How to Fix the Discord Black Screen Issue

If you open Discord and see a black screen, the app is experiencing issues loading content. There are many reasons this happens, some of which are related to your system settings.

One quick way to possibly resolve the problem is to close and restart Discord. However, if you’ve got no results, try a few advanced solutions, as explained below.

Table of Contents

1. Update Discord

Like all other apps, you should keep Discord updated to have all the latest bug patches and features. Newer versions of the app should have fixed Discord’s black screen bug.

Usually, Discord automatically checks for and installs updates whenever you run the app. However, you can also force an update check by pressing the Ctrl + R (Windows) or Command + R (Mac) keys while the app is running.

Once you’ve installed the updates, your app should function normally.

2. Delete Discord’s Cache Files

Discord stores cache files on your computer to quickly serve you with the required content. These cache files sometimes become problematic and cause various issues, including a black screen error.

You can clear Discord’s cache and possibly resolve your problem. Your data in Discord won’t be affected.

Close Discord if the app is running on your computer.
Open Run by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously.
Type the following in Run and press Enter: %appdata%

Find discord in File Explorer, right-click the folder, and choose Delete.

Launch Discord, and you should now see the content instead of a blank black screen.

3. Fix Discord Black Screen by Running the App As Admin

Another way to potentially fix Discord’s black screen issue is to run the app with admin rights. This gives the app more privileges and fixes any restriction problems. It’s easy to run apps as admin on your PC.

Open the Start menu and search for Discord. Don’t open the app just yet.
Right-click Discord and choose Run as administrator.

Choose Yes in the User Account Control prompt to proceed.
Discord should load the content and not a black screen.

4. Fix Your Computer’s Incorrect Date and Time Settings

Many apps rely on your computer’s date and time settings to function. If you have these settings incorrectly specified, you’ll need to fix them before you can run your apps, like Discord.

It’s easy to set up the correct date and time as your PC offers the automatic time setting. Here’s how to enable that.

Open Settings by pressing Windows + I keys at the same time.
Choose Time & Language in Settings.

Enable both Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically options.

Launch Discord and see if the black screen persists.

5. Turn Off Your VPN

Your VPN routes your internet traffic via third-party servers, which can sometimes be problematic. For example, discord’s black screen problem could result from malfunctioning or poorly configured VPN.

You can check if your VPN is the culprit by temporarily disabling the VPN service and seeing if Discord functions. You should find the button to disable your VPN on the app’s main page.

If Discord loads when you turn off the VPN, you’ll have to change your VPN settings or get a completely new VPN app.

6. Run Discord in Compatibility Mode

When Discord functions in weird ways, you can fix that by running the app in compatibility mode. This way, your app runs as if it’s loaded on an older version of the operating system.

Windows offers multiple older operating systems that you can run Discord under. Here’s how to do that.

Right-click the Discord shortcut on your desktop and choose Properties.
Access the Compatibility tab on the Properties window.
Enable Run this program in compatibility mode for.

Access the drop-down menu and select an operating system. If you aren’t sure what to choose, choose Windows 7.
Select Apply followed by OK at the bottom to save your settings.
Double-click the Discord shortcut on your desktop to launch the app.

7. Enable/Disable Hardware Acceleration

Discord’s Hardware Acceleration feature aims to make your app experience smoother by utilizing your GPU’s power. It’s worth toggling this option to get around your black screen issue in the app.

You must be able to access Discord’s settings to use this method. So, you can only use this method if you have occasional (and not constant) black screen issues with the app.

Open Discord and select User Settings (a gear icon) at the bottom-left corner.

Choose Advanced from the sidebar on the left.
Select the Hardware Acceleration toggle on the right. This enables the feature if it’s disabled or disables the feature if it’s enabled.

Select Okay in the prompt to relaunch Discord.

8. Update Your Graphics Card/Graphics Driver

Your graphics card drivers are responsible for creating the image on your screen. Discord’s black screen issue could result from outdated graphics card drivers.

In this case, you should update your drivers to run their most recent versions. Windows automates the major parts of the process, so you don’t have to do everything by yourself.

Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu icon and choosing Device Manager.
Expand Display adapters, right-click your graphics card, and choose Update driver.

Select Search automatically for drivers and let Windows find and install the drivers.

Restart your PC once the drivers are installed.
Open Discord, and you shouldn’t see a black screen anymore.

9. Reinstall the Discord App

If you continue to see a black screen in Discord, the app’s core files might have been corrupted. Unfortunately, there’s no manual way to fix that, but you can uninstall and reinstall Discord to get around this.

Reinstalling Discord with fresh new files helps fix the old problematic files. You won’t lose your data when you reinstall the app, but you’ll need your Discord login details to log into your account.

Open Settings by pressing Windows + I keys.
Choose Apps on the Settings screen.

Find and select Discord in the app list. Then, choose Uninstall.

Select Uninstall in the prompt to confirm your choice.

Head over to Discord’s official website and download the app to your computer.
Run the downloaded file to install Discord.
Launch Discord and log in to your account.

Replace Discord’s Black Screen With the Actual Content

When you launch Discord, you expect the app to display your servers, channels, messages, and other elements. If that doesn’t happen and you see a black screen, the guide above is what you need to look into.

It’s easy to fix this issue in most cases, and you should be able to get back to your chat sessions in no time.