First, record an ordinary screen such as Settings or your home screen. If that recording looks normal but one app or video is black, the app may restrict recording; if ordinary content is black too, check capture permissions and recorder conflicts. The right fix depends on whether the problem is the live capture or only the saved file.
1. Find out what is turning black
- Record ordinary, non-protected content. Try a home screen, settings page, or another ordinary screen. If that works, but a particular app or video is black, focus on that app or content rather than changing recorder settings.
- Check when the black screen appears. If the capture preview is already black, investigate permissions, app restrictions, or the capture setup. If the preview looks right but the exported file plays black, investigate playback compatibility instead.
Some apps do not allow audio or video recording. Apple Support documents this limitation for iPhone and iPad; a recorder setting is not a reliable way around an app restriction. Use the app’s authorized viewing or download options instead. Apple’s screen-recording guidance explains the built-in feature and its limits.
2. Fix the issue on your device
iPhone or iPad
- Open Control Centre and start Screen Recording using the built-in control.
- After the recording ends, look for it in Photos.
- If the recording is black only in one app, test an ordinary screen. The app may not allow recording its audio or video.
- If you are screen mirroring, stop mirroring and test again. Apple says screen recording and screen mirroring cannot run at the same time.
See Apple Support’s instructions for recording the screen.
Mac
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording.
- Enable access for the screen-recording app you are using. Apple provides this permission control per app.
- Retry the recording with ordinary, non-protected content to see whether the permission change addressed the problem.
Apple describes the controls in its Screen & System Audio Recording privacy guidance.
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Android
Use the screen recorder built into your device and follow the on-screen controls. Android behavior and menus can differ by manufacturer. If Google’s general instructions do not match your phone or do not resolve the problem, check your device manufacturer’s support instructions. Google’s Android screen-recording guidance describes the general process.
Windows or another desktop recorder
There is no single documented Windows setting path established for every black-screen recording failure. Start with the symptom: test ordinary content, confirm the recorder has the screen-capture permissions it requires, and consult the documentation for your specific recorder before changing system settings.
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3. Check desktop capture conflicts
If ordinary desktop content is black, possible causes include missing permissions, browser security, hardware acceleration, security-software conflicts, or graphics drivers. These are troubleshooting areas, not universal diagnoses. TechSmith’s black-screen guidance discusses these possibilities.
- Browser or accelerated video: If the issue is limited to browser content or video, check the browser’s security behavior and whether hardware acceleration is implicated. Change acceleration settings only as a test, and restore the original setting if performance gets worse.
- Recorder permissions: Recheck the operating system’s capture permission for the recorder. On a Mac, use the Screen & System Audio Recording control described above; on other desktop systems, follow the recorder’s own documentation.
- Security software: Consider whether security software could be interfering with capture. Do not disable protections broadly; use the security vendor’s or recorder vendor’s guidance to test safely.
- Graphics drivers: If the recorder vendor recommends it, check for an applicable graphics-driver update. The right driver and update process depend on your computer.
4. If only the saved file is black
When the recorder preview is correct but a saved recording appears black in a player, test the file in another compatible player. Codec compatibility is one possible explanation: Bandicam lists missing or incompatible codecs among possible causes of black recorded video. That possibility does not establish a codec problem when the live capture itself is black. See Bandicam’s black-screen troubleshooting guidance.
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Quick symptom guide
| What you see | First check | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Only one app or video is black | Test ordinary content and check whether the app permits recording. | An app or content restriction is plausible; Apple notes that some apps may not allow audio or video recording. |
| iPhone or iPad recording fails while mirroring | Stop mirroring and test again. | Apple says recording and mirroring cannot be used simultaneously. |
| Mac recorder captures blank content | Check that app’s Screen & System Audio Recording permission. | macOS provides a per-app permission control. |
| Desktop browser or accelerated content is black | Check browser security and hardware acceleration, then permissions and possible recorder conflicts. | These are possible troubleshooting areas, not a guaranteed fix. |
| Preview looks right, playback is black | Try another compatible player and investigate file or codec compatibility. | A playback compatibility issue is possible; it is distinct from a live capture failure. |
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