When a screen is not showing what it should, it is usually one of a small number of things — and most of them you can fix yourself in a few minutes. Find the symptom below that matches what you are seeing and work through the steps in order. They start with the quickest fixes and move on to the more involved ones.
Short on time? Two things fix the majority of screen problems: unplug the device for one minute and plug it back in, then clear the cache from the ScreenCloud Player menu. Try those first.
What are you seeing?
Before you start: opening the ScreenCloud Player menu
The Player menu slides in from the right of the screen. How you open it depends on your device:
PIXI, and Android, Fire TV, LG webOS Signage, or Samsung Tizen devices: press OK or Select on the remote while the Player is running
Station P1 Pro (ScreenCloud OS): connect a wired mouse and click the top right corner of the screen, or connect a wired keyboard and press M
Windows and macOS: click anywhere on the screen, or right click and choose Toggle Settings Menu
Tablets and touchscreens: swipe in from the right edge of the screen
iPad: press and hold the screen for around two seconds
ChromeOS: settings are managed through Chrome Device Management rather than the Player menu
BrightSign: the Player menu is not available on this platform
Full details for every platform are in the hardware guide.
Your screen is black or blank
In most cases the device is working fine and something simple is stopping your content from appearing. Work through the steps below in order.
Check the display and connections. Confirm the display and the device are both switched on. On PIXI and Station P1 Pro, look for a blue light on the device. Check the display is set to the correct HDMI input, then try a different HDMI cable, a different HDMI port, and if possible a different display.
Restart the device. Unplug it from power, wait one minute, then plug it back in.
Clear the cache. This removes the saved copies of your content so the device can download fresh ones. Select Clear Cache from the Player menu, or from Screens in your ScreenCloud account.
Check your screen is online. In Screens, confirm it shows as online. If it is offline, follow the steps for a screen showing as offline. You can also restart the screen remotely if your device supports it.
Check content is assigned to the screen. In Screens, confirm the screen has at least one Collection assigned to it. Open that Collection and confirm it contains posts, because an empty Collection leaves the screen blank. See Collections: Content, Feeds, and Apps.
Install any available updates. Update your device software, and make sure the ScreenCloud Player is on the latest version.
Work out whether it is the content or the device. Test the same Collection on the web player at web.screencloud.com or on a different device. If it plays there, the problem is with the device. If one specific post or app is causing the blank screen, send us a short video.
Pair the screen again. Select Reset Pairing from the Player menu, then pair the screen again from Screens. Take care not to add a new screen licence to your account while doing this.
Clear the app's stored data (non-ScreenCloud hardware only). In your device settings, find the ScreenCloud app and select Clear App Data then Force Stop. Re-pair if prompted, without adding a new licence.
Reinstall the app. Uninstall the ScreenCloud app and install it again.
Reset the device to factory settings. This clears everything on the device and is worth trying if nothing above has helped.
Check your device is supported. Some devices cannot run ScreenCloud reliably and will show persistent black screens no matter what you try:
Devices running Fire OS 8 or higher are not currently supported
The Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen) and Fire TV Stick Lite (1st Gen, 2020) are not supported, and may show black screens, close unexpectedly, or return to the Fire TV home screen
Consumer LG and Samsung TVs are not supported. Use LG webOS Signage or Samsung Tizen commercial displays instead
You can check your device against the minimum requirements. If your device is unsupported or below the requirements, moving to recommended hardware will give you reliable playback.
Your screen shows as offline, but your internet is working
This usually means something on your network is blocking the connection to ScreenCloud — not that your internet is down.
Restart the device. Unplug it from power, wait one minute, then plug it back in.
Check the device's connection. In your device settings, confirm it is connected to your network and staying connected rather than dropping in and out.
Try a different network. Connect the device to a mobile hotspot. If the screen comes back online, your usual network is blocking ScreenCloud and the next step will fix it.
Ask your IT team to allow ScreenCloud through your network. Firewalls, VPNs, proxies, and content filters can all block the connection. Share the list of domains and servers to allow with whoever manages your network.
Switch to a wired connection. A network cable is more reliable than WiFi for screens that run all day, so use one where you can.
If you need to pair the screen again while testing on a hotspot, reset the pairing, clear the cache, pair the screen on the hotspot, then move the device back to your usual network once it is working.
Your content stutters, flickers, or freezes
Jerky playback usually comes down to the device running short of resources, an unstable connection, or a cable issue. These steps cover each in turn.
Restart the Player. Select Restart Player or Reload from the Player menu.
Clear the cache. Select Clear Cache from the Player menu to clear out saved content and download it again.
Restart the device. Unplug it from power, wait one minute, then plug it back in.
Close anything else running on the device. Other apps running in the background compete for memory and network, which shows up as stuttering.
Install any available updates for your device software and the ScreenCloud Player.
Check your cables. Use the original power cable — replacements often supply less power. Try a different HDMI cable, port, and power socket. Remove any adapter, extender, or splitter and see if playback improves.
Check the device is not overheating. Devices that run continuously need airflow around them. Move the device out of enclosed spaces and away from other warm equipment.
Check your connection. A weak or unstable connection causes video and live feeds to stutter while they buffer. Move the device closer to your WiFi access point, or use a network cable.
Check the device meets the minimum requirements. See the hardware requirements. Devices below these can struggle with video and animation.
Turn on Daily Restart. In the Player menu, set the device to restart once a day outside your opening hours. This clears out the memory build up that causes screens to slow down over time.
No pairing code appears on the screen
A pairing code should appear as soon as the Player opens. If you see nothing, or an error message instead, the device usually cannot reach ScreenCloud.
Check the device is online and connected to your network.
Restart the device and let the app open again.
Ask for a new code. Select Reset Pairing from the Player menu.
Install any available updates for your device software and the ScreenCloud app, and check your device runs a supported version.
Try a mobile hotspot. If the code appears on the hotspot, your usual network is blocking ScreenCloud. Ask your IT team to allow ScreenCloud through your network.
Reinstall the app, then reset the device to factory settings if the code still does not appear.
If you have worked through all of these and there is still no code, please get in touch with our Support team.
The pairing code appears, but it will not connect
When the code shows on screen but your account will not accept it, the cause is most often to do with licences rather than the device itself.
Check you have a screen licence available. Every screen you pair uses one licence. Go to Account, then Billing, and check your plan, how many licences you have, and how many are in use. If your payment method has expired or cannot be charged, pairing will fail because a licence cannot be added. Update your payment details or add a licence, then try again.
Ask for a fresh code using Reset Pairing in the Player menu, and enter it promptly, as codes do not last indefinitely.
Clear the cache from the Player menu to remove any saved data that may be getting in the way.
Restart the device. Unplug it from power, wait one minute, then plug it back in.
Reinstall the app to rule out a problem with the installation.
Still not connecting? Contact our Support team and let us know the code you are seeing.
Your screen turns itself off or goes to sleep
If the display goes dark on its own, a power saving setting is almost always responsible — these are designed for home TVs, not screens that run all day.
Turn off power saving on the display. Look for Eco Mode, Energy Saver, Auto Power Off, or a sleep timer, and switch them off.
Turn off screen savers and ambient or standby modes.
Turn off idle standby and auto sleep in your device settings.
Turn on Stay Awake, or the equivalent setting on your device, so it does not sleep while idle.
Check your HDMI-CEC setting. This lets a display and a connected player switch each other on and off, which can turn your screen off unexpectedly. Try switching it off on the display.
Turn off auto rotate on the display, as ScreenCloud manages screen orientation for you.
Turn on Start at Boot in the Player menu, so the Player opens automatically whenever the device powers on.
On Sony Bravia TVs, open Settings, go to System, Power & Energy, or Device Preferences, then switch off Sleep Timer, Idle TV Standby, Auto Power Off, and any Eco or power saving options. Restart the TV afterwards.
Clocks, weather, or other time based content shows the wrong information
Apps such as Clock, Weather, and Air Quality use the time zone set for that particular screen, so a screen in a different city to your own can easily show the wrong information.
Check the screen's time zone. In Screens, open the screen and confirm its time zone matches where the device physically is. See Display Settings: Screens, Layouts and Themes.
Check the device's own date and time. In your device settings, set the date and time to update automatically and confirm the region is correct.
Restart the Player so it picks up the corrected time.
Your device crashes, restarts on its own, or has sound and WiFi problems
These symptoms often point to the device itself rather than to ScreenCloud, particularly on devices bought used or refurbished. A quick test will tell you whether the device or ScreenCloud is at fault.
Test another app. Open something else on the device, such as YouTube or Netflix. If it crashes, flickers, or loses WiFi in the same way, the device is at fault rather than ScreenCloud.
Use the power cable that came with the device. Underpowered replacement cables are a common cause of random restarts and dropped connections.
Try a different power socket and cable, and remove any adapter, extender, or splitter between the device and the display.
Install any available updates for your device software.
Reset the device to factory settings and set it up again.
Consider replacing the device if the problems continue, as this usually means a hardware fault. On a TV, connecting a separate media player is more reliable than using the TV's built in apps.
Keeping your screens running reliably
Recommended Player settings
Start at Boot so the Player opens automatically when the device powers on
Daily Restart set for a time outside your opening hours, to keep performance steady
Sticky Mode to stop anyone closing the Player by accident
Clear Cache occasionally, to keep playback smooth
Which of these you see depends on your device. The full list by platform is in the hardware guide.
Your hardware and its surroundings
Use recommended hardware for the most reliable results
Keep your device software and the Player up to date, and turn on automatic updates where you can
Use the cables supplied with your device, and good quality replacements if you need them
Leave space around the device for airflow, as screens running all day generate heat
Use a network cable rather than WiFi where possible
A simple routine
Daily: let the scheduled restart do its work
Weekly: check your screens are online and showing what you expect
Occasionally: install updates and review your network setup
When needed: clear the cache or restart the Player if playback slows down
When the problem is with the device rather than ScreenCloud
Apart from PIXI and the Station P1 Pro, which we make ourselves, the hardware on our hardware page is made and sold by other companies. If the fault is with the device rather than ScreenCloud, the manufacturer or seller is best placed to help.
If other apps show the same problems, contact the manufacturer or the seller about a repair or replacement. For Fire TV devices, that is Amazon Support
If you are replacing the device, we recommend PIXI or the Station P1 Pro, as both are built for screens that run continuously and are fully supported by our team
Still need help?
If the screen is still not working after following the steps above, contact our Support team and include:
The make, model, and software version of your device
The name of the affected screen or screens in your account
What you are seeing, and when it started
A photo or short video of the screen, with a timestamp if it helps
Which of the steps above you have already tried
We may also ask for device logs. On Station P1 Pro we can usually collect these ourselves; on other hardware we will walk you through it.