Black screen in Game Capture or Display Capture
The preview shows black where the game or desktop should be. Usually a GPU selection, permission or capture method mismatch rather than a broken install.
Published
Laptops with two GPUs
On a laptop with integrated and discrete graphics, a black capture almost always means OBS and the game are running on different GPUs. Assign both to the same one in the operating system's graphics settings: run the game on the discrete GPU and set OBS to the same GPU for game capture, or to the integrated GPU when using display capture. Change one setting at a time and restart both applications.
Pick the right capture source
- Game Capture hooks the game's renderer. It is the most efficient method for full-screen and borderless games on Windows, and it cannot capture a browser or a desktop application.
- Window Capture targets one window. Try the Windows 10 (1903 and later) capture method for applications that refuse the older method.
- Display Capture takes the whole monitor. It is the fallback that works with almost anything, at a slightly higher cost.
Protected content
Streaming services and some launchers deliberately blank their video output when captured. That black rectangle is digital rights management working as designed and is not an OBS fault. Browser-based playback can sometimes be captured by disabling hardware acceleration in the browser, which is why some overlays appear only after that change.
macOS permissions
macOS blocks screen capture until it is explicitly allowed. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording, enable OBS, then quit and reopen OBS. The permission is not applied to a running process.
Linux and Wayland
On a Wayland session, X11-based screen capture cannot see the desktop. Use the PipeWire-based screen capture source and accept the portal prompt. Under a Flatpak install, the sandbox also has to be granted access to the device you are capturing.
Elevation mismatch
A game running as administrator cannot be hooked by an OBS running as a standard user. Either launch both normally, or run both elevated. Running only OBS elevated fixes some cases and creates others, so treat it as a diagnostic step and not a permanent setting.