5 Ways to Fix the Black Screen Issue in Amazon Prime Video on Windows

Try Basic Fixes

• Temporarily disable your VPN connection: Although VPNs are great for maintaining privacy, they can often cause problems with streaming services such as Prime Video, especially if you switch servers frequently. If you use a VPN connection, disable it momentarily to check if that fixes the black screen issue.
• Check Amazon Prime server status: Another thing you should do is check if Prime Video servers are experiencing any outages. For that, visit Downdetector. If there’s a widespread outage, your only option is to wait for the company to fix the issue from their end.
• Update the app: The Prime Video app on your PC may be old or buggy, so videos are playing, but there’s no picture. You can open the Microsoft Store app on your PC to check if a newer version of the Prime Video app is available.

Fix 1: Sign Out and Sign Back Into the App

Authentication issues with your Amazon account can also result in such abnormalities. So, signing out of your account and signing back in can help resolve these issues. In the Prime Video app, click on your name at the bottom-left corner and select Sign Out.

Sign in with your Amazon account details and check if you still get a black screen.

Fix 2: Disable Hardware Acceleration (for Browsers)

Are you experiencing the black screen issue while using Prime Video in your web browser? That could happen if the hardware acceleration feature is not working correctly. You can disable the feature on your browser temporarily to see if that helps.

To disable hardware acceleration in Chrome, type chrome://settings/system in the address bar at the top and press Enter. Then, turn off the toggle for Use hardware acceleration when available.

To disable hardware acceleration in Edge, type edge://settings/system in the URL bar at the top and press Enter. Turn off the toggle for Use hardware acceleration when available.

Fix 3: Clear Browser Cache

If disabling hardware acceleration does not help, there might be an issue with the existing browser cache data. You can eliminate this data to see if that fixes the problem.

To clear the browser cache in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, press the Ctrl + Shift + Delete shortcut on your keyboard to open the Clear browsing data panel.

Use the drop-down next to Time range to select All time. Check the box for Cached images and files and click the Clear data button.

Fix 4: Repair or Reset the App

If the black screen issue in Prime Video is limited to its desktop app, use the app repair feature in Windows to fix it. Here’s how.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + S shortcut to open the search menu. Type prime video, and select App settings from the right pane.

Step 2: Scroll down and click on Repair.

If the issue persists, try resetting the app to default by clicking the Reset button.

Fix 5: Update Display Drivers

Finally, if none of the above fixes work or if you experience a similar issue with other streaming apps as well, your PC’s display drivers may be malfunctioning. So, try updating the display drivers on Windows by following the steps below.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon > select Device Manager.

Step 2: Double-click on Display adapters to expand it. Right-click on your driver and select Update driver.

After updating the drivers, restart your PC and check if the issue is still there.