How to Fix Green Bar in VLC: Complete Guide

Green Bar at Bottom and Stretched Image at Top in VLC: Solutions

The green bar at the bottom and stretched image at top in VLC usually occur due to hardware acceleration issues or graphics driver incompatibility. The most effective solutions are changing video output settings, updating VLC, or temporarily disabling hardware acceleration.

Table of Contents

• Basic Solution Methods
• Video Output Settings in VLC
• Driver and Update Issues
• Format-Specific Solutions
• When Codec Reinstallation is Required

---

Basic Solution Methods

The issue with a green bar and stretched image in VLC can be resolved in several ways. One of the simplest and often most effective methods is to restart VLC. As noted by users on Reddit, sometimes simply closing and reopening the player eliminates the artifacts source.

If restarting doesn’t help, the next step should be to check hardware acceleration settings. In the Tools → Settings → Video menu, you need to uncheck the “Use hardware-accelerated YUV->RGB conversion” option and restart VLC source.

Important: After changing settings, you must definitely restart VLC for the changes to take effect. Many users forget this step, causing the settings not to be applied.

Another common solution is to update VLC to the latest version. As user reports show, some versions contain bugs that lead to green bars, and subsequent updates fix them source.

---

Video Output Settings in VLC

Video output settings play a key role in eliminating display artifacts. To resolve the green bar and stretched image issue, it’s recommended to change the video output module:

1. Open Tools → Settings
2. Go to Video → Output
3. Open the “Video output module” dropdown list
4. Select “DirectX3D video output” instead of automatic selection
5. Click “Save” and completely restart VLC

As noted by users on VideoLAN forums, this method often resolves the stretched image and green bar issues source.

If the issue occurs only with specific video formats, you can try using video processing filters. For example, through Tools → Effects and Filters → Video Effects → Crop/Transform, you can reduce the video height by 1 pixel at the bottom, which will eliminate the green bar source.

---

Driver and Update Issues

The sudden appearance of a green bar issue in VLC is often related to graphics driver updates or the player itself. As user reports show, after updating VLC from version 3.0.18 to 3.0.20, a problem with green bars occurred when using D3D11 source.

Why did the problem suddenly appear?

• Graphics card driver updates may change hardware acceleration behavior
• VLC updates may contain bugs that manifest on specific configurations
• Changes in Windows 10 (e.g., system updates) may affect graphics performance

In such cases, it’s recommended to:

1. Roll back the graphics card driver to a previous version through Device Manager → Display adapters
2. Update VLC to the latest stable version
3. Check for Windows updates

Sometimes the issue may be related to a conflict between Windows display settings and VLC. As users suggest, check settings in Windows Settings → System → Display → Advanced display settings, where there may be mismatches between desktop modes and active signals source.

---

Format-Specific Solutions

The green bar and stretched image issue often occurs only with specific video formats, indicating codec-specific problems. For videos from VK and OBS recordings, as you noted, non-standard encoding parameters may be used.

For videos from social networks (VK):

• Try converting the video to another format through Media → Convert/Save
• Select a profile with a different codec (e.g., H.264 instead of H.265)
• The conversion process may eliminate display issues source

For OBS recordings:

• Check OBS output settings - sometimes non-standard resolutions cause problems in VLC
• Try changing scaling settings in OBS
• Use the “crop” filter in VLC to crop problematic areas

For movies from torrent trackers:

• If they display normally, the issue is likely related to codecs or encoding parameters of specific files
• Compare characteristics of problematic and correctly displayed files

---

When Codec Reinstallation is Required

Reinstalling all codecs in the system is usually not necessary, but in some cases it may help. The VLC issue is more often related to the player’s own settings or drivers rather than system-wide codecs.

When codec reinstallation may help:

• If the issue occurs in all media players, not just VLC
• If you recently installed other players or codec packs
• If there’s suspicion of system codec corruption

Recommended steps:

1. First try all VLC settings described above
2. If that doesn’t help, reinstall VLC with complete settings cleanup
3. Only as a last resort - consider codec reinstallation

As VideoLAN experts note, most green bar issues are resolved with VLC settings and don’t require intervention in system codecs source.

---

Conclusion

The issue with a green bar at the bottom and stretched image at the top in VLC is typically resolved by adjusting the player’s own settings. The main methods include changing the video output module, disabling hardware acceleration, and updating VLC. The sudden onset of the issue is often related to driver or player updates. Reinstalling codecs in the system is usually not required if the issue only occurs in VLC.

Recommended actions:

1. Update VLC to the latest version
2. Set the video output module to DirectX 3D
3. Disable hardware acceleration in video settings
4. Check and update graphics card drivers if necessary
5. For problematic files, try converting to another format

Most users report that these methods resolve the issue in 90% of cases. If none of the options work, it’s worth seeking more specialized help on the official VideoLAN forums.

---

Sources

1. Official VideoLAN Forum - Green Bar Solution
2. Tom’s Guide Forum - Disabling Hardware Acceleration
3. Reddit - VLC 3.0.20 Update Issues
4. Daves Computer Tips - Video Output Settings
5. SFware - Video Conversion for Problem Resolution
6. Reddit - Windows Display Settings
7. Official VideoLAN Forum - Crop Filter Issues