How to Fix the Issue that OBS Captures Black Screen When Recording Game

Posted by Lisa Ou / Jan 14, 2021 16:00

OBS Studio is an open-source broadcasting program. It lets users record screen and gameplay for free on Windows and Mac. Moreover, users are able to live stream screen to YouTube and Twitch directly. However, it is not a perfect program and sometimes OBS may work abnormally. Some users reported OBS black screen when capturing game. Fortunately, this problem can be fixed and this article will share six solutions to get rid of the issue easily.

Let’s begin.

Guide List

• Part 1: 5 Solutions to Fix OBS Window Capture Black
• Part 2: Best Alternative to OBS
• Part 3: FAQs of OBS Black Screen Capture Issue

1. 5 Solutions to Fix OBS Window Capture Black

Solution 1: Run OBS as Administrator

When you only get black screen capturing game in OBS, the first thing you should do is to run it as administrator.

Step 1Go to your desktop, right-click on OBS and choose Properties.

Step 2Switch to the Compatibility tab and check the box next to Run this program as an administrator.

Step 3Click OK and restart your computer. Now, OBS should work normally.

Solution 2: Enable Compatibility Mode

The OBS black screen capture issue may be caused by the wrong compatibility settings, but you can correct it easily.

Step 1Open the OBS Properties dialog and also go to the Compatibility tab.

Step 2Tick the checkbox next to Run this program in compatibility mode for. Then choose the system you wish to compatible with from the drop-down list.

Step 3Click Apply and OK. Reopen OBS to check if the problem disappears.

Solution 3: Set OBS GPU Correctly

If OBS window captures black when you are using two graphic cards and one is NVIDIA, follow the steps below to fix OBS black screen window capture.

Step 1Open NVIDIA control panel and select Manage 3D Settings from the left side.

Step 2Go to the Program Settings tab on the right side, and click the Add button. Click the Browse button and find OBS.exe file to add it.

Step 3Next, choose High-performance NVIDIA processor, and click Apply. Now, your OBS game capture should work as usual.

Solution 4: Disable Game Mode

Windows 10 has built-in a Game mode to improve performance. However, it may lead to OBS capture black screen issue.

Step 1Go to Start menu at the bottom left corner, and click Settings to open the Settings dialog.

Step 2Head to the Game Mode tab from the left side, and toggle off the switch under Use Game Mode.

Solution 5: Turn off Hardware Acceleration in Chrome

Sometimes, the black screen error occurs when OBS captures Chrome. It is partly because of the hardware acceleration feature. Fortunately, Chrome allows you to disable it.

Step 1Open your Chrome, click the Menu button with a three-dot icon, and choose Settings.

Step 2Go to Advanced and System, and find the Use hardware acceleration when available option. Toggle off the switch.

Step 3Now, open OBS and try to record Chrome again. The black screen issue should be resolved.

FoneLab Screen Recorder

FoneLab Screen Recorder allows you to capture video, audio, online tutorial, etc on Windows/Mac, and you can easily customize size, edit the video or audio, and more.

• Record video, audio, webcam and take screenshots on Windows/Mac.
• Preview data before saving.
• It is safe and easy to use.

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2. Best Alternative to OBS PC

If you have tried the solutions above but OBS captures black screen issue still persists, it may be the time to look for an alternative solution. FoneLab Screen Recorder, for example, is a powerful screen recorder and more stable than OBS.

Main Features of the Best Alternative to OBS

1. Record screen, video and gameplay along with audio easily.
2. Enhance video and audio quality automatically.
3. Preview screen recording with the built-in media player.

How to Record Screen when OBS Black Screen Occurs

Step 1Set up Screen Recorder

Launch the best alternative to OBS once you install it on your PC. There is another version for Mac. Pick Video Recorder to open the main interface. If you just want to record audio, choose Audio Recorder instead. Advanced users can find custom options on Preferences dialog, which can be opened by hitting the Gear icon.

Step 2Record your screen

There are four sections in the main interface, Display, Webcam, System Sound and Microphone. The different combinations can perform various tasks. To record gameplay, for example, turn on Display and set the recording area, enable System Sound while disabling Webcam and Microphone. If you want to add your reactions to the recording, enable four sections. Once you are ready, click the REC button to begin recording screen with the alternative to OBS.

Step 3Preview and save screen recording

During recording, you can add paintings and text to the recording with the Edit icon or takes screenshots using Camera icon. Click the Stop button when screen recording is done. Now, play the recording on the preview window and remove unwanted frames. Finally, hit the Save button to export the recording to your computer.

FoneLab Screen Recorder

FoneLab Screen Recorder allows you to capture video, audio, online tutorial, etc on Windows/Mac, and you can easily customize size, edit the video or audio, and more.

• Record video, audio, webcam and take screenshots on Windows/Mac.
• Preview data before saving.
• It is safe and easy to use.

Free Download Free Download Learn more

3. FAQs of OBS Black Screen Capture Issue

Conclusion

This post has told you five common solutions to fix the problem that StreamLabs OBS’s black screen issue when capturing screen or gameplay. We hope that you have solved this problem. If not, you can simply use FoneLab Screen Recorder as an alternative screen recorder. It is more stable and records screen without lag. If you encounter other problems related to OBS, please feel free to leave a message below this post and we will reply it as soon as possible.

FoneLab Screen Recorder

FoneLab Screen Recorder allows you to capture video, audio, online tutorial, etc on Windows/Mac, and you can easily customize size, edit the video or audio, and more.

• Record video, audio, webcam and take screenshots on Windows/Mac.
• Preview data before saving.
• It is safe and easy to use.

Free Download Free Download Learn more