How to Fix “Fire TV Blank Screen on Boot Error” on Firestick

Are you getting a Fire TV blank screen on boot error with your Fire TV / FireStick?  This is a common issue, so try the solutions below before you light your Fire TV.. well.. on fire.  

Causes of Amazon Fire Stick Black Screen

If your Fire Stick displays a black screen, it could be due to several potential issues, including problems with the Fire Stick itself, your television, or the connection between them.

In most cases, a black screen is a minor glitch that can be easily fixed, but if the troubleshooting steps provided don’t resolve the problem, there may be a defect with your Fire Stick that requires replacement.

To see the troubleshooting techniques that can be done with this awesome (but sometimes touchy) streaming device, try these fixes:

How to Fix Fire TV Blank Screen on Boot

To fix the black screen / blank screen, we use the following steps to troubleshoot it:

• Your FireTV went to sleep and you just need to wake it up. You can wake up your FireTV by pressing the “Back” button on the remote.
• Try the Fire TV Remote Shortcuts to see if one of them will wake up your Fire TV.
• On the Fire TV Remote, hold the REVERSE (or “rewind”) button and the UP button at the same time for 10 seconds.  Your FireTV should start switching through the different video display modes (or resolutions).  You can expect the light on your TV to change colors and/or blink.  When it switches to a display resolution that works, press the SELECT button to select that mode.  This will fix your display issue if your fireTV happens to be set to a video resolution not supported by the TV you have it plugged into.
• Your FireTV needs to be reset to the factory default settings.  To do this, press BACK and REVERSE and RIGHT and SELECT to get your FireTV to prompt you to do a factory reset.
• Your FireTV is deceased. If you tried #1 and #2 above, perhaps your Firestick has perished.
• You could be forcing a screen resolution such as 1080p 60Hz.  Try changing the display settings back to Auto, No Scaling (by hooking the FireTV to a TV that it’s known to work on).
• Press SELECT & PLAY (Hold the buttons down for 5 or 10 Seconds) to restart your FireTV / firestick.
• You can try to update the operating system of Firestick by going to ‘Settings,’ then select ‘My Fire TV,’ and then ‘About,’ and lastly click ‘Check for updates.’
• Try clearing the cache of apps. To do this, go to ‘Settings’, then click on ‘Applications’, select ‘Manage Installed Apps,’ and lastly choose the app you are having trouble with then ‘Clear Cache.’
• Wait up to half an hour. Software, like many other applications, can occasionally hang abruptly. If given enough time, the problem will resolve itself. This isn’t always effective, but it’s typically worth trying. 
• Contact Amazon support. If none of these techniques resolve your Fire Stick’s black screen, there may be an issue with your Fire Stick itself. This is unlikely, but contacting assistance is a good method to figure out what’s wrong. Make careful to notify the person about the efforts you’ve already made to try to resolve the issue.

Kodi Won’t Start

If your Fire Stick seems to work fine except for Kodi not working, then check out our guide to Fix Fire Stick Kodi not working.  Often times, Kodi will become inundated with its own temporary files and you’ll need to re-install Kodi, re-install TV Addons, and/or do a Fresh Start in Kodi to restore it to a functioning state.

Fire TV HDMI Cable

The HDMI cable is one of only two cable that the Fire TV needs – so you need to make absolutely certain that the HDMI cable is securely connected on both ends: the end going to your Fire TV / Fire Stick – and the end going to your TV.

Additionally, an HDMI Cable that appears to be fine may actually be faulty – causing your Fire TV blank screen on boot or constant black screen.  So get a nice new HDMI cable for $10 from Amazon to eliminate this as a possibility for your seemingly broken Fire Stick.

Fire TV Power Cable

Fire TV’s power cable is the only other cable that can cause your Fire TV to have a black screen.  We strongly recommend you use the power block and power cable that were supplied with your Fire TV, not one that you used for an old Nokia phone a decade ago (that would be very bad, mkay?).  A faulty power cable can often be the root cause of Fire TV blank screen on boot, because the Fire TV needs a certain minimum # of Amps to be able to start the FireTV unit.

Fire TV Buffering

If your Fire TV is buffering constantly, have a look at our Fire TV Buffering guide.  Consider the fact that overheating, WiFi signal strength, software issues and even electro-magnetic interference may all be causing your device to buffer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can you fix a frozen Fire Stick?

Fire Sticks can freeze for a variety of reasons, but the most common issue is the device freezing on the Amazon logo. Give it some time, then attempt a device restart and the same methods for addressing black screen difficulties on a Fire TV Stick.

How to Reset the Firestick Remote?

To reset a generation two or three Alexa voice remote control, unplug your Firestick and press the “left,” “menu,” and “back” buttons for 12 seconds before releasing them for five seconds. Next, remove the remote control batteries, plug the Firestick back in, reconnect the batteries, and hit the “home” button.

How do you resolve purchase failures on the Amazon Fire Stick?

This is typically caused by a connectivity issue. Reset your modem or router, reconnect your Fire Stick to the internet, and try again. More information can be found in our step-by-step router reset tutorial.

How Can I Fix an Unresponsive Firestick?

If your Firestick is fully unresponsive or only shows a black screen, you can reset it by unplugging it, waiting about 10 seconds, and then plugging it back in and letting it load up.

Wrap Up

If you have any questions or comments, ask us on the KFire YouTube Channel.