If you are using Google Chrome and the interface turns completely black, then you have come across one of the most irritating bugs in Chrome β Google Chrome black screen issue. This problem has various causes, from conflicting extensions to undiagnosed software bugs. Find out how to fix a Google Chrome black screen issue
Fortunately, most users can resolve a Chrome black screen issue by trying some common troubleshooting steps. Even simple fixes like resizing your browser window can temporarily fix the problem. But to fix this problem for good, you will need to follow the steps below.
How to fix Google Chrome black screen issue
What causes a black screen in Google Chrome?
A black screen in Chrome is usually a sign of an unusual graphics display error. For some reason, your Chrome browser interface is not displaying correctly on your screen. Consequently, some or all of your browser windows will turn black, making it impossible to view web pages or control your browser window in any way.
However, as a graphical display error, a Chrome black screen is usually a sign that something is interfering with Chrome’s ability to “draw” its interface on your screen. It could be an undiagnosed error, issues with hardware acceleration on your PC, or broken extensions or Chrome settings causing the problem.
This error can happen randomly, or it can be caused by specific things you do, like opening a new tab or activating a new Chrome extension. Unfortunately, there is no error code or log that you can check to determine why your browser window is turning black, so diagnosing it can be tricky.
Fortunately, in most cases, the steps below can resolve a Chrome black screen issue. If you’re still having trouble, you may need to switch to an alternate browser like Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or even lesser-known browsers like Brave.
One of the quickest fixes for a Chrome black screen is to resize the browser window. This forces your operating system to “redraw” or recreate the interface, resetting any graphical errors (such as a black screen) and restoring you to normal.
- You can resize your browser window by pressing the maximize or minimize button in the upper left (on Mac) or upper right (on Windows) corner of your browser window. This will reset the interface.
- If your browser is not maximized, you can resize it by placing the mouse cursor in one of the corners of the browser window (left or right, top or bottom). With the cursor, resize the window by holding down the mouse and moving the window.
In most cases, this fixes the problem. You can also close and restart Chrome to achieve the same effect, as restarting your browser will refresh the interface and clear any black screen errors.
However, this is only a temporary solution. If you continue to see a Chrome black screen, you’ll need to look into a more detailed solution by following the steps below.
Disable hardware acceleration
Hardware acceleration is a feature in certain applications that uses the processing power of your computer’s components (such as your CPU or graphics card) to speed up certain actions, prioritizing those actions over other running system processes.
In particular, your computer may use its graphics card or integrated graphics chipset to reduce the demand on your CPU. While this works fine, if the feature is not properly optimized or your GPU is overworked, graphical errors (such as a Chrome black screen) can occur.
To fix this problem, you will need to disable hardware acceleration in Chrome.
- Select the three dot menu icon at the top left to disable hardware acceleration in Chrome, then select Setting on the menu.
- On the menu Setting select Advanced > System in the side menu.
- Select the slider Use hardware acceleration when possible changing it from ignition position (in blue) to the off position (in gray).
- Disabling hardware acceleration will require you to restart your browser, so select the button Relaunch that appears to the left of the slider to do it automatically.
- Once you have disabled hardware acceleration, you can check if it is currently being used by typing chrome://gpu in the address bar and checking the status of each graphics acceleration setting in the menu. report the GPU .
Disable Chrome extensions
While Chrome extensions can be helpful, they can also cause problems if they’re buggy or not configured correctly. If you see a black screen in Chrome after installing or using an extension, you’ll need to disable it.
- To access your Chrome extensions, press the three dot menu icon at the top right. From the menu, select More tools > extensions .
- On the menu extensions select the icon of slider next to the extension you are looking for to disable it, by moving it from the position blue (on) to position gray (off) . If you’re not sure, turn off all extensions.
- After disabling some or all of your Chrome extensions, close and restart your browser to see if it resolved the issue.
Disable Chrome flags
Google Chrome has a secret menu that contains various experimental features and settings. These settings (known as ) can be turned on and off, allowing you to customize the Chrome user experience.
However, as some of these features are experimental, they may be buggy and potentially cause the black screen issue in Chrome. You will need to disable them if this is the case.
- Scribe chrome://flags/ in the address bar to access the Chrome flags menu.
- Use the search bar at the top to search GPU or indicators related to the representation . For example, the GPU rasterization is used to rasterize (draw) specific images faster, but this can cause problems. Select disabled in the drop-down menu next to each setting mark to disable it.
- Once the flags are disabled, restart your browser. If the change had an impact, leave the flag off. If not, repeat the steps above to re-enable the flag and try something else.
Unfortunately, a Chrome black screen issue is not always recoverable. If you still see this error, you may need to consider resetting your Chrome browser, updating or reinstalling it, or switching to another browser entirely.
If you are reinstalling Chrome, you may want to consider trying a newer version than the standard stable version. For example, Chrome Canary allows you to try out an alpha version of Chrome with the latest bug fixes and features, though this may be too unstable for everyday use.
You may also decide to try another browser, such as Microsoft Edge. However, browsers like Edge use the same browser engine as Chrome, so you may find the same Chrome black screen error recurs there.
If that’s the case, switch to a completely different browser (with a different browser engine) like Firefox. You can then sync your bookmarks and settings to Firefox from within Chrome without losing any of your data in the process.
Make use of Google Chrome
Once you have learned how to fix Google Chrome black screen issue on your browser, you can start using it effectively. For example, if you’re concerned about your online security, you can use Chrome’s built-in password manager to generate new passwords and keep your existing ones secure.
You can also use Chrome Browser Sync to sync your bookmarks and settings across multiple devices.
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