Black Screen of Death (Windows 11)

[waferthinmint]

A couple of weeks ago, Spotify's Windows 11 desktop app was updated, and since then I haven't been able to use it at all. On launch, I get to see the player's UI for a second, then my PC's screen goes black. Completely. No error messages, nothing. I can't do anything, and I have to hard reset the computer with the power switch. Same problem with the Web Player. It goes black, and I have to hard reset. I have tried all the fixing suggestions offered here ranging from clean install to firewall settings, but nothing helps. The problem started a couple of updates ago, and persists. Meanwhile, Spotify works flawlessly on my iPhone and iPad. I can't tell if the PC desktop app kills only my display driver, or the entire Windows because everything's black. I tried installing Spotify's latest version today, same problem (Web Player, too).

[AlejaR]

Hey there @waferthinmint,

Thanks for posting in the Community and welcome.

Kudos for that initial troubleshooting! As a next step, would you mind trying to run the app in Safe Mode with Networking to rule out any issues with your default Windows settings and basic device drivers? Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

You might need to check for any local settings on your device that could be blocking the app. In case there's an antivirus software or such that could be restricting access to the app, try setting Spotify up as an exception.

On another note, we'd like to gather some additional info. Please send us:

• The exact Spotify version you're running on your device. Control panel> programs> Programs and features. There, you'll see a list of apps installed on your device. Locate Spotify there and the version column.
• Does this happen when running other programs in the background?
• Since you mentioned the same happens with the web player, just to confirm, does this happen if you use a different browser?

Keep us in the loop!

[waferthinmint]

Thanks for the reply. My current Spotify version is 1.2.45.454.gc16ec9f6 but the problem applied to the two previous versions as well. I've continued troubleshooting the problem, but haven't found a solution. I've made sure that my VPN is off, no other programs are running in the background, and Windows Defender's Firewall isn't blocked. Also, I updated my Nvidia graphics driver just in case Spotify crashed only the graphics card, but that didn't help either. Spotify launches normally, but the player UI is visible only for one second, then the Black Screen Of Death hits and the only way out is hard reset. Same applies for the Web Player, even with different browsers. The only time I avoided BSOD was in Safe Mode (with Networking), but the reason for that is unclear because my computer for some didn't connect to Internet when in Safe Mode even when it should've. It could be that the BSOD is the result of Spotify attempting to access Internet?

[Maria]

Hey @waferthinmint,

Thanks for your reply and all additional info here!

Just to make sure we cover all bases, do you experience the same behavior when switching off the internet connection and then open Spotify? Also, if possible, it would be great if you could give a different internet connection a shot as well.

It's also worth clearing host files in this case, as you're experiencing issues with both the app and Web Player. You can find the steps here.

Another option, if you haven't already, is running your device in Compatibility mode for Windows 10 or Windows 8.

Keep us posted on how it goes!

[waferthinmint]

Interestingly enough, the problem appears to persist even when switching off the Internet connection. I had just enough time to see the text "You're offline" before my screen went black. Next, I ran Spotify in Compatibility Mode for Windows 8 (Windows didn't offer a choice for Windows 10 compatibility), and before my screen went black Spotify said "Your operating system is out of date." I also tried Windows Troubleshoot Compatibility diagnostics, but that didn't help either. And finally, there were no entries related to Spotify in the hosts file. So far, the only time I've been able to launch Spotify during the last three weeks without BSOD has been in Safe Mode.

[Eni]

Hey there @waferthinmint,

Thanks for getting back to us. 

Since this doesn't happen on other devices, sounds like the issue might be related to your specific PC. That being said, we can try a few more steps, but if they don't work, we're afraid the last suggestion left would be a factory reset but we understand why this isn't the best idea. 

So as a next step, we'd recommend checking if there's any pending updates for the OS of your PC. If there isn't any, we'd recommend a system restart by following these steps. 

If the issue persists, we suggest using the Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B keyboard shortcut to restart the video drivers. 

Keep us posted on how it goes. 

[viper15d]

I don't believe this issue is specifically related to this person's computer. I use a laptop connected to two external displays and recently Spotify causes the same issue as this person is experiencing. It only blanks out one screen though, so I can tell that it doesn't crash the PC. If I unplug the display cable and plug it back in, it sorts itself out for a while but at any point in the future it does it again. 

There is something happening where Spotify interferes with the PC's display. It is exactly the same as I have experienced when using streaming services such as Channel 4 or SkyGo, where it blanks the screen due to thinking their content is being viewed in a way it shouldn't be. 

[waferthinmint]

Restarting video drivers using Win + Ctrl + Shift + B didn't help, and I was about to try the unplug/plug display cable workaround viper15d mentioned today, when I noticed to my great surprise that Spotify app had started working after uninstalling Intel's Killer Network Service, and various Acer bloatware programs that came with my computer that were causing errors (I found the errors from Windows Event Viewer's log. Now I can run Spotify app without black screen of death, but the browser based Web Player still remains dead. Interestingly enough, opening the Web Player won't result in a total black screen this time, only the browser window goes black, as if the page hasn't even loaded. But since I don't really use the Web Player, this doesn't bother me. Apparently there was something about Killer's network software (like xTend maybe?) that didn't agree with Spotify, but I really have no idea what since this is not my area of expertise. In other words, so far so good, and fingers crossed that it stays that way.

[waferthinmint]

Oh well, it happened again. The screen went black as I just a minute ago launched Spotify. However, I got to try viper15d's unplug/plug display cable method, and it worked. It turned out that the PC itself hadn't crashed, only the display had gone dead. I can now confirm that Spotify indeed does interfere with the graphics card/display drivers somehow. When this happens, my display informs that it has lost signal. I wonder if network side of things has anything to do with the problem? Is this just a video issue..?

[OscarDC]

Hey folks,

Thank you for the additional information.

To continue investigating this behavior with the relevant team, @viper15d would you mind including in your next response the OS version of your computer, along with the Spotify version you're currently running?

Also, and if possible; could any of you record a short video where we can take a better look? You can attach it to your next response by using the Insert Video option in the post editor. You can also upload it to YouTube or Google Drive and share the link with us (make sure the video has the permissions for anyone to see it).

We'll be on the lookout.

[waferthinmint]

Here’s the requested video of Spotify launching, shot today. I uploaded the file to WeTransfer 15 minutes ago, so it will expire in a week from now. It shows Spotify being launched, and how it kills the display (I didn’t include the part where I’m fumbling behind the computer, unplugging and re-attaching the display cable to get rid of the black screen). This odd behavior seems to take place only once when Windows has been booted. Spotify seems to work normally until the next time the computer is booted. 

[12183922403]

I'm experiencing the same issues. When the app is running in the background, the music plays fine, but as soon as I switch back to the app, the computer becomes unresponsive, forcing me to unplug my two external monitors. This issue most be related to graphics driver compatibility of the desktop app. It's occurring on a system running Windows 11, with 32 GB of RAM, and an RTX 3060.

[Maria]

Hey there,

Thanks for adding to the thread!

@waferthinmint - we're unable to open your video in the current format, unfortunately. Would you mind sending it over again, but as an unlisted YouTube video or via Google Drive? This way we'll be able to pass it on to our tech folks for further investigation as well.

@12183922403 - just to confirm, have you tried any troubleshooting mentioned earlier in the thread? If so, it would be great if you could let us know what steps you've tired, along with the app version you're currently running.

Keep us posted!

[12183922403]

yes, I have tried the troubleshooting steps mentioned earlier. I've tested the latest versions downloaded directly from the official sites, including the Spotify download page and the Microsoft Store. The version currently installed is Spotify for Windows (64-bit) 1.2.48.405.gf2c48e6f. I’ve also noticed a new behavior: the issue occurs when more than one monitor is connected. Additionally, the problem persists with the web player view

[Moogster808]

Excact same Problem here... Black Screen when i open Spotify. Only thing that helps is to pujl,l out my Display Port Cable and to plug it back in. Doin this for 2-3 weeks now. Please fix this Bug! 
Spotify für Windows (64 Bit) - 1.2.48.405.gf2c48e6f

[paulysix]

Same problem here. Black screen when opening any form of Spotify: app installed via download, app installed via Microsoft Store, and even the web app (?!). I'm on a Win11 i7 11390H with 16GB RAM. Intel Iris Xe graphics. All drivers are current, Win11 has the latest updates and I uninstalled and reinstalled Spotify in all forms. The screen goes black after about 10 seconds of playing a song. It appears that the graphics card crashes and restarts.

[12183922403]

Have you had a chance to review the error by any chance? It's becoming incredibly frustrating to use the application in this manner. The issue is quite disruptive, and it's been going on for some time now. Have you identified any steps to fix this? It’s really starting to affect my experience.

[12183922403]

I’ve identified that the issue only occurs with the 64-bit version. After installing the 32-bit version, everything works correctly. The same happens with the web player—if the browser version is 64-bit, it crashes the video driver. I hope this helps narrow down the problem.

[12183922403]

I’ve now tested both the 64-bit and 32-bit versions, and unfortunately, the issue persists across all versions. The same problem occurs with the web player—if the browser is 64-bit, it crashes the video driver. I’ve also noticed that these issues specifically happen when more than one external monitor is connected to the computer. This is becoming really frustrating, and I hope this additional detail helps in finding a solution.

try to evaluate UI Scaling and Multi-Monitor Support
Ensure that Spotify’s interface scales properly across multiple monitors, especially if they have different resolutions or refresh rates. Multi-monitor setups can sometimes cause instability if the app doesn't handle different configurations well.
Debug the multi-monitor handling for potential bugs in how Spotify interacts with the Windows Display Manager, especially for rendering, refresh rates, and full-screen mode across different displays.

[waferthinmint]

And just to remind that it's not only multi-monitor setups that suffer from this problem, as I have a single-monitor setup.