Sunshine Moonlight Setup

Troubleshooting guide

Moonlight Black Screen After Sleep: Wake, Display, Encoder

Category: Game Streaming

A black Moonlight frame after sleep is usually a host display or encoder problem, not a client decoder problem. Wake the host and inspect it before reinstalling the client.

Before you start

Step-by-step checks

Step 1: Wake and confirm the host display

Wake the PC manually or with a wake-on-LAN tool, then look at the physical display. If Windows resumed without a display, reconnect the monitor or enable the virtual display before opening Moonlight.

Check: The host has an active display and Sunshine is running.

Step 2: Read the Sunshine log after resume

Note the encoder, capture, and audio messages around the resume time. Compare a working launch before sleep with the failed launch after wake.

Check: The log identifies the failing capture or encoder stage.

Step 3: Stabilize the display path

For a headless or sleeping monitor, configure a persistent virtual display or prevent the display from powering off during the test. Change one display setting at a time.

Check: The host keeps a display available after the monitor sleeps.

Step 4: Test picture, sound, and controller

Connect from the client, start one game or desktop test, and confirm video, audio, and controller input in the same session.

Check: All three work together, not just the desktop image.

Step 5: Reconnect after a sleep cycle

Disconnect, put the host to sleep, wake it, and reconnect. Repeat once to prove the path is stable.

Check: The second wake also produces a working stream.

Verify the result

After a deliberate sleep/wake cycle, Moonlight shows the host picture, plays audio on the client, and accepts controller input.

Rollback

Restore the previous display sleep and Sunshine settings. Keep the old configuration export if the virtual display causes side effects.

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