Fix Steam black screen or not loading on Windows PC

Are you experiencing the black screen problem with Steam on your Windows 11/10 PC? Or, is the Steam client is not loading properly for you? Here is a full guide on how you can fix the problem.

Steam is a video game digital distribution service that allows you to install and play your favorite games on the desktop. While most of the time it provides a hassle-free gaming experience, it is not uncommon to run into issues with it. A lot of users have reportedly complained of getting a black screen on Steam which basically makes the app unusable. Some users also reported that the app just won’t load or work for them. If you are one of those users experiencing such issues, this post is for you. In this guide, we are going to discuss several working fixes that will enable you to get rid of these problems. So, let us check out.

Why is my Steam not showing anything?

There can be different reasons why you don’t see anything on the Steam app or get a black screen while gaming. Here are some of the possible causes:

It can be caused due to corrupted or out-of-date graphics drivers. So, make sure you have up-to-date GPU card drivers to fix the problem.
The problem might be caused due to the bad or corrupted web browser cache in Steam. If the scenario applies, you should be able to resolve the issues by clearing the web browser cache in Steam.
A corrupted app cache can be another reason that you might receive a black screen in Steam. In that case, try clearing the app cache for the Steam app.
It can also be caused due to corrupted installation of the Steam app. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you should be able to fix the problem by reinstalling the app.

Why does my screen suddenly go black?

If your screen goes black, there might be various reasons due to which the problem is caused. It can occur due to bad PSU, overclocking, corrupted GPU card drivers, outdated OS files, or power interference. However, you can fix the black screen problem using fixes like checking HDMI/VGA Cable, disabling overclock, updating Windows, updating graphics drivers, etc.

Fix Steam black screen or not loading

Here are the methods you can try to fix the black screen problem with Steam or if it is not loading:

Update your graphics driver.
Delete web browser cache.
Delete Steam app cache.
Disable Beta Participation.
Add -no-cef-sandbox in your Steam shortcut.
Uninstall, and then Reinstall Steam.

Let us discuss the above methods in detail now.

1] Update your graphics driver

Most of the time the black screen problems with apps and games are caused due to corrupted and faulty graphics drivers. So, when you encounter a black screen on Steam, the problem might lie with your graphics drivers. If you haven’t updated your out-of-date graphics drivers in a while, consider updating them and then see if the problem is resolved.

There are multiple options to update your graphics drivers on Windows PC. You can update your graphics drivers manually by using the Settings app or Device Manager. If you want, you can even search for GPU card drivers from the official website of your device manufacturer. And then, download the latest graphics drivers and install them on your PC. Apart from that, one more way to update drivers is to use a dedicated driver update software to automatically install updates for your graphics and other drivers.

When you are done updating graphics drivers, relaunch the Steam app and then see if the black screen problem is now resolved. In case the issue still persists, move on to the next potential fix to resolve it.

2] Delete web browser cache

The next thing you can try to resolve the black screen problem is to delete the web browser cache in Steam. The Steam desktop client comes with a built-in web browser that enables you to search and view information about games within the app. However, if you are encountering a black screen with Steam on and off, you are probably dealing with the corrupted browser cache in Steam. Hence, to fix the problem, you will need to get rid

Steam doesn’t automatically clear the web browser cache. So, you will have to clear the browser cache in Steam manually. Here is how you can do that:

First of all, launch the Steam client on your Windows PC.
Now, go to Steam on the top menubar and click on the Settings option.
Next, go to the Web Browser tab from the left panel.
After that, tap on the DELETE WEB BROWSER CACHE button and wait for the process to complete.
Then, press the DELETE ALL BROWSER COOKIES button.
When the browser cache and cookies are cleared, click OK.
Finally, you can relaunch the Steam client and hopefully, there will be no black screen problem now.

In case you still get the same issue, try the next potential fix to resolve the error.

Read: Fix Non-system disk or disk error Black screen on Windows 11/10.

3] Delete Steam app cache

The cache associated with Steam stores the temporary data and files about your games and the app itself. But, if the cache is corrupted, it can cause issues like a black screen problem or Steam not loading. So, if the scenario is applicable, you should try deleting the Steam app cache to get rid of the problem.

To do that, follow the below steps:

Firstly, open Task Manager using Ctrl + Shift + Esc hotkey and close all processes related to Steam.
After that, open File Explorer using Windows + E hotkey and then navigate to the Steam installation directory. By default, you will find it at the below location:
```
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
```
Now, copy the appcache folder and paste it at some other location like Desktop. This is to just be on the safe side in case something goes wrong after deleting it.
Next, select the appcache folder and then press the Delete button to simply delete it.
Then, relaunch the Steam client and see if the problem is now fixed.

Read: Computer boots to black or blank screen with blinking cursor.

4] Disable Beta Participation

If you have enabled the Beta Participation feature and facing the black screen problem, try disabling it to fix the problem. It is a handy option that allows users to try new features that are not rolled out in the official release of Steam. However, it might not work as intended and interrupt the regular working of the app. So, opt out of Beta Participation and then see if the problem is fixed or not.

Firstly, open the Steam client and then click on the Steam > Settings option.
Now, go to the Account tab and locate the Beta participation section and click on the CHANGE button present below it.
Next, click on the Beta participation drop-down option and select the NONE- Opt out of all beta programs option.
After that, close the settings window and then relaunch Steam to check whether or not the black screen problem is fixed.

See: Black Screen appears during Screen Share in Discord on Windows.

5] Add -no-cef-sandbox in your Steam shortcut

If Steam is not properly loading for you, you can use -no-cef-sandbox argument. Adding this argument to Steam’s shortcut would help you fix the problem. Here is how you can do that:

First of all, close the Steam app.
Now, right-click on the Steam shortcut from your desktop and press the Properties option.
Next, go to the Shortcut tab, and in the Target field, append -no-cef-sandbox towards the end of the string.
After that, press Apply > OK to save changes.
Finally, reopen the Steam client and see if it is loading properly or not.

Read: Windows Mixed Reality headset shows Black Screen.

6] Uninstall, and then Reinstall Steam

If none of the above solutions works for you, the last resort to resolve the problem is to reinstall the Steam client. The issue might be caused due to corrupted installation of the Steam app. In that case, uninstalling the app and then installing it back on your system should help you get rid of the issue. You can uninstall the app by going to the Settings > Apps > Apps & features section. After that, download Steam’s installer from its official website and then install the app back on your PC. See if this fixes the problem for you.

That’s it!

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