How to fix black screen on Remote Desktop on Windows 10?
I use the 1809 version of Windows 10 Remote Desktop to connect to my domain computer, everything was fine until I upgraded my computer system to the Windows 10 1903 May Update 2019 version. I’ve been bothered by the black screen on Remote Desktop Windows 10 for nearly a month. Who can tell me what to do?”
- Question from Reddit
What causes a black screen on Remote Desktop Windows 10 and 11?
To completely solve the RDP black screen on Windows 10 and 11 when remotely controlling another computer, we must understand what causes the problem first.
- ✍Windows update. Windows updates may bring some problems, such as the Remote Desktop black screen on Windows 10 and 11. Remote Desktop settings. The default Windows Remote Desktop settings may affect the remote connection and cause the Remote Desktop to black screen on Windows 10 and 11.
- ✍GPU driver. GPU sometimes will affect the remote desktop connection directly.
- ✍Windows settings. The default Windows setting usually does not cause problems, but in some cases, it may be the culprit for the black screen of Remote Desktop on Windows 10 and 11.
11 methods to fix black screen on Remote Desktop on Windows 10, 11
Here we sort out 11 ways how to do when Remote Desktop shows black screen on Windows 10, 11. Keep reading if you're facing the same problem.
Method 1. Update or recover the system version
Step 1. Open the Control Panel, locate, and click Update & Security.
Step 2. In the Update & Security interface, check whether a new version is available. If yes, download and install it (remember to back up your data first).
Step 3. If your computer system is already the latest version, you can consider to Go back to the previous version of Windows 10 in Recovery (choose carefully).
Method 2. Open Task Manager
In the feedback of some users, opening Task Manager helps to solve the problem of the Remote Desktop black screen on Windows 10.
Step 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to invoke the Task Manager window.
Step 2. Go to the Details tab. Find explorer.exe, right-click it, and then choose End task.
Step 3. Click File and then choose Run new task.
Step 4. Enter "C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe" and click OK.
Method 3. Change the screen resolution
Step 1. On the local computer, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Display settings in the expanded menu bar.
Step 2. Find Display resolution, then you can change the resolution.
After changing the screen resolution, try the remote connection again to see if the problem of the black screen on Remote Desktop on Windows 10 has been solved.
Method 4. Change the color depth of the remote session
Step 1. Search for Remote Desktop Connection in the Search box. And then open it.
Step 2. In the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, click Show Options.
Step 3. Switch to the Display tab, switch the Highest Quality (32-bit) to True Color (24 bit) in the Colors column, and then click Connect.
Method 5. Disable Persistent bitmap caching
After creating images and other resources, the computer will generate cache files and then store these files locally in the Remote Desktop Client. This process is called Persistent bitmap caching. Enabling Persistent bitmap caching has certain effects on the running speed of the computer. In some cases, it may lead to the problem of a black screen on Remote Desktop on Windows 10.
Open Remote Desktop Connection. In the dialog box, click Show Options. Switch to the Experience tab, then uncheck the Persistent bitmap caching option.
Method 6. Update GPU Driver process
This is a fixing method officially given by Microsoft.
Step 1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager from the expanded menu.
Step 2. Find Display adapters and click it. Right-click Intel(R) HD Graphics and then click Update driver.
Step 3. On the update window, click Search automatically for drivers and then wait for the update.
Method 7. Disable fast startup
Fast startup is a windows function that can quickly wake up your Windows notebook or desktop when they are in hibernation. Disable the function may help solve the problem of a black screen on Remote Desktop on Windows 10, 11.
Step 1. Click Control Panel on your desktop. Click Large icons on the right-upper corner and then find Power Options.
Step 2. Find and click Choose what the power buttons do.
Step 3. Find and click Change settings that are currently unavailable to make sure the Shutdown settings below are changeable. Then find and uncheck Turn on fast startup.
Step 1. Right-click the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the expanded menu.
Step 2. In the Windows PowerShell window, enter “powercfg /h on”, press Enter to execute the command. Then you can see the fast startup has been turned on.
Method 8. Run SFC scan
The System File Checker (SFC) tool can help you scan your computer for damaged system files and repair them. Therefore, when the problem appears, you might as well use this tool to repair the file, which may solve this problem.
Step 1. Click Start, find Windows System, and expand it. Right-click Command Prompt, select More, and click Run as administrator.
Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, enter “sfc /scannow” and then press Enter to execute the command. After that, restart the computer.
Method 9. Close client UDP and disable WDDM driver
Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Type in “gpedit.msc” and press OK to open up the Local Group Policy Editor window.
Step 2. Navigate here: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Connection Client. Then click Turn off UDP On Client.
Step 3. Change its state to Enabled. Then click OK.
Step 4. Find Remote Desktop Session Host right below the Remote Desktop Connection Client, then click it. On the right pane, find Remote Session Environment and then click it.
Step 5. Find Use WDDM graphic display driver for Remote Desktop Connections.
Step 6. Change its state to Disabled. Then click OK.
Method 10. Restart Remote Desktop Services
Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Type in “services.msc” and press OK.
Step 2. Find Remote Desktop Services on the right pane.
Step 3. On the General tab, click Stop, then OK.
Method 11. Use new accounts
Step 1. Press Win + I to open Windows settings, find and click Accounts.
Step 2. On the left pane, find Other users and click it. Then click Add someone else to this PC.
Step 3. In the Local Users and Groups window, click Users, then click More Actions, and click New Users in the expanded menu.
Step 4. Fill in the information needed. Then return to the Other Users interface, select the newly created account, change the account type Administrator, and then click OK.
Bonus tip: Avoid black screen on Remote Desktop on Windows 10, 11
AnyViewer is a free and easy remote desktop software designed especially for Windows, including Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 and Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012 R2. The best thing for AnyViewer is that it works very well, users seldom encounter remote connection problems like they encountered when using RDP, for example, RDP black screen and RDP full screen not working.
Next, let's see how to achieve unattended remote access with AnyViewer.
Preparation work:
- Connect the client computer (the controller computer) and the host computer (the controlled computer) to the Internet.
- Download and install AnyViewer on the client computer and the host computer respectively.
Step 1. Download, install, and launch AnyViewer on both computers. Go to Log in, and then click Sign up. (If you already have signed up on its official website, you can log in directly.)
Step 2. Fill in the signup information.
Step 3. Then you can see you successfully logged in to AnyViewer. Your device will automatically be assigned to the account you've logged in to.
Step 4. Log in to the same AnyViewer account on the two devices, then you can achieve a direct connection by clicking One-click control.
- Notes:✎...
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You can also upgrade your account to a Professional or Enterprise plan. What can a professional or enterprise plan brings to you:
- Faster file transfer speed. Transfer speed for a free account is 500 KB/s, and for a paid account is up to 10 MB/s.
- Increasing number of files transferred in bulk.
- Larger size of a single file that can be transferred.
- More devices can be assigned to the same account for unattended remote access.
- More Currently connected devices are displayed for management.
- Connect in privacy mode to protect privacy.
Conclusion
If you happen to encounter the problem of a black screen on Remote Desktop on Windows 10/11, you might as well try the 11 methods listed above, which may help you solve the problem. If none of the above methods helps you solve the problem, you can try to use the free third-party remote control software AnyViewer, which can perfectly free you from many RDP problems.