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4 Ways to Fix a Black Screen in Firefox [Video, Maps, YouTube]
You can fix Firefox blank page issue by disabling certain settings
7 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
Among the many problems people have with their browsing experiences is the Firefox screen suddenly turning black or blank.
The problem happens with mostbrowsers, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, orInternet Explorerincluded. But it appears it’s with Mozilla Firefox users that the problem causes most frustrations.
Often, this error happens without warning, and while you are already logged into Firefox. It happens randomly and for varying lengths of time.
A black screen will also log you out of all the web pages, and in more severe cases, you won’t be able to use Firefox at all.
Why did my Firefox background turn black?
Judging from the reports sent by those who have encountered this problem, there could be several causes for it.
Some only started facing the problem after installing a new driver, extension,antivirus, or other forms of software.
Others say they started noticing the issue after they upgraded the OS. Yet there are also quite a few who don’t recall installing any new software prior to this problem popping up.
There are a few fixes you could try to resolve the Firefox black screen video problem from within thebrowser. But what if you can’t even accessthe browser?
So we would start with those fixes that do not need you to be logged into the browser. And then we’ll move on to other solutions.
Quick Tip:
If you’re experiencing a black screen on Mozilla Firefox, perhaps this is the right time to test a differentbrowser. You can switch from Firefoxbrowserto Opera One and import all your bookmarks and passwords.
Further on, you can customize thebrowserby changing settings for usability to make Opera One your backup browser in case you decide to stick to Firefox as your main.
Opera One
How do I fix the black screen on Firefox?
1. Scan your computer for viruses
Whenever your computer starts to misbehave, your first suspicion is usually a virus attack. Unfortunately, these have become quite common and everyone, especially those who work online, is at risk.
Another common source of viruses is external devices, likememory sticksand external hard drives, that you connect to the computer. Before you consider the other fixes, you should perhaps first scan your computer for viruses.
On this note, we recommend using apowerful third-partyantivirusto perform an in-depth scan. Please make sure that you run a reliable and up-to-date antivirus utility.
It is very important to have a security tool that keeps track of all cyber threats because new risks arise on a daily basis. We recommend you look for an antivirus that comes with multi-layered protection.
If you secure your system with more than just one type of shield, the chances of detecting and blocking threats grow significantly.
Additionally, make sure that your antivirus comes with a powerful firewall and a straightforward privacy policy.
For the most part, antiviruses are built to protect your identity and browsing data, but it is important to check and know for sure that that’s the case.
Perform a full system scan and see the results. If your AV found any threat, make sure to quarantine or remove it. After you get rid of the intruder, check to see if the error persists.
2. Uninstall recent software
If the Firefox black screen flash problem starts to occur after you have recently installed a new piece of software on your Windows computer, there is a big chance that software could be interfering with yourFirefox browser.
In fact, randomly installing third-party software has many risks for your computer. And if you have installed more than one such software, you may want to make a list of these and uninstall them one by one.
Ideally, you will want to uninstall them, starting with the one you installed immediately before you started encountering this problem.
An instance where this quick fix has been proven to work is where people started facing this problem after recentlyupdating their graphics driver. The problem was fixed by simply undoing the update and reverting to the previous version.
For a more efficient result in terms of removing programs, we suggest using adedicated uninstaller tool. Removing with the help of Windows settings will most likely leave behind some leftover files.
These will not only take up memory space for no reason, but they may also interfere with the functionality of your PC. Uninstallers can detect and safely remove all these types of files.
On top of that, in case the problem is caused by a malicious app, dedicated uninstallers are the way to go as well. They can force-uninstall apps that you won’t be able to remove otherwise.
So, if you earlier came across Firefox black screen when playing video, uninstalling conflicting apps should do the trick.
3. Disable hardware acceleration within Firefox
This solution works if the Firefox turned black and remains inaccessible.
Hardware acceleration is meant to improve your browser’s performance by enabling the hardware to take over functions that the software on your PC isn’t able to execute as efficiently.
But it tends to clash with some graphics processors and drivers, which can cause this black screen problem to occur.
After disabling the feature as shown, check if the Firefox blank screen problem is fixed.
4. Start Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode
StartingFirefoxin Troubleshoot Mode might work because a potential cause of the problem could be an extension you recently added to yourbrowser.
By default, startingFirefoxin Troubleshoot Mode temporarily disables all extensions, installed themes, and custom settings on yourbrowser. This is also a good way of temporarily disabling the hardware acceleration feature mentioned before.
How do I fix Google Maps’ black screen in Firefox?
If you are getting a black screen when opening Google Maps in Firefox, it could be a problem with the extensions or cache. First, pressCtrl+Shift+Rto reload the page and bypass the existing cache.
If that doesn’t work, look through the extensions installed on Firefox, and disable the non-critical ones. Also, clearing the browsing data has helped fix the problem for many users.
Hopefully, one of the possible fixes discussed here has helped you solve the Firefox black screen problem in Windows 10/11.
Also, find out what to do if the problem is not limited to Firefox, but you are seeing ablack screen on Windows.
If you have suggestions or even other solutions, share them with us using the comments section below.
More about the topics:Black screen issues
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
