Mac: Fix Video Playback Green Screen (without disabling hardware acceleration)
Randomly, my Mac sometimes stops playing videos properly (browser and local video files).
The audio plays but the video just shows a green screen.
After an intensive online research that lasted multiple minutes, it seems that this is quite a common problem.
However, it seems everyone just recommends to disable hardware acceleration and forget the problem exists.
This has fixed my problem before but what if I want to use hardware acceleration because it’s there and enabled by default for a reason.
Hardware acceleration leverages the GPU to decode and render video, freeing up the CPU for other tasks. This usually results in smoother video playback and less system lag. — ChatGPT
Potential Fix: Reset NVRAM/PRAM
A fix that has worked for me is resetting the NVRAM/PRAM by completing the following steps:
- Shut down your Mac
- Turn it back on and hold
option+command+p+ron your keyboard - Hold these down for about 20 seconds (you should hear a second “start up sound” at this point)
- When your Mac has booted back up and you’ve logged in, hopefully videos will now actually be showing video again
I can’t guarantee this will solve your particular issue, but it’s worked for me in the past so hopefully it will help you.
Thank you
Jess
