It’s a lazy Sunday. You have been looking forward to watching a movie on your TV and spend some quality time with family or friends. The Chromecast device you got will connect your phone to the TV and let you watch movies or series from Netflix on to your TV. You turn your TV on and try to stream the movie you want and all you see is a black screen. That is indeed a very disappointing turn of events. 

Why Is My Chromecast Showing A Black Screen?

Owners of older TV sets that lacked the WIFI feature saw the Chromecast as a great way of enjoying the audio or visual content from their phones, tablets or computer on their TV screen. As we know it connects your device from which you want to mirror the data; to your TV screen. One of the performance issues that users may face is a black screen on the TV when you turn on your Chromecast device. This article will take you through the possibilities that may be causing the black screen and what can be done about it in order to fix the issue and get it in to a working condition.

Check your connections and devices in the setup

As always the first logical step towards trouble shooting would be to follow through with the connections and the devices involved in the Chromecast setup. You may check the following points and ensure there is no problem

Check your WIFI- Check that the Chromecast and your phone or tablet is on the same WIFI router and that the signal strength is good enough to allow for a steady connection. Turn off your WIFI router, keep it turned off for a few minutes and turn it back on again. 

Check the power source- Your Chromecast device is plugged in to an external power source so that it is getting a steady source of energy supply and there are no interruptions. You can use the power adapter that came with the Chromecast package. 

You can try to turn off the Chromecast from the power source and then turn it back on again to see if the issue has been solved. Check your Chromecast device to see if it is turned on. The LED light on the Chromecast should be turned on. If the LED light is not turned on, then check to see that USB port is in a working condition. Another possibility is a problem with the power source. You can try plugging your device in another external power source to check if that was the problem.

Check HDMI port- Often it so happens that the HDMI input source you have selected is not the one on which your Chromecast is plugged in. You can change the selected HDMI port through the options given on your TV remote. You can double check by disconnecting the HDMI port from your Chromecast device and then connecting it back again to see if the black screen has gone away. Alternatively there may be an issue with the HDMI port in which the Chromecast has been plugged in. You may switch the HDMI port and change your TV settings through the TV remote as well.

Check your TV- You may also need to see if your TV is working fine. If there is another TV in your house, you can connect the Chromecast to it to see if it streams media successfully. If that is the case then the problem may be with your TV and not the Chromecast device.

Reboot your Chromecast- If you have checked all other points and the problem is not in those areas, you can reboot your Chromecast. It is a gadget after all and is prone to glitches now and then and simply restarting it may help revive it. Just unplug your Chromecast from the power source, wait for one to two minutes and then plug it back in to see if the media streaming is revived.

These might be helpful:

Should I Turn Off My Smartwatch At Night?

How Does A Smartwatch Know When You Sleep?

I can hear the audio, but there is no video on my TV

In case you are able to hear the audio but video is not visible you can do the following:

Check your TV- There is a chance that the problem lies with the TV. Check your TV to see if the power saving mode isn’t enabled. Alternatively, you can try unplugging your Chromecast device and then plugging it back in. You can repeat this for a few times to see if the problem goes away. You can also switch to cable mode on your TV and then back to HDMI mode and then check. You may also try switching to another HDMI port to ensure the HDMI port is not the cause of the problem. 

If there is network congestion the signal transmitted to your Chromecast device may not be strong enough to allow for video streaming on the TV. In that case you can lower the quality of the visual casting; this may help get rid of the black screen. . If this too is not the case then you can plug the Chromecast into another TV in the house if the option is there and see if it is working fine on the other TV. If yes then your TV may be posing problems

Check the Chromecast- If the above mentioned steps didn’t help, check your Chromecast. Do ensure that it is connected to the WIFI with good signal strength.  Check the power source and also the device itself is in a good working condition. You can also try rebooting your Chromecast if other points turn out to be ok.

Check your device- You may also need to check the connected device to see in case the problem lies there. Try rebooting your phone or tablet; whichever is the connected device.

Application specific issue- If you see a black screen when you try to open a specific app for instance Netflix, but the audio is there, try rebooting the app and your Chromecast device respectively. Also ensure that you are using an HDMI cable, otherwise HDCP may be making your device unable to stream data from Netflix to the TV.

We hope you find the comprehensive guide useful and are able to get rid of the back screen and media content is streamed smoothly on your TV screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Chrome casting not working?

To Fix your Chromecast not casting when connected, update your browser, turn off extensions, reset your router, and factory reset your Chromecast.

How do I manually reset my Chromecast?

While the Chromecast is plugged into the TV and powered, press and hold the button on the back of the Chromecast. The LED will start blinking yellow. When the LED light turns solid white, release the button and the Chromecast will then reset.

Why isn't my Chromecast showing up on my TV?

Disconnect the Chromecast from the HDMI port and if the Chromecast is plugged into the wall socket, disconnect it. Power on the TV and reconnect the power source to the Chromecast device but do not put the Chromecast into the TV HDMI port. Wait 30 seconds. Plug the Chromecast device into an HDMI port on the TV.

Where is the reset button on a Chromecast?

Press and hold down the reset button on your Chromecast. Note: If you're using a first-generation Chromecast, you'll find the reset button on the back of your streaming device. Just hold down the button until the light on your streaming device begins flashing.

How do I reset my Chromecast mini?

to factory reset Google Nest Mini. On the bottom of Home Mini, press and hold the factory reset button located below the power cord. Look for a circle etched into the base. After 5 seconds, your device will begin the factory reset process.

Does Chromecast use WiFi or Bluetooth?

The Chromecast still requires an internet source through a host (hotspot, router, or ethernet) with the caveat. When the Guest mode is activated on the Chromecast, it emits a special Wi-Fi and Bluetooth beacon. Suppose you are launching a Chromecast-supported app on a guest's mobile device.

What is Chromecast guest mode?

Guest mode makes it easier for your friends to cast their favorite media to your Chromecast from a mobile device without connecting to your Wi-Fi network. They only need a Guest mode PIN from Chromecast. Guest mode is not available on Chromecast with Google TV.

Does Chromecast consume more data?

But what many people don't realise is that their Chromecast actually uses a large amount of data (10GB+ per month) and for people on small data plans, things can add up quite quickly without anyone knowing.

Can Chromecast work on any TV?

All Chromecast devices require a TV with High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) 1.3 or higher built-in. HDCP 2.2 is required to support 4K content. Most televisions that are five years old or newer and have HDMI ports will have at least one port that supports HDCP 2.2.

How long will a Chromecast last?

Sadly, most Chromecast models don't have a very long lifespan. You can expect yours to last about two or three years. After that point, you could run into frequent connection issues. It may be best to purchase a new model.

Can I update my old Chromecast?

To enjoy the latest features available on Chromecast, your device might need to update to the most recent software version. The update is done automatically as part of the setup, so you don't need to do anything.

Can Chromecast be used to spy?

You can use a Chromecast with either, but one of them can also spy on you without your consent. If you don't trust the TV manufacturer to include spying devices in their product, there is no reason to believe the "dumb" TV you brought from them is any less capable.

Does Chromecast track what you cast?

Does Chromecast Track What You Cast? While your history isn't logged on the Chromecast, what you're currently watching can be viewed by any other device on your network. This is a feature of the Chromecast since it's meant to be used by everyone in the room to share control of media playback.

Can I use Chromecast with an old TV?

The small device allows you to stream on your TV from a phone, tablet, or laptop. It plugs into your TV via the HDMI port and works with all major streaming apps, like HBO, Netflix, Hulu, and, YouTube. Chromecasts can also work with older smart TVs that are on the verge of becoming obsolete.