How to Fix Steam Client Black Screen/Not Loading on Windows 11/10

Steam is a highly optimized gaming platform that works great for most users. Some users report that they face a plain Black Screen in Steam. It doesn’t matter if they’re in Library, Store, Big Picture Mode, or Community tab all they see is a black screen on Windows 11 PC. See the picture below to identify if you face the same problem.

The Steam Black Screen bug still affects many users. The reason for these issues includes offline Steam servers, incorrect interface settings, corrupted core files, problems with Steam Beta, etc. It is also possible that there is an incompatibility with your system that is causing Steam Black Screen and Not Loading bug.

If you’re sure that you’re facing the Steam Client Black Screen / Not loading bug. Then take a look at the fixes we have below for you. Before moving on to these fixes make sure that Steam Servers are online. If they’re offline then you’ll have to wait till they come back online and the problem will go away on its own. In case they are online log out and log back in once to see if that fixes the issue. If possible also end all instances of Steam from the task manager and restart Steam. If these didn’t work for you move on to our more advanced fixes below.

How to Fix Steam Client Black Screen/Not Loading

1. Click on Friends & Chat

For some unknown reason simply clicking on the Friends & Chat button in the bottom right corner fixes the Steam Client Library and Store Black Screen. The users who applied this fix were also surprised as to why this worked for them.

Our best guess is that once you click on this button it refreshes Steam entirely and in doing so fixes the bug. It isn’t hard to do but if you need help with it then see the picture below.

2. Update Steam Client

Steam gets constant updates to add new features, bug fixes, improved optimization, etc. We recommend checking for Steam Client Updates as these new updates can fix the Steam Black Screen or Not Loading problem. Especially if you’re on Windows 10 or Windows 11. Simply click on Steam in the top left corner and then click on “Check for Steam Client Updates…”.

3. Delete Browser Cache & App Cache

Clearing both the Browser Cache and the App Cache fixes this issue for the majority of users. They’re easy to delete follow the instructions for each type of cache.

Clearing Browser Cache & Cookies

• Open Steam Settings.
• Select Web Browser from the left menu.
• Click on Delete Web Browser Data and press OK when the window pops up.

Clearing App Cache

• Open File Explorer and follow the path Local Disk (C:) > Program Files (x86 or x64) > Steam.
• Here delete the appcache folder.

4. Run Steam As an Administrator

Steam itself does not need Administrator Privileges. However, problems like Steam Black Screen and Steam Not Loading can be fixed by granting it Administrator Privileges. A user says that running Steam as Admin is the solution to these black screen issues.

See below how to grant Steam Admin Privileges.

• Right-click on the Steam shortcut on the desktop and click on Properties.
• Go to the Compatibility tab and put a check next to “Run this program as an administrator”.
• Click Apply then OK to save the changes.

5. Enable Big Picture Mode

Big Picture Mode is Steam’s own special Fullscreen mode. Enabling Big Picture Mode can fix the Steam Black Screen and Steam Not Loading bug. You can try it while you wait for an official update that permanently addresses these issues. A Steam user reports that this fix has worked for them.

Simply click on View in the top left corner of Steam and select Big Picture Mode from the drop-down menu. To exit from Big Picture Mode click on the following Steam (from the bottom left corner) > Power > Exit Big Picture Mode.

6. Disable GPU Accelerated Rendering and DirectWrite

Another Steam Community member shared that they were able to fix Steam Library Not Loading / Steam Library Black Screen problem by disabling GPU Accelerated Rendering and DirectWrite.

To disable these features follow the steps below.

• Launch Steam and click on the Steam button in the top right corner.
• Click on Settings.

• Inside Settings click on Interface.
• In here remove the check from these two settings.
  • GPU-accelerated rendering in web views.
  • DirectWrite for improved font smoothing and kerning.
• Click OK to save changes.

Lastly, restart Steam to completely apply new changes and see if the fix is working. If not then proceed to the next one on our list.

7. Force Close Steam Web Helper

A user reported that force closing “steamwebhelper.exe” from Task Manager fixes the Steam Library Black Screen / Not Loading for them. According to the replies, the user got it seems this fix works wonders for others too.

Here’s how you can replicate the fix too.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch Task Manager.
• Right-click on Steam Client WebHelper and click End Task.

If you see many instances of Steam Client WebHelper end the one consuming the most resources. Your Steam Library should now refresh and the Black Screen issues will be gone.

8. Change Steam’s High DPI Settings

Another Steam Community member said that changing “Steam.exe” High DPI Settings fixed the Black Screen / Library Not Loading problem. There were replies that said the fix worked for them also.

To change these settings yourself follow the steps below.

• Right-click on “Steam.exe” and click Properties. (Steam’s main executable, not the shortcut on the desktop)
• Go to the Compatibility tab and click “Change High DPI Settings”.
• A new window will open up with the name High DPI settings for Steam.exe.
• Put a check against Override high DPI scaling behavior.
• Select Application in the Scaling performed by: drop-down menu.

9. Add “–no-cef-sandbox” In The Steam Shortcut

This fix involves adding a certain command code line in the Steam shortcut. It is originally for increased stability on other OS like Linux. On Windows, it fixes Steam Library not Loading and Steam Black Screen problems for some. Here’s how you can add this code to your Steam shortcut.

• Right-click on your Steam shortcut on the desktop.
• Under the Shortcut tab enter the code “–no-cef-sandbox” as shown below. (Without the (“”))

10. Repair The Steam Library Folder

Repairing the Steam Library Folder from the settings within Steam can help fix the Steam Black Screen / Library Not Loading bug in Windows 10/11. To repair the Steam Library Folder do the steps below.

• Open Steam’s Settings.
• Select the Downloads section and click on Steam Library Folders.

• Click on the three dots and select Repair Folder.
• Repeat this process for all your Steam Library Folders.

11. Opt into/Out of Steam Beta

A fix provided by a Youtuber has reportedly fixed the Steam Black Screen / Steam Not Loading issue for many. You can see the video below and attempt the fix by following these steps.

• Open Steam’s Settings.
• Inside the Account section under Beta Participation click on Change.
• In the new Beta Participation window select Steam Beta Update from the drop-down menu and click OK to save changes.

12. AMD GPU Specific Fix

This fix is provided by a Steam community member and is only valid for you if you’re running an AMD GPU. Other members using AMD GPUs report that this resolved the Steam Client Black Screen / Steam Library Not Loading. Apply this setting by following the steps below.

• Open AMD Catalyst Control Center.
• Go into Power settings.
• Click on “Switchable Graphics Application Settings”.
• Select Steam.exe and switch to Power Saving.
• Apply settings and restart Steam to see if the problem has been fixed.

13. Update GPU Drivers

You can update your device drivers through Nvidia, AMD, or Intel’s respective websites. Updating GPU drivers can eliminate problems such as Steam Library Black Screen / Steam Library Not Loading. Driver Easy is a good alternative for updating the GPU drivers because it can update any other missing drivers except the GPU drivers. Plus you won’t have to search manually for the drivers you are looking for instead you can find them all at the click of a button.

14. Reinstall Steam

Reinstalling Steam should be done as a last option although we hope the fixes we mentioned above will have fixed the Steam Black Screen / Steam Library Not Loading problem. Still, if you face these issues we suggest you reinstall Steam. Make sure to uninstall it through the Add or Remove Programs menu. Once uninstalled restart the PC and download Steam again to reinstall it.

(Note: Your games may be uninstalled if they’re located inside the Steam install directory.)