The Epic Games Launcher is such a wonderful platform that you can play your favorite games there. But chances are, you might encounter a black screen once you open the launcher. If that’s your case, don’t worry, here are some working fixes for you.
Try these fixes:
You might not need to try them all; simply work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.
- Reset your screen resolution
- Run the launcher as an administrator
- Update your graphics driver
- Adjust compatibility mode
- Run compatibility troubleshooter
- Allow the launcher through the firewall
- Change your DNS server to the Google Public DNS
- Flush the DNS cache
- Change high DPI settings
- Use a VPN
Fix 1: Reset your screen resolution
Your screen resolution adjusts to fit the screen but it might default to the wrong view. In this case, you can reset it.
Here’s how you can do this:
1) Right-click on the empty space from your desktop and select Display settings.
2) Scroll down to Display resolution and click on the down arrow button.
3) Scroll down and choose 1280×768.
After resetting the resolution, open the launcher to check if it’s loading correctly. If not, try the next fix.
Fix 2: Run the launcher as an administrator
Many issues can be fixed by running the program as an administrator. So for the black screen when opening Epic Games Launcher issue, you can try this too. To do this, you can:
1) Right-click on the launcher shortcut from your desktop and select Run as administrator.
2) Open the launcher to see if the screen is in black. If it is, move on to the next fix.
Fix 3: Update your graphics driver
When you have a black screen, whether on your computer or any app, your outdated or faulty graphics driver might be the culprit. If you can’t remember when was the last time you updated your graphics driver, then you should do it. And you can benefit a lot from updating the graphics driver. Because it can fix performance bottlenecks and introduce improvements that make games run significantly faster.
There are mainly two ways you can update your graphics driver: manually and automatically.
Option 1 – Manually update your graphics driver
NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel keep updating drivers. To get them, you need to go to the official websites, find the drivers corresponding with your specific flavor of Windows version (for example, Windows 32-bit) and download the drivers manually.
Once you’ve downloaded the correct drivers for your system, double-click on the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the drivers.
Option 2 – Automatically update your graphics driver (recommended)
Manually updating drivers can be a challenge. You’ll need to identify your system specs, find the drivers, and then download and install them. If that sounds a lot, consider doing it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running or risk downloading and installing the wrong driver.
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system.
(This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to upgrade to the Pro version, you can also update your drivers with the FREE version. All you need to do is to download them one at a time and manually install them.)
After updating your drivers, restart your computer for them to take effect.
Fix 4: Adjust compatibility mode
Adjusting the compatibility mode has been tested to work for many gamers. So it’s worth a try.
1) Right-click on the launcher shortcut from your desktop and select Properties.
2) Select the tab Compatibility and check the box Run this program in compatibility mode for: and make sure that Windows 8 is selected. Then check the box Disable fullscreen optimizations. After that, click Apply > OK.
3) After applying the changes, open the launcher, and check if the problem is resolved. If not, proceed to the next fix.
Fix 5: Run compatibility troubleshooter
Running the compatibility troubleshooter can help you find out the root of the problem and probably fix it. Here’s how to do this:
1) Right-click on the launcher shortcut and select Properties.
2? Select the tab Compatibility and click Run compatibility troubleshooter. (Make sure that you’ve unchecked any boxes under the Compatibility tab.)
3) Once the window Program Compatibility Troubleshooter pops up, click Try recommended settings.
4) Click Test the program and you’ll be directed to the launcher.
5) Go back to the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter window and click Next.
6) If there’s no black screen on the launcher, then congratulations! You can choose Yes, save these settings for this program. Till then, enjoy your games.
If the problem persists, then select No, try again using different settings.
7) Uncheck the box The program worked in earlier versions of Windows but won’t install or run now. Then check the box The program opens but doesn’t display correctly and click Next.
8) Check the box Error message saying the problem needs to run in 256 colors or 8-bit color mode. Then click Next.
9) Check Yes, try again using different settings, and click Next.
10) Click Test the program… > Next.
11) Click Yes, save these settings for this program.
12) Now, the issue is fixed.
If you’ve been troubleshooting multiple times and still didn’t fix the issue, don’t worry. There are other working fixes for you.
Fix 6: Allow the launcher through the firewall
There is a possibility that your firewall blocks the launcher. So if this is your case, you’re supposed to allow the launcher through the firewall.
1) In the Search box, type firewall. From the results, click Firewall & network protection.
2) Scroll down and click Allow an app through firewall.
3) Go through the list and check if Epic Games Launcher is added to it.
If not, click Change settings and follow the on-screen instructions to add Epic Games Launch to the list and let it through the firewall.
If you’ve done all of these, and still it’s a black screen when you open the launcher. Then try the next method.
Fix 7: Change your DNS server to the Google Public DNS
Sometimes changing the DNS server can fix many issues. So here you can also do this to fix the black screen issue.
1) In the Search box, type control panel and click Control Panel from the results.
2) Click Network and Internet. (Note: make sure that it’s View by: Category.)
3) Click Network and Sharing Center.
4) Click on your Connections, whether it’s Ethernet, Wifi or others.
5) Click Properties.
6) Click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP /IPv4) > Properties.
7) Click Use the following DNS server addresses:.
In Preferred DNS server: section, type 8888.
In Alternate DNS server: section, type 8844.
Then click OK.
Fix 8: Flush the DNS cache
If you’ve changed the DNS server to Google Public DNS and still the app just displays a black screen, then you’re supposed to clear your DNS cache.
To do this, simply follow the instructions below:
1) Press Windows logo key + R together on your keyboard. Type cmd and press Shift + Ctrl + Enter at the same time.
2) When a prompt appears, simply click Yes.
3) Type the command ipconfig /flushdns and hit Enter.
After successfully clearing your DNS cache, try opening your launcher again to check if it fixes the issue.
Fix 9: Change high DPI settings
1) Right-click on the launcher’s shortcut and select Properties.
2) Select the Compatibility tab and click Change high DPI settings.
3) Check the box Override high DPI scaling behavior and click OK.
Fix 10: Use a VPN
Many players reported that using a VPN when opening the launcher fixed the issue. So you can give it a shot. But be advised: lots of problems may arise if you use a free VPN. Therefore, we suggest you use a paid VPN.
Below is the VPN we would like to recommend:
Found this post helpful? Then don’t forget to support us by using the creator code DRIVEREASY. In connection with Epic Games’ Support-A-Creator Program, we may receive a commission from your in-game purchases, at no additional cost to you.
How can you support us?
1) Visit the Epic Games Store to see what games are available.
2) At checkout, enter the creator tag DRIVEREASY. Your support is much appreciated!
