8 Ways to Fix White Screen on YouTube on Desktop and Mobile

With the ever-growing genre of YouTube videos, it is easy to get carried away. However, this experience can get spoiled when you open the app and a white screen appears. So, let’s look at 8 ways to solve this issue.

If you’re seeing a white screen on YouTube, it could be due to out-of-date apps or drivers. If this happens intermittently, it could be a temporary glitch. However, if it’s been happening for a while, you might need to check your browser or device settings. Here are the possible fixes.

1. Reload the Page

Reloading the page refreshes the site information, eliminating any glitches that may have occurred during the previous visit. Simply click on the Reload icon in the menu bar and then try accessing the site again.

2. Restart the YouTube App

Reloading the YouTube app can help eliminate temporary errors or glitches causing a white screen. Here’s how to do it:

1. On Android, tap the Recent button; on iPhone, double-press the Home button.

2. Alternatively, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open background apps.

3. Close the YouTube app by swiping it up.

Step 3: Tap on the YouTube app icon to reopen the app. If YouTube still shows white noise as a black screen, continue to the next fix.

3. Disable Browser Extensions

Extensions add extra features to your browser without the need for third-party apps. However, certain extensions can disrupt site functions, leading to unexpected behavior. To resolve this, you can disable any recently installed extensions on your browser. After doing this, refresh the page to check if it resolves the YouTube white screen issue. Here’s how to disable extensions and refresh the page.

On Chrome

To make the content more concise and impactful, all redundant words or phrases should be eliminated. This includes repetitive ideas, redundant adjectives, or any phrasing that can be simplified without losing the original meaning. The objective is to enhance readability and clarity, while maintaining the integrity and tone of the original text.

On Edge

Step 1: Open the Edge browser and go to the Extensions page.

Step 2: Turn off the toggle for recently installed extensions.

On Firefox

Step 1: Open Firefox browser and go to the Firefox Add-ons Manager page using the link provided. Step 2: In the menu, click on Extensions and disable any newly installed extensions.

Once done, refresh the page and check if YouTube works as expected.

4. Clear YouTube App Cache

To load apps faster, your device takes some data each time you use them. This data is used to optimize app performance. However, over time, this data increases in size and can collect corrupted data. This can slow down or halt app functions, causing issues like a white screen on YouTube videos.

To resolve this, clear the cache for the YouTube Android app. Here’s how:

1. Open Settings and go to Apps.

2. Find and select YouTube.

Step 3: Tap on Storage.

Step 4: Tap on Clear cache.

Once done, restart the YouTube app and check again. If you’re using YouTube on your desktop, clear the browser cache and cookies. Similarly, iPhone users can consider offloading the YouTube app. For more details, refer to our guide on clearing the YouTube cache on any device.

5. Enable Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration helps improve browser performance by offloading certain tasks. However, it can use excessive system resources, so it is turned off when not needed. If you’re experiencing white screens while opening many tabs or playing high-resolution YouTube videos, you can enable hardware acceleration in your web browser. Here’s how: Additionally, you can refer to our guide for enabling hardware acceleration in Chrome.

On Edge

Open the Edge browser and click on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner.

Here, click on Settings.

Step 3: Click on ‘System and performance’ in the menu options.
Step 4: Turn on the toggle for ‘Use hardware acceleration when available’ and restart the browser.

On Firefox

Step 1: Open Firefox and click on the hamburger icon in the top-right corner.

Step 2: Click on Settings.

Step 3: From the menu options, click General.

Step 4: Go to Performance and select ‘Use hardware acceleration’.

Restart your browser and reopen YouTube to check if the problem has been fixed.

6. Check for App Update

If you see a white screen after updating the YouTube app or disabling app updates, you may need to manually check for and install app updates. Doing so can fix any software issues with the YouTube app on Android and iOS.

7. Check for Driver Update

Web browsers and the YouTube app use your device’s display settings to show content. Outdated drivers may cause compatibility issues with YouTube’s interface, resulting in a white screen on the main screen or feed.

To fix this, you can manually check and update your device’s display driver on your Windows 11 laptop using the following steps:

1. Click on Start on the taskbar and open Device Manager.

Step 2: Click on Display adapters.

Step 3: Expand options, go to relevant display driver, and update driver.

Step 4: Click on ‘Search automatically for drivers.’

Restart YouTube on your web browser after completing these steps to check if the white screen issue is resolved. If you have Adobe Flash Player installed, you can search for updates in the app, but note that there will be no new updates after December 31, 2020. Adobe has ended support for the software.

8. Use a Different Browser

Specific browsers have built-in functions and features, such as ad-block, that can interfere with site functions. If you recently switched browsers and are experiencing issues using the YouTube app, try using a different browser and check again.

Fix YouTube’s White Screen Problem

Display issues on YouTube can be frustrating. This article aims to help you fix the white screen on YouTube desktop and mobile apps. You can also check our guide if your YouTube home screen has been appearing blank suddenly.