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Why does NymVPN open with a blank screen on Linux?

Updated

If NymVPN opens with a blank or empty window on Linux, the cause is almost always graphics related: either an NVIDIA graphics card interacting badly with the display backend, or a known issue with the AppImage build of the app. The fixes below cover both cases.

NVIDIA graphics on X11

This issue is now automatically detected and handled internally in most cases. However, if you are still encountering a blank screen, try launching the app with the following command:

GDK_BACKEND=x11 WEBKIT_DISABLE_DMABUF_RENDERER=1 nym-vpn-app

NVIDIA graphics on Wayland

We have received some reports of similar blank screen issues when using Wayland with NVIDIA graphics. Unlike X11, this case does not have a built-in fix yet. If you are using Wayland and experience a blank screen:

  • Try switching to an X11 session as a temporary workaround.
  • Or contact the NymVPN support team and let us know your system setup so we can help troubleshoot.

We are actively looking into better long-term support for Wayland and NVIDIA setups.

Blank screen with the AppImage version

Some users launching the AppImage version of the NymVPN client may encounter a blank window regardless of graphics card. If the following message appears in the app logs, this is the cause:

Could not create default EGL display: EGL_BAD_PARAMETER. Aborting...

This is an upstream graphics compatibility issue related to how the AppImage was generated using Tauri. There is no fix available at this time; it is tracked on GitHub as Issue #2985.

Workaround: use an installation method that is not affected by the EGL error:

  • Deb or AUR packages (if available for your distro)
  • Flatpak package

Still seeing a blank screen?

Contact Nym Support with your distro, desktop environment, display server (X11 or Wayland), graphics card, installation method, and logs. See How to find app and daemon logs in NymVPN?

Related questions

How do I check whether I am on X11 or Wayland?

Run echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE in a terminal. It prints x11 or wayland on most distros.

How do I switch installation method?

Uninstall the AppImage version, then install from the download page using a different package. See How to uninstall NymVPN on any Linux distribution?

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