If you use two screens and the second gaming monitor goes black when gaming, you are not alone.
Many users encounter display issues in a dual monitor setup as their screen goes black on the second monitor when playing games, while it was working properly just before that. It happens especially when you play games in full screen.
However, there are solutions for this common gaming issue. There may be more than one reason for this issue. Let’s look at them one by one.
1- Display driver
Display drivers may be one of the biggest causes for a screen going black. This issue mostly happens due to non-compatibility.
If so, you may need to remove the pre-installed display driver to fix the black screen. Simply go to the device manager on your pc and uninstall the display drivers and restart your pc. Once the computer reboots, it will install missing drivers automatically.
Now check if your monitor works properly. However, if the issue persists, you may need to look at other factors.
You may also need to reinstall the graphics card drivers.
To install the latest driver, open device manager and the driver tab and right-click on the entries in the graphics card driver. Now go to the control panel from the start menu and click uninstall for all entries of the driver. Restart your window system, open the manufacturer website and install the latest version of the graphics card driver for a high-performance experience.
Here’s an easy to follow video on how to install new drviers / update drivers:
2- HDMI cable
You may also need to look at the cables you are using for the monitors. It might be causing compatibility issues. For instance, if you use an HDMI 2.0 cable for your primary monitor but use a standard HDMI cable for the second monitor, it might be the problem.
Consider getting a new cable to fix the black screen if this seems to be the problem.
3- CPU usage
If you have an older CPU on your pc, your graphics card driver may not be able to keep up if you are playing games that require high CPU usage.
You can get a new graphics card to solve the issue; however, try closing all unnecessary tabs that may burden the graphics drivers.
Alternatively, you can look at the settings of the CPU and check if it is set by default to provide all power to the primary monitor. It is a normal occurrence if you have two monitors with the pc. If that is the case, you may need to change the advanced power settings. Simply click change plan settings in the primary settings of the software and make the changes.
