For a few weeks now, I've had a problem with my Windows Desktop version of Spotify: when I start it, Spotify is just a black screen and the menu in the upper left corner. It doesn't do anything else so I can't use it. I installed Spotify on a networked computer by the way. Until a few weeks ago it still worked, so I guess it has to do with a Spotify update. Can anyone help me? – Arthur from Spotify Community
Many Spotify users report that when they launch the Spotify app, it only displays a black screen. They can't do anything with the faulty software. And the Spotify team doesn't seem to have the perfect solution to fix this ongoing problem.
In the following sections, I will show you how fix Spotify black screen problem on your device and a workaround to completely resolve the issue.
Solutions to Spotify Black Screen Problem
There are many reasons that can cause Spotify black screen issue. And here are some of the solutions that you can apply yourself to fix the problem.
1. Check the Internet connection and restart the Spotify app.
The most common cause of Spotify black screen issue is your connection. If the Spotify app cannot detect the Internet on your device, the API cannot be loaded and it only displays with a black screen.
To repair your Internet connection, right-click the Internet icon in the lower left corner of your computer screen and click Troubleshoot Problems to repair your connection.
On your phone, check your cellular connection or if you're using Wi-Fi, restart your router to refresh your Wi-Fi.
2. Disable hardware acceleration
By default, Spotify enables hardware acceleration in its app, which helps make the API smoother. But it can also cause graphics issues, so if you can't fix your Spotify black screen problem, turn off hardware acceleration:
1. Open Spotify on your desktop and go to Settings.
2. Scroll down and click SHOW ADVANCED SETTINGS.
3. Scroll down again and toggle Hardware Acceleration to black to turn it off.
3. Delete and reinstall the Spotify app
If you still can't fix the black screen issue, you can delete the app on your device and reinstall the latest version of Spotify. Note that all cached and downloaded songs will also be deleted with the app.
4. Use Spotify Connect to listen to songs
If your Spotify is broken on one device but working on another, you can use the Spotify Connect feature to connect the two devices and listen to the songs on the one you want.
To enable Spotify Connect:
1. Open Spotify on two devices.
2. Click the Connect button and choose a device to play the songs. (This feature requires Spotify Premium)
5. Remove Duplicate Spotify Processes
If you open too many Spotify processes, it may cause Spotify black screen issue. To remove duplicate processes:
- Right-click the taskbar at the bottom of your PC screen, then click Task Manager.
- Find duplicate Spotify processes and delete them.
Ultimate Solution to Fix Spotify Black Screen Issue
If you have tried all the solutions listed above and still can't fix your Spotify black screen problem, the next solution I'm going to show you can fix this problem permanently. No matter if you have Spotify black screen on Mac, Windows 10, or your phone, it will work on all your devices.
As Spotify has not provided an official solution to the Spotify black screen issue, there is no other place you can resort to fix this issue. But if you still want to stream Spotify tracks, you can do so without the Spotify API.
With Spotify Music Converter , you can download all your Spotify songs to your computer without Premium. All downloaded songs can be listened to on any other media player without Spotify app, and so you no longer need to worry about Spotify black screen issue.
Spotify Music Converter is designed to convert Spotify audio files to 6 different formats such as MP3, AAC, M4A, M4B, WAV, and FLAC. Almost 100% of the original song quality will be retained after the conversion process. With 5x faster speed, it only takes seconds to download each song from Spotify.
Main Features of Spotify Music Converter
- Convert and download Spotify songs to MP3 and other formats.
- Download any Spotify content at 5X faster speed
- Listen to Spotify songs offline sans Premium
- Listen to Spotify without black screen problem
- Backup Spotify with original audio quality and ID3 tags
1. Launch Spotify Music Converter and import songs from Spotify.
Open Spotify Music Converter and Spotify will be launched simultaneously. Then drag and drop tracks from Spotify into Spotify Music Converter interface.
2. Configure output settings
After adding music tracks from Spotify to Spotify Music Converter, you can choose the output audio format. There are six options: MP3, M4A, M4B, AAC, WAV and FLAC. You can then adjust the audio quality by selecting the output channel, bit rate and sample rate.
3. Start the conversion
After all settings are completed, click "Convert" button to start loading Spotify music tracks. After conversion, all files will be saved in the folder you specified. You can browse all converted songs by clicking “Converted” and navigating to the output folder.
4. Listen to Spotify songs without black screen issue
After downloading Spotify tracks to your computer, you can then place them on any device and listen to them without the Spotify app. No black screen issue will disturb your smooth listening of Spotify songs and you can enjoy Spotify free forever.