normally, consult the documentation for the ad blocker to see if there's an option to prevent it from blocking YouTube videos.

   Custom filter lists that you use with ad blocker extensions can sometimes cause problems with YouTube. If you use a custom filter list, disabling or removing it may allow you to watch YouTube without disabling the ad blocker.

How to Tell If Your Browser Is Causing YouTube Black Screens

Several browser and computer problems can cause trouble with websites like YouTube. Issues with the browser, like corrupted cache data or cookies, can prevent videos from loading. Low RAM availability can also cause video playback problems. Here's how to fix YouTube black screens if the problem has to do with the browser or computer:

1. Reload the YouTube video that doesn't work.

2. Close the browser and then reopen it.

3. Log out of your YouTube account.

4. Update your web browser if an update is needed.

5. Clear the browser cache.

6. Delete all YouTube cookies.
   

7. Disable any VPNs or proxies you're running.

8. Disable hardware acceleration.

9. Try a different web browser.

10. Restart the computer.

How to Tell If Your Network or ISP Is Causing YouTube Black Screens

If your internet is completely down, YouTube won't load at all. If there are just intermittent issues, YouTube might load partially while leaving elements like videos as black boxes. Here are some network-related things you can try to remove the black screens on YouTube videos:

1. If you connect to the internet using Wi-Fi, switch to a wired connection or move the computer closer to the router.

2. Stop downloading files or streaming videos on other devices. For example, if your smart speakers are playing music, pause them to see if some bandwidth can be freed to stream YouTube.

3. Flush the DNS cache.

4. Restart the router and modem.

5. Change the DNS server settings to an address from a different company. There are lots of free DNS servers to pick from.

6. Use a speed testing service to check the status of the internet connection. If it's way slower than it should be or if you need to upgrade to a faster tier, reach out to your ISP.

How to Troubleshoot YouTube Black Screens on Mobile

When the YouTube app displays a black screen instead of a video, or if you hear sound but don't see the video, there may be a problem with the app. Here are some things to try:

1. Clear the YouTube app cache on iPhone [Clear iPhone Cache] or Android [Clear Android Cache].

2. Restart your iPhone [Reboot iPhone] or Android [Reboot Android].

3. Press and hold the app icon to find the delete option. Then, reinstall YouTube for Android from the Play Store, or get YouTube from the App Store for iOS.

4. If you're still seeing the black box on YouTube videos, a necessary update for the app might not be available yet. In the meantime, see if the problem persists in the web player; open youtube.com in your mobile browser.