How to Fix Chrome Black Screen on Windows

On a Windows PC, a black Chrome window is nearly always a clash between Chrome and the display driver. Try these in order. Each one takes a minute or two.

1. Reset the graphics driver: press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B. Microsoft’s blank screen guide says you should hear a beep or see the screen flicker.
2. Turn off graphics acceleration in Chrome: go to chrome://settings/system, turn off Use graphics acceleration when available, and select Relaunch.
3. Update or roll back the display driver (steps below).

This page covers the Windows-only fixes. For Mac and Linux, and for black pages caused by extensions or flags, see the main Chrome black screen guide.

If Chrome is too black to reach Settings

Start Chrome once without the graphics chip, using the --disable-gpu switch described in the Chromium guide to command-line switches:

1. Close Chrome. If a black window will not close, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, select Task Manager, select Google Chrome and then End task.
2. Right-click the Chrome shortcut on your desktop and select Properties.
3. On the Target line, click after the closing quotation mark, type a space and then --disable-gpu. Select OK.
4. Open Chrome from that shortcut. It now draws pages without the graphics chip.
5. Go to chrome://settings/system and turn off Use graphics acceleration when available.
6. Remove --disable-gpu from the shortcut again. The setting you just changed keeps acceleration off from now on.

Update or roll back the display driver

Microsoft says Windows Update is the best way to get driver updates. If the black screen started right after a driver update, roll it back. If the driver is old, update it. Both are in Device Manager (Microsoft’s steps):

1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters.
3. To update: right-click your graphics card, select Update driver, then Search automatically for updated driver software.
4. To roll back: right-click your graphics card, select Properties, open the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver. You need administrator rights.
5. Restart the PC if Windows asks you to, then try Chrome again.

You can also download a driver from your graphics card maker’s website and install it through Device Manager. Microsoft’s page explains how.

Laptops with two graphics chips

Many laptops have a built-in graphics chip and a separate, more powerful one. If Chrome goes black on one of them, tell Windows which one Chrome should use. In Windows 11, following Microsoft’s graphics settings help:

1. Select Start > Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
2. Under Custom options for apps, select Google Chrome, then Options.
3. Choose Power saving or High performance, whichever Chrome is not using now, and select Save.
4. Restart Chrome.

If the whole Windows screen is black

When the desktop and other apps are black too, Chrome is not the cause. Microsoft’s blank screen guide (linked at the top) covers that case: check cables and external monitors, press Windows + P to cycle display modes, and restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager.

Still black: reinstall Chrome

If nothing above helps, uninstall Chrome, restart the PC and install it again from our Chrome for Windows download page, which links to Google’s official installer. To keep your bookmarks and passwords, read how to reinstall Chrome first.

Once Chrome is stable, you can try turning graphics acceleration back on after a driver update. Our guide to turning hardware acceleration on or off shows how to check that it is working.