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How to fix Twitch Black Screen Error

Not the kind of Night Mode we were hoping for.

There are only a few things worse than having to sit through a bunch of ads before tuning into your favorite Twitch Stream, and one of them is the dreaded Twitch Black Screen Error. This irritating error makes it so that when you are on Twitch trying to watch a stream, your screen will instead show up black and blank, barring you from enjoying the platform. Many users are affected by this issue, and many also do not know how to fix it. Below you can find several potential causes of the Black Screen issue as well as solutions to them.

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Why is my Twitch screen black?

Before you start to go through problems and solutions, try refreshing the Twitch website and restarting your device. These are the two quickest and most common solutions to this error and others, so try them first. If they do not work, check out the problems and solutions below.

Ad blocker

One of the most common causes of the Black Screen is the use of an ad blocker. In normal circumstances, an ad blocker won't cause any issues and will allow you to bypass ads, but Twitch makes most of their money off of ad runs, and as such will attempt to stop ad blockers. Because of this, sometimes the ad blockers are the cause of the Black Screen error.

Unfortunately, if this is the case you'll have to turn off your ad blocking system, otherwise the problem will not resolve itself and you won't be able to use Twitch.

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Browser cache issues

Another common cause of this error is an issue with your web browser's cache. This is the area of your browser that stores your history, cookies, and other information. If something inside the browser is causing an error or corruption, then you'll need to clear out your cache. The easiest way to do this is head to your history menu in your web browser and clear your browsing data/search history. Clearing out your history, cookies, and cached images and files is the most likely way to fix the Black Screen error, but if this doesn't work you can try clearing all of your browsing data.

Network issues

One of the most common causes of any issue on the internet is network issues caused by your router, modem, or provider. The best way to test this issue is to reset your router. To do this, locate your router and unplug it, then leave it unplugged for 30 seconds to a minute. Then, plug the router back in and give it a few minutes to reset itself. Once all of its lights are back on, try using the internet on your device again, then head to Twitch and try it again.

Twitch server issues

Sometimes the Twitch Black Screen error isn't caused by anything on your end and is instead caused by Twitch's servers. Occasionally, Twitch's servers will go down, be it for maintenance or because of a wider issue that needs maintenanced. In this case, there isn't anything you can do except for wait on the servers to come back online. To check the status of the servers, you can head to Twitch's Status Page to see what state the servers are in.

Outdated graphics drivers

As can be the case with video games, sometimes Twitch has issues due to your graphics drivers needing an update. If your graphics drivers are behind on updates, this can cause a bunch of issues for your computer and can also be the cause of the Black Screen error. There are a bunch of different websites that will check for you for free, but if you're looking to do it yourself, you'll have to perform a manual update:

  • Navigate to your Device Manager program.
  • In the list of devices, find Display Adapters.
  • Find your graphics card in this list.
  • Right click your graphics card, then select update driver.

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DNS error

Perhaps the most annoying possible issue causing this problem is a DNS issue. The reason it is annoying is because fixing it can be quite the hassle. In short, a DNS error is caused when your DNS settings don't match up with Twitch's for some reason, causing a break in connection and thus causing the Black Screen error. Follow the steps below to find a potential fix to the issue:

  • Go to your computer's Control panel.
  • Open Network and Internet.
  • Open the Network and Sharing Center.
  • On the left side of the screen, click on Change Adapter Settings.
  • Right click on your network and select Properties.
  • Double click on Internet Protocol Version 4.
  • Click on Use the following DNS server addresses.
  • Set your Preferred DNS Server to 8.8.8.8.
  • Set your Alternate DNS Server to 8.8.4.4.

Want more information on Twitch? Check out How to fix Twitch ‘This content is no longer available’ and The Pokémon Community Game on Twitch, Explained and How To Use from Pro Game Guides!


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