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.

Step 1Close OBS completely.

Step 2Right-click on the OBS shortcut in the Start menu or on the desktop.

Step 3Click on Run as administrator.

Step 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.

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

Step 2Click the + button.

Step 3Select Game Capture.

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

Step 5Choose Window Capture.

Step 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.

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

Step 2Then you need to select Properties.

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

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

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

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

Step 7After that, you need to press them and try to launch the Game Capture again.

4. Disable Game Mode on Windows

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

Step 1Press Windows + I to open Settings.

Step 2Select Gaming.

Step 3Click Game Mode from the left sidebar.

Step 4Turn off the Game Mode switch.

Step 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 video recorder, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Step 6Finally, you should open OBS. Try to use the Game Capture 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

Step 1Click the Apple menu. Open System Settings.

Step 2Choose Privacy & Security from the sidebar.

Step 3Scroll down. Click Screen Recording.

Step 4Find OBS Studio in the list of applications.

Step 5Turn on the toggle next to OBS Studio.

Step 6Close OBS completely if it is running.

Step 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

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

Step 2Go to the website of your GPU maker.

Step 3Download the graphics driver for your model.

Step 4Run the installer. Finish the update.

Step 5Restart your computer after installation.

Step 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.

Step 1Get 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.

Step 2Choose How You Want to Record

When you open the program, you will see the screen. You need to choose the Screen Recorder option. Then you decide if you want to record the Full or Custom part of the screen.

Step 3Set up Recording

You can choose the area of the screen you want to record. You can also turn on or off the System Sound and Microphone. This depends on what you need for your recording.

Step 4Start the Recording

You need to click the 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.

Step 5Stop the Recording

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

Step 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.

By Aisha Johnson on Jun 16, 2026