Recently, a few users reported getting an unresponsive White or blank screen issue when they were browsing on Google Chrome. This is a kind of White Screen of Death error (WSOD) and it also occurs on Windows PCs.
While solving this issue in Windows is always a challenging task, this doesn’t pose serious risks when fixing it on Google Chrome. In this post, we will look into the reasons behind its occurrence and ten methods that may address issues on the Chrome web browser.
What causes a White or Blank Screen Issue on Google Chrome?
The prime reasons behind White and Blank screen issues are hardware acceleration, unresponsive cache, incorrect extensions, compatibility mode, etc.
Renaming the History folder, removing malware, editing the target location, and Resetting the browser may work as diagnostic tools. In case, the bug still persists, uninstall and reinstall the browser to the latest version.
- Clear Chrome Cache
- Turn Off Hardware Acceleration
- Edit Google Chrome’s Shortcut Target
- Turn off Extensions
- Change the History folder
- Disable Compatibility Mode
- Disable Compatibility Mode
- Delete or Rename the Default Folder
- Reset the Browser
- Scan the Computer
- Reinstall Google Chrome
Methods that fix White or blank Screen issues in Google Chrome
Here we discuss different workarounds that can fix White or Blank Screen issues in Google Chrome –
1. Clear Chrome’s Cache
The cache which piles up on a daily basis may result in this bank or white screen bug on your Chrome web browser. In such cases, you should clear these cache by following these steps-
- First of all, open Google Chrome.
- When the browser starts, press the Ctrl + Shift + Delete hotkey together.
- A new window appears containing browsing data information, select the Advanced tab.
- Afterward, move to the Time range section and select “All time” using the drop-down menu.
Note: Here, mark Browsing history, Cookies, and other site data, Cached images and files, and Auto-fill form data checkboxes.
- Next to this, hit the “Clear data” button.
Once it finishes the clearing browsing data activity, close the web browser and reopen Chrome again.
Check if this resolves the issue that you were struggling with.
2. Turn Off Hardware Acceleration
If the error persists, try disabling the browser’s hardware acceleration settings. Here’s how to perform this task –
- Start the Google Chrome browser and click on the Ellipse icon available at the top right corner.
- Afterward, select the Settings option from the drop-down menu.
- On the succeeding page, scroll down and make click on the Advanced tab.
- Again under the System category, turn off the toggle switch Use hardware acceleration when available.
If this doesn’t fix the White or blank Screen issue in Google Chrome, try the next workarounds –
3. Edit Google Chrome’s Shortcut Target
Sometimes you may notice the missing URL bar or Settings tab while opening Google Chrome due to a blank or white screen. In this situation, disabling GPU and changing Chrome’s location will work as a diagnostic tool. Here is the detailed guideline to proceed-
- Make sure the Google Chrome browser is closed.
- Now right-click on its icon and select Properties using the context menu.
- Go to the Shortcut tab, tap once inside the Target box, and write ‘
–disable-gpu’ at the end. See the Snapshot below –
- Hit Apply and OK buttons to confirm the changes.
- Close the current browser and relaunch this in a few seconds.
4. Turn off Extensions
Certain extensions may also cause White and Blank Screen issues on Google Chrome. To solve this bug, you need to check all extensions and disable them one by one. Here’s how to proceed-
- First, launch Google Chrome and click on the three dots icon available at the top right corner.
- Select More Tools on the sidebar panel and thereafter Extensions from its submenu.
- When the extensions page comes into view, turn off all the toggle switches that are set as enabled.
Now, close Google Chrome and check if the problem has been solved. If yes, all you need is to find the culprit extension. Just turn them ON one after another and see whether the issue chips in again.
5. Change the History folder
Missing or a corrupted history folder in Chrome may also cause a white screen issue on the browser. To solve this, you must rename this folder and check if the problem resolves this way –
- First of all, start Google Chrome.
- In the Address Bar, type chrome://version then press Enter key.
- Thereupon, locate the Profile Path and select the address as shown below-
- Here, do the right click and choose the Copy option.
- Press the Windows key & E together to launch File Explorer.
- Go to the address bar and click once. Use Ctrl + V to paste the copied address into the URL bar.
- Locate the History file inside this folder.
- Succeeding this, right-click on the History file and choose the Rename option.
- Henceforth, type temp and press Enter to save the changes.
- At last, re-open Google Chrome and see if the problem has disappeared now or not.
6. Disable Compatibility Mode
In certain scenarios, when compatibility mode is set as enabled can cause a white screen issue. To solve this, you have to disable Compatibility Mode using the following steps-
- Firstly, right-click on the Chrome icon and select Properties from the context menu.
- On the pop-up window, tap the Compatibility tab.
- Again under the Compatibility mode section, uncheck the Run this program in compatibility mode for option.
- At last, click Apply and OK buttons to confirm the recent changes.
7. Delete or Rename Default Folder
You can also solve this trouble by deleting or renaming User Data older. To do this, follow these steps-
- Right-click on Start and select RUN using Power Menu.
- When the Run dialog comes into view, type the below path then hit Enter.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\
- Right-click on the Default folder and choose the Delete option.
- If any confirmation window appears, tap OK.
Note: If the folder is important, you should rather select Rename from instead of the Delete option.
- Now re-open Google Chrome and check whether the browser is working fine or not.
- In case, you want to bring back the previous settings, hit Sign in to Chrome.
- Fill in the credentials and everything retains to an earlier point.
8. Reset the Browser
Resetting your Browser might also fix White or blank Screen issues in Google Chrome. To do this, disable third-party extensions first then follow these easy steps-
- Go to the right top corner of Google Chrome and click on the horizontal ellipse (three dots) icon.
- Select the Settings option using the drop-down menu.
- Now, scroll down the cursor and choose the Advanced button available at the bottom of this page.
- Next, click Restore settings to their original defaults option under Reset and Clean up.
- Afterward, choose the Reset settings option.
9. Scan the Computer
The presence of malware inside your PC may also result in a similar bug check. This is why you must perform a full scan of your entire PC using Windows Defender. Here are the steps to follow-
- Go to Cortana and type Windows Defender in the search area.
- Click on the well-matching result to launch this Security app.
- Succeeding after, select Virus & threat protection followed by Scan options.
- Now, check the Full Scan radio button thereafter “Scan now” button.
Wait till your PC is detecting the malicious files. Once completed, Restart your PC to incorporate the recent changes.
10. Reinstall Google Chrome
If even after following the above methods, you are stuck with the WSOD error, you should uninstall later install this app on your System. Below, we mention the essential steps-
- Right-click on the Start button and select Settings on the Power menu.
- When the Settings app prompts, select
Apps >Apps & features. - Jump to its corresponding right pane, scroll down, and select Google Chrome from the list.
- Now hit the Uninstall button there forth Uninstall again on the next pop-up screen.
After rebooting your PC, the following error may vanish from your entire system.
White screen issue in Chrome Canary on Mac
If you are running Mac OS and face white or blank screen issues while launching Chrome Canary web browser, give the below workaround a try –
- Open Chrome Canary and run the following command line on Terminal to fix this trouble-
open -n -a /Applications/Google\ Chrome\ Canary.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome\ Canary --args --disable-gpu
