The problem
Fix a black or blank window when Minecraft starts, caused by drivers, OpenGL support, shaders or overlays.
Possible causes
- Outdated or generic graphics drivers (often after a Windows update).
- A GPU or driver without the OpenGL version Minecraft needs.
- A shader pack or rendering mod failing.
- Screen recorders and overlays hooking into the game.
- Laptops running the game on the integrated GPU with broken drivers.
How to identify the cause
- "GLFW error 65542" and "driver does not appear to support OpenGL" mean a driver problem.
- "Pixel format not accelerated" is the same kind of driver problem on older versions.
- If the black screen only happens with mods, test without shaders and rendering mods first.
Step-by-step fix
- Install the newest driver from your GPU maker, not through Windows Update.
- Close overlays and recording software and launch again.
- Disable shader packs and rendering mods to test.
- On laptops with two GPUs, set Java (javaw.exe) to the high-performance GPU in Windows graphics settings.
- Try launching in windowed mode instead of fullscreen.
If that did not work
- Very old GPUs may not support the OpenGL version newer Minecraft versions need. An older Minecraft version may still run.
Affected versions
All Minecraft versions, Java Edition.
Frequently asked questions
The game makes sounds but the screen is black. Why?
The game is running but cannot draw. This is almost always graphics drivers, shaders or an overlay.