How to Fix Spotify Black Screen in OBS

If you are trying to display the Spotify desktop application in OBS Studio using Window Capture and are only seeing a blank black screen, you are experiencing a common compatibility issue. This problem is typically caused by Spotify’s hardware acceleration features or incorrect capture settings within OBS itself. This article provides straightforward, step-by-step solutions to quickly resolve the black screen issue so you can display your Spotify player on your stream or recording.

Method 1: Change the OBS Capture Method

The quickest way to fix the black screen without changing your Spotify settings is to alter how OBS captures the window.

  1. Open OBS Studio and locate your Spotify Window Capture source.
  2. Double-click the Spotify source (or right-click and select Properties).
  3. Locate the Capture Method dropdown menu.
  4. Change the setting from Automatic to Windows 10 (version 1903 and up).
  5. Click OK.

This capture method utilizes a different graphics API that can bypass the hardware-accelerated black screen issue.

Method 2: Disable Hardware Acceleration in Spotify

If changing the capture method in OBS does not work, you can disable hardware acceleration directly inside the Spotify desktop application.

  1. Open the Spotify desktop app.
  2. Click on your profile picture or username in the top-right corner and select Settings.
  3. Scroll down to the very bottom of the Settings menu and click on Show Advanced Settings (if visible, otherwise proceed to the next step).
  4. Locate the Compatibility section.
  5. Turn off the toggle switch next to Enable hardware acceleration.
  6. Spotify will prompt you to restart the application. Click Restart.
  7. Once Spotify restarts, open OBS Studio and check if the window capture is now displaying correctly.

Note: Disabling hardware acceleration may slightly increase CPU usage by Spotify, but it is usually negligible on modern computers.

Method 3: Run OBS Studio as Administrator

Sometimes OBS lacks the proper system permissions to capture hardware-accelerated windows like Spotify. Running OBS as an administrator can resolve this.

  1. Close OBS Studio completely.
  2. Right-click on the OBS Studio shortcut on your desktop or in your Start Menu.
  3. Select Run as administrator.
  4. Check to see if your Spotify Window Capture source is now working.

To make this change permanent, right-click the OBS shortcut, go to Properties, navigate to the Compatibility tab, check the box next to Run this program as an administrator, and click Apply.