OBS Black Screen Fix Guide - Game Capture, Display & Mac Solutions

Ever faced an OBS black screen just before recording or streaming in OBS? Once you have launched your game & everything is set up, it can be frustrating not to see any preview of your game. We cover the simple hacks that you can take advantage of to get your screen captured & an alternative recorder for capturing your screen.

Part 1. Checklist of Immediate Fixes

1. Restart OBS:

Close OBS. Open again. The preview window may go black. It can occur due to glitches or issues with sources or some other software. Restarting OBS should fix it right away!

2. Check if Your Source is Visible:

In your Sources panel, can you see your source? If there is an eye button with a line through it, that means the source is hidden. Click on it to make it visible again. Then check if the preview comes back.

3. Check Your Scene:

OBS uses scenes. If a scene is blank, your screen will be black. Try switching between scenes in the Scenes panel. Make sure you are using the scene with your capture sources

4. Turn off Studio Mode:

Studio Mode can sometimes show a preview/scene that is not active. Click the little button in the right-hand corner of OBS to turn it off, then see if your display works normally.

Part 2. Fixing OBS Game Capture Black Screen

There may be a case where a black screen is caused by problems with permissions, settings, or a graphics issue when using Game Capture. These solutions will help OBS detect and show your game.

1. Run OBS as an Administrator

Some games that use higher privileges would not function with OBS. Running OBS as an administrator ensures that it has the same privileges as the game.

Passo 1Close OBS completely.

Passo 2Right-click on the OBS shortcut in the Inizio menu or on the desktop.

Passaggio 3Clicca su Esegui come amministratore.

Passaggio 4Start the game and see if the black screen is removed.

If it resolves the problem, you can set administrator mode on the Compatibility settings. Instead of the Display/Window Capture, use Game Capture.

2. Use Game Capture Instead of Display/Window Capture

Game Capture is the preferred method of capturing a screen; use it to capture a game window rather than a display window. The methods of capturing are in relation to the purpose. Game Capture is typically the safest choice when recording a game.

Passo 1Start OBS and select the Sources panel. Open OBS and choose the Sources panel.

Passo 2Clicca il + pulsante.

Passaggio 3Selezionare Cattura di gioco.

Passaggio 4Make up a source or select an existing one.

Passaggio 5Scegliere Window Capture.

Passaggio 6Start your game and check to see if it shows in the preview window.

3. Change Game Capture Properties

Some games do not work with the Game Capture settings that are already set. If you change the settings of the Game Capture source, OBS will be able to recognize the game.

Passo 1You need to right-click on your Game Capture source.

Passo 2Then you need to select Proprietà.

Passaggio 3If it says full-screen capture, you should change it to Run this Program in compatibility mode for:.

Passaggio 4Now you need to choose the game window from the list.

Passaggio 5If you see the option to Limit capture framerate.

Passaggio 6You can turn it on or turn it off.

Passaggio 7After that, you need to press them and try to launch the Cattura di gioco ancora.

4. Disable Game Mode on Windows

Windows Game Mode can occasionally interfere with recording and capture software, including an registratore dello schermo open source like OBS, which may lead to capture or display issues.

Passo 1Premere Windows + I to open Settings.

Passo 2Selezionare Gioco d'azzardo.

Passaggio 3Clic Modalità di gioco dalla barra laterale di sinistra.

Passaggio 4Turn off the Modalità di gioco interruttore.

Passaggio 5Restart your game and OBS to apply the change.

5. Update Graphics Drivers

Outdated graphics drivers can cause problems that result in a black screen when you are trying to capture something. So you need to update your graphics drivers. Graphics drivers are very important for Game Capture and any videoregistratore, because they affect how the software accesses and captures video output from your system. To update the graphics drivers you need to follow these steps for the graphics drivers.

Passo 1First, you need to find out what kind of graphics card you have in your computer for the graphics drivers.

Passo 2Then you should go to the website of the company that made your graphics card for the graphics drivers.

Passaggio 3Next, you need to download the graphics driver for your computer system and the graphics drivers.

Passaggio 4After that, you should install the update for the graphics drivers.

Passaggio 5Then you need to restart your computer for the graphics drivers.

Passaggio 6Finally, you should open OBS. Try to use the Cattura di gioco again to see if the problem with the graphics drivers has been fixed.

Part 3. Fixing OBS Display Capture Black Screen on Mac

In case OBS appears on a screen while trying to capture it using the Display Capture feature on a Mac, it means that the user did not give permission for the software to perform such an action, since macOS blocks this permission by default. To use Display Capture, a user must permit OBS.

Grant OBS Screen Recording Permission

Passo 1Clicca il Mela menu. Open Impostazioni di sistema.

Passo 2Scegliere Privacy & Security from the sidebar.

Passaggio 3Scroll down. Click Registrazione dello schermo.

Passaggio 4Find OBS Studio in the list of applications.

Passaggio 5Turn on the toggle next to OBS Studio.

Passaggio 6Close OBS completely if it is running.

Passaggio 7Reopen. Test Display Capture with OBS.

Part 4. Fixing OBS Makes Both Screens Black When Full Screen Preview

If both monitors turn black when you enable Full Screen Preview in OBS, it is often a problem with your graphics driver. Old or faulty drivers can cause display issues when OBS tries to show the preview on screen.

Update Your Graphics Driver

Passo 1Check what graphics card is installed on your computer.

Passo 2Go to the website of your GPU maker.

Passaggio 3Download the graphics driver for your model.

Passaggio 4Run the installer. Finish the update.

Passaggio 5Restart your computer after installation.

Passaggio 6Open OBS. Enable Fullscreen Projector, then check if the issue is fixed with OBS.

Part 5. Use an OBS Alternative

Dealing with a screen can be really annoying, especially when you need to record something on your screen. This is true for people who want to capture their gameplay, meetings, or tutorials. AVAide Screen Recorder is an option if you are having trouble with other recording software. It works well. It is easy to use. You can record your screen, a specific part of the screen, or even just the sound from your computer or microphone. It also has a webcam feature. This means you can make high-quality recordings without having to deal with settings.

Passo 1Ottieni AVAide Screen Recorder

You need to download AVAide Screen Recorder from the website. Then you have to install it on your Windows or Mac computer. After that, you can open the program.

Passo 2Scegli come vuoi registrare

When you open the program, you will see the screen. You need to choose the Registratore dello schermo option. Then you decide if you want to record the Completo o Costume part of the screen.

Passaggio 3Set up Recording

You can choose the area of the screen you want to record. You can also turn on or off the Suono di sistema e Microfono. This depends on what you need for your recording.

Passaggio 4Avvia la registrazione

È necessario fare clic su REC button to start recording. Then you have to wait for the countdown to finish. After that, AVAide Screen Recorder will start capturing your screen. The sounds you selected.

Passaggio 5Interrompi la registrazione

When you are done recording, you need to click the Fermare button. The video will open in a preview window so you can look at it.

Passaggio 6Edit and Save

If you need to, you can use the editing tools to make your recording better. Then you can choose the format you want for your video.

Di Aisha Johnson on Giu 16, 2026