In some cases, you may get a black screen when connecting to a computer, and you may be able to hear sound or see the mouse. You may also observe messages like "It looks like something went wrong. The host isn't sending any video data". If you observe these issues, check the possible reasons below.
Clients using an AMD GPU with broken drivers
Some recent AMD drivers from version 23.2.1 to 23.3.1 cause connection issues with Parsec. AMD patched the issue in version 23.3.2. To resolve it, upgrade to that or a newer version of the driver:
- Go to AMD's driver site
- Search for the name of your GPU and select it
- In the newly opened page, select your operating system
- Download and install version 23.3.2 or newer
A red error message eventually shows up after the black screen
You should click "Read more" next to the error message, and learn more about the error.
You're joining using the web app
Try downloading Parsec for your operating system instead. You can download Parsec from here.
The PC you're joining has no monitor or it's turned off
Parsec needs a display to be able to capture it, and it must be on currently. Check that computer physically and make sure that the screen is not turned off. If your laptop's tray is closed for example, the screen is automatically turned off and Parsec will not have a display. Monitors using DisplayPort will usually also have their display removed from the system when it's turned off.
If your display is set to go to sleep after some time of inactivity while it is turned on, try clicking and shaking your mouse or pressing a few keyboard keys to wake it up, just like you would if you were physically in the computer.
If your display is turned off and you prefer that it stays off, or you're using a headless system, you need to provide Parsec an alternative display of some sort.
- You can make use of Parsec's virtual displays, available in the host settings. The free version of Parsec has a "Fallback To Virtual Display" which adds a single virtual display if no other displays are present. Learn how to set it up at the bottom of the virtual displays page
- Alternatively, you can purchase a HDMI dongle to generate a monitor, (we recommend this one). Using an HDMI Dongle can be problematic if you also plan to physically use this host machine, as while the headless hdmi dongle is plugged in, you will have an invisible monitor at all times
- On QUADRO or TESLA graphics you might be able to simulate an EDID via NVIDIA Control Panel
Your game launched in fullscreen mode
If your game launched in fullscreen, Parsec may be set at a different resolution than the one the game believes is fullscreen on your computer, causing a black screen. You can either fix this by directly forcing the game into Windowed Mode in its configuration file, which you may find in your documents folder, or by searching up about it online.
Some games will switch to Windowed Mode if you press the Windows key + D. You'll need to make sure Parsec's immersive mode is on, which you can turn on via the hotkey combination of Ctrl + Shift + I.
The wrong monitor is being streamed
If the computer you're joining has multiple monitors, Parsec may be choosing the wrong monitor to stream. This might cause a black screen if that monitor is not plugged into your GPU directly. You can switch your monitor quickly via Parsec's settings on the host, or you can use the Windows key + P and press the down arrow twice to duplicate all displays. Make sure you have the Parsec Immersive Mode setting on using the hotkey combination of Ctrl + Alt + I.
Something went wrong with the Parsec virtual display
If you use Parsec's virtual displays, it's possible something went wrong with it. See the VDD troubleshooting article for more information.
Issues with the graphics drivers
If everything else above appears to be fine, you can attempt to fully reinstall the graphics drivers on the host. Make use of Display Driver Uninstaller to remove your drivers, then install the latest drivers from intel.com, nvidia.com or amd.com's site, avoiding automatic updaters.