Run OBS as administrator
Right-click the OBS Studio shortcut → Run as administrator. This fixes most black screen issues instantly.
Use Game Capture instead of Display Capture
Display Capture can show a black screen for games. Use Game Capture instead:
- 1
Delete existing capture source
In Sources panel, right-click the black Display Capture source → Remove.
- 2
Add Game Capture
Sources + → Game Capture → Mode: "Capture specific window" → select your game.
Fix black screen on laptops with dual GPU
Laptops with Intel + NVIDIA have two GPUs. If OBS uses the Intel GPU but the game uses NVIDIA, you get a black screen:
- 1
Set OBS to use NVIDIA GPU
Right-click desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D settings → Program Settings → Add OBS → set to "High-performance NVIDIA processor".
- 2
Or use Window Capture
Sources + → Window Capture → select the game window. This method does not require GPU matching.
Black screen questions
OBS black screen Display Capture Windows 11 — why?
Windows 11 changed how hardware-accelerated capture works. OBS may need to use Windows Graphics Capture method. In Display Capture source properties, change the Capture Method to Windows Graphics Capture. This works reliably on Windows 11 for most scenarios.
OBS Game Capture black screen — game is running but black
The game is likely running on a different GPU than OBS. On NVIDIA: NVIDIA Control Panel → set OBS to use the same GPU as the game. Also try Game Capture mode "Capture any fullscreen application". For some games, enable "Allow transparency" in Game Capture settings.