The problem of the VLC green screen usually manifests in one way. User will see a bright green screen instead of their video files when they try to play them on the VLC Media Player.
The dreaded VLC green screen issue can be really frustrating at times, frightening. But you need not worry, fellow videographers and video watchers. This article will arm you with all the necessary information and equip you with all the possible solutions to help you fix the VLC player green screen problem.
The issue of green screen can happen due to various reasons like issues with the media player, using graphics cards to accelerate video playback, using outdated or older versions of the media player, incompatible codecs, reset preferences, modifying advanced settings, converting the video file format, if any of these or all of these solutions have failed to fix VLC showing green screen issue. Then, the video file(s) might have gotten corrupted.
In that case, you can either use the VLC media player to repair the corrupted video files or try a powerful yet easy-to-use video repair tool.
How To Fix Green Screen in VLC Issue?
As I have already mentioned the causes earlier, this section will discuss all possible ways to fix the green screen when playing video errors. Solutions like trying other media player(s), adjusting hardware acceleration, updating codecs, drivers, and the media player, tweaking VLC settings, and repairing the video files are all tried, tested, and proven to fix green screen on video issues on all versions of Windows.
- Play the Video on another Media Player
- Disable Hardware Accelerator Coding
- Correct the Green Screen By Changing the Output Module
- Update the VLC Media Player to Fix the Green Screen Error in VLC
- Update Drivers To Fix VLC Player Showing Green Screen Issue
- Update Codecs to Fix the Green Screen or Green Line on the VLC Media Player
- Fix the Issue of the Video Playback Green Screen by Resetting Preferences
- Convert Video Format
- Resolve the Repair Video Files Using the SFWare Video Repair Tool
Solution 1: Play the Video on another Media Player
If you are facing the issue of a Green screen while playing video files on VLC Media Player. Then, I highly recommend you try playing the same videos on any other media player, such as Windows Media Player, QuickTime Media Player, etc.
If your videos are still unplayable on other media players. Then, the issue is with video files. On the other hand, if you could play the same video files on different media players but not on the VLC Media Player, then the issue is with the media player, not your video files.
Solution 2: Disable Hardware Accelerator Coding
In some cases, VLC Media Player users might have accelerated their hardware. This means using a computer’s graphics card (GPU) instead of the central processing unit (CPU) to help decode and process the video content or multimedia file components much faster. This will significantly boost the video playback performance, especially if you use high-resolution or demanding video formats.
However, some systems do not support the technology, which will cause issues in the VLC media player. You can disable hardware acceleration to fix the green screen on Windows 8 and other versions.
- Open your VLC media player.
- Click on Tools from the menu bar.
- Now click on the Preferences option from the list.
- In the window, click on the Input / Codecs tab.
- Change the Hardware-accelerated decoding to Disable in the drop-down list.
- Click on the Save button and restart the player to resolve the issue of the green screen error.
Solution 3: Correct Green Screen By Changing the Output Module
The output module in VLC is the main software component responsible for displaying the video data on your screen.
The output module takes the decoded video file, processes and converts it into a format that the graphic card can understand. Which then outputs it to your display devices, such as a monitor.
At times, using the default output module or selecting the automatic output module might not be the best module for your system, thereby displaying a green screen or green line while displaying videos.
You can try changing the output module. Since, there’s no size fits all. You can try one of the module or all of the output modules and see if this helps.
Solution 4: Update the VLC Media Player to Fix Green Screen Error in VLC
An outdated VLC media player is a common reason for many issues, including the green screen error. You can use the simple steps below to update the player,
- Open the VLC media player.
- Click on Help in the menu bar.
- Then click on Check for Updates from the list.
- If any update is available, follow the instructions to complete the updation.
Solution 5: Update Drivers To Fix VLC Player Showing Green Screen Issue
If you can rule out the issues with the VLC media player, we must tackle them because of the outdated display drivers. This can cause this issue not only in VLC media players but also in many other media players. You can update the display adapter with the steps below,
- In the start menu, type Device Manager and click on Open.
- In the Device Manager, find and expand the Display adapter.
- Right-click on each driver and select the Update driver.
- In the window that opens, click on Search automatically for drivers.
- If any update is found, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update.
- Restart your system and check if the issue is resolved.
Solution 6: Update Codecs to Fix the Green Screen or Green Line on the VLC Media Player
The issue of the “Green VLC Media screen” can also be due to using outdated codecs or the installed codecs going missing. This leads to audio or video glitches and issues including displaying a green screen when playing videos or the VLC media player green bar or green line.
The solution in such cases is to update the codecs. Newer codecs are more efficient than the older or outdated ones. This can potentially help VLC users resolve any playback issues that may manifest in various ways including green screens or green lines or bars.
I recommend you install and use the K-Lite Codec Pack or any other authentic or reliable Codec Pack available on the internet.
Solution 7: Fix the Issue of the Video Playback Green Screen by Resetting Preferences
Resetting VLC preferences or settings can potentially remove any corrupted or incompatible, or conflicting settings within your VLC system and bring everything back to default. Thereby eliminating and resolving issues like Green Screen.
- Launch the VLC application.
- Go to the Tools option, followed by clicking on Preferences.
- Under the Show Settings option, located in the bottom left of your screen. Select the All option and click on the Reset Preferences option.
- Confirm the Preferences Reset process and restart the VLC application.
Solution 8: Convert Video Format
If you have tried the solutions mentioned above. Then, the issue might be with the video format and not with the VLC media player. Converting the problematic video format into a different format might be a good VLC green screen fix.
You can use any online video converter tool, or you can manually do it yourself by following the steps mentioned below.
- Launch the VLC Media Player.
- From the navigation bar. Locate and click on the Media option and click on the Convert/Save option.
- From the Open Media window, Click on the Add button, add the video that was showing a green screen when you played it on the VLC media player, and click on the Convert/Save option.
- Select the new video file format located in the profile section.
- Click on the Convert/Save button to start the process of Video file format conversion.
If none of the above solutions resolve the green screen error in the VLC media player, then this is caused by the corrupt video file. A corrupt video file can be easily fixed by utilizing a reliable video repair tool.
Solution 9: Resolve the Repair Video Files Using the SFWare Video Repair Tool
SFWare Video Repair is an easy-to-use and guaranteed-to-work tool that is designed to repair video files of any format shot on any camera and saved on any Windows or Mac system as well as any external storage device.
- Supports MOV, MP4, MPEG, M4V, AVI, DivX and XviD video repair
- No File size limitations
- 24/7 Support
- Safe and Secure
“I personally tried the software and I was able to recover two corrupted video files.“- dragonblogger
Download and install the SFWare Video Repair tool and follow the steps below,
Steps to Use SFWare Video Repair Tool
Step 1: Open the software and click on the Add File button. Select the corrupt video file and click on the Repair button.
Step 2: If shown, click on the Choose Reference button to provide a healthy video file. Now click the Repair button and wait for the process to complete.
Step 3: Now click on the play button to preview the repaired video file.
Step 4: If you are satisfied, save the file to your desired location.
Tips to Prevent Green Screen Error in VLC
You can save time by following the tips below, preventing green screen errors when playing the video.
- Regularly update the media player, graphics card, etc.
- Clean up the caches periodically.
- Avoid interruption while file transfer.
- Keep the back of your video files.
- Keep track of changes you make in settings.
Conclusion
This article gave you a beginning point for dealing with green screen errors in VLC media players. We have provided the common reasons and solutions for the error.
You may find other methods as well. Let us know what else you would do when you faced a VLC green screen issue. Put in the comment.