Fixing Black Screen Issues On Kodi – All The Possible Fixes

Recently, I was enjoying my long weekend watching videos on Kodi. But suddenly, the app malfunctioned. And there I was, sitting on my couch looking at a black screen. Sounds familiar? If yes, then you need to look for the Kodi black screen fix.

The black screen issue is encountered by many users of the Kodi app. And believe me when I yes, it’s devastating. But as every problem has a solution, there are several ways to for Kodi black screen fix.

In this piece, I’m going to share some popular methods that not only worked for me but many Kodi users on the internet to fix Kodi’s black screen problem. But before that…          

What’s Kodi Black Screen?

The black screen problem is one of the hottest Kodi issues on Firestick, PC, Mac, Android, and iOS. Kodi 18, Kodi 19, and you name it, no version of Kodi is safe from the black screen of death.

Kodi’s black screen issue doesn’t let you access the app. You just experience a black screen with no sound or video whatsoever. It’s pretty similar to the famous Windows blue screen of death. Sometimes, the black screen appears after a few minutes of launching the Kodi application. Furthermore, it can also appear as default after launching the app. 

The black screen of Kodi dismantles all the functionalities leaving the user with no options to access. You can just force-close the app on your device. There are multiple reasons behind the black screen problem, like faulty upgrade files, corrupted add-ons, etc.

Ways To Fix Black Screen Issue

To deal with the Kodi black screen problem, you can try using the following six ways. In my case, deleting the corrupted addons file did the trick for me. However, I recommend you guys to apply the ways one by one from the top and see what works for you; good luck!  

Clear Kodi App Cache

Clearing cache is the golden method of Kodi black screen fix for many Kodi users on the web. Basically, the app cache sometimes gets corrupted or overlaps with other system files to trigger the black screen problem.

So, here’s how you can clear Kodi cache on different platforms:

Firestick

Does Kodi firestick keep crashing? Firestick goes black on launching Kodi? Clearing the app’s cache can fix the issue.

Launch your Firestick device, go to the Settings Cog icon. Scroll down and select Apps. Click Manage Installed Applications. Look for Kodi and select it. Then, click on Clear Cache. Once again, click Clear Cache to confirm the action.

Android Box/Android

The method for clearing the Kodi cache on Android Box and other Android devices is quite similar. First, go to device Settings. Then, look for a section with the list of all installed applications like Apps, Storage, etc. Next, explore the app list and select Kodi. Then, select Force Stop and click Clear Cache. You’ll be asked to confirm the action, select Yes, or the appropriate option.

Linux

Linux isn’t the cup of tea for Kodi users. But still, there are some people who use the app on the nerd’s operating system. To clear the cache of Kodi on Linux, access the path (~/.kodi/userdata/) either by using terminal or file explorer. Then, permanently delete the app data files.

Mac Operating System

The method of deleting the Kodi cache on Mac is similar to the one on Linux. First, browse and locate (/Users/<your_user_name>/Library/Application Support/Kodi/userdata/) using terminal or finder. Then, once you are in the directory, delete the cache files inside the folder.

Windows

Last and certainly not least, you can also clear the Kodi cache on Windows by deleting the app’s temporary files. To do that, click Windows + R on your keyboard, type in “%temp%” and click OK. Delete all the files and then try opening Kodi to see if the issue is resolved or not. Note that deleting all temp files will erase temporary files of all the apps and services on your PC.

Disable Hardware Acceleration

For some users, the black screen only appears when they are watching something on Kodi. And the potential culprit behind this problem can be the hardware acceleration option. Many people reported that disabling the option turned out to be the only Kodi black screen fix.

To turn off the option, launch Kodi and click on the Settings Cog icon located on the top left side of your screen. Then, select Player. After that, select the Videos tab from the left panel. Then scroll down the right panel and turn off the Allow hardware acceleration option.

Force-close Kodi, restart your device and then launch Kodi. Next, try playing a video to see if the problem is still there or not. If the issue isn’t there, then congrats!    

Lower Refresh Rate

Are you rocking a new and flashy smartphone that supports a 60Hz+ refresh rate? Then, you can try lowering the refresh rate on Kodi to 60Hz and see if things are working for you again.

Although Kodi supports high refresh rates like 90Hz, all devices with the feature aren’t compatible with the app. And that’s why after some time, Kodi turns into a dead black screen. But don’t worry, this Kodi black screen fix has got you covered.

To lower the refresh rate on Kodi, open the app and click on the Settings Gear icon located just below the Kodi logo. Then, select System located on the bottom right side of your screen. Next, select the Display tab from the left panel and choose Refresh rate from the right panel. Then, select 60 and confirm.

Lowering the refresh rate might make your experience on Kodi a bit laggy. But it can fix the black screen problem, especially with incompatible high refresh rate devices. 

Delete Corrupted Addons File

This Kodi black screen fix worked for me. Why? Because I had too many add-ons installed on the app. And if you are on the same bus as me, this solution will surely fix your issue in a matter of minutes.

There are .db extension files in Kodi that have the blueprint of all the installed addons on your app. Unfortunately, sometimes, the file gets corrupted due to updating the Kodi version, dependency issues, etc. And that causes the app to show a black screen.

Here’s how you can delete corrupted .db files on different platforms:

Firestick

First, you’ll need to download and install a file explorer as Amazon Firestick, and other TV devices don’t have one. Go to Amazon Store and download ES File Explorer. Once it’s installed, open it and allow it to access your files and folders.

On ES File Explorer, navigate to (Android/data/orgkodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Database) and delete all the files. Then, restart your Fire TV and launch Kodi. Most probably, you’ll be able to access the app as normal.

Android Box/Android

Fire up the file explorer app on your Android Box or Android device. If you don’t have one, download and install ES File Explorer from the Google Play Store. Then, navigate to (Android/data/orgkodi/files/.kodi/userdata/Database). After that, delete all the files in the folder. Lastly, restart your device and launch Kodi.

Windows

Click on the Start menu and type (%APPDATA%\kodi\userdata\Database). Windows file explorer will take you to the path. There, you’ll see all the database files of Kodi; delete everything. Then, launch Kodi to check if the issue is resolved or not.

Mac

Mac users need to head towards (​​/Users/[YOURUSERNAME]/Library/Application Support/Kodi/userdata/Database) using Finder or terminal. Then, erase all the files and delete them permanently from Recycle Bin. In the end, launch Kodi to see if everything is working fine or not.

Linux

Use the terminal to access (/.kodi/userdata/Database/) and then remove all the files you see. Once done, launch the Kodi app to see if the black screen is gone for good or not.

Note that deleting Kodi database files will turn off all the addons and repos you have installed. You’ll have to manually re-enable them one by one or using a wizard addon like EzzerMac to turn them on automatically.  

Update Or Reinstall Kodi To Newest Version

Last and certainly not least, if you are still facing the issue, it’s time to reinstall or update Kodi to its latest version. Start by deleting the app from your device. Then, download a fresh installation file from the official website of Kodi on your device to install the app. You can also try updating the app to the latest version if you are on an outdated version like Kodi 17.

Final Words

And that’s a wrap!

I hope that the methods I listed in the piece helped you find the Kodi black screen fix for your device. If something else worked for you, feel free to add it in the comments section, as it will significantly help others.