Bug Report: Minecraft Java 1.21.6+ saves completely black screenshots on Intel HD Graphics 2500

Summary

Starting with Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.6, screenshots taken using the built-in F2 key are saved as completely black PNG images on systems using Intel HD Graphics 2500.

The game renders normally, gameplay is unaffected, and third-party screen capture methods (such as Windows Snipping Tool and OBS Studio) work correctly.

The issue is reproducible in a completely vanilla installation without any mods.

Environment

Operating System

• Windows 10 Pro (Version 10.0.19045.6466)

CPU

• Intel Core i5-3570 @ 3.40 GHz

GPU

• Intel HD Graphics 2500

GPU Driver

• Build 10.18.10.5161

OpenGL

• OpenGL 3.3

Affected Versions

Working Versions

• Minecraft 1.20.1

• Minecraft 1.21

• Minecraft 1.21.1

• Minecraft 1.21.2

• Minecraft 1.21.3

• Minecraft 1.21.4

• Minecraft 1.21.5

Broken Versions

• Minecraft 1.21.6

• Minecraft 1.21.7

• Minecraft 1.21.8

• Minecraft 1.21.10

• Minecraft 1.21.11

The issue first appears in Minecraft 1.21.6.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Launch Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.6 or newer.

2. Create or load any world.

3. Press F2 to save a screenshot.

4. Open the generated PNG inside the screenshots folder.

Expected Result

The screenshot should contain the rendered game scene.

Actual Result

The PNG is generated successfully with the correct filename and the correct screen resolution, but every pixel is completely black.

Example:

• Resolution: 1366×768 (correct)

• File saved successfully

• Image contents: entirely black

Additional Testing Performed

The following tests were performed to isolate the issue.

Vanilla Minecraft

✔ Issue still occurs.

No Mods Installed

✔ Issue still occurs.

Fabric Loader

✔ Issue still occurs.

NPC Studio

Removing the mod does not fix the issue.

Fabrishot Mod

Fabrishot also produces completely black screenshots.

This suggests the issue is not limited to the vanilla F2 implementation.

Shaders

No shader mods installed.

OBS Studio

OBS captures the game normally.

Windows Snipping Tool (Win + Shift + S)

Windows captures the game normally.

Windowed Mode

Issue persists.

Fullscreen Mode

Issue persists.

VSync Disabled

Issue persists.

Observations

The game renders correctly.

Evidence:

• Gameplay is normal.

• OBS captures correctly.

• Windows Snipping Tool captures correctly.

• Only screenshots generated from inside Minecraft are black.

This suggests the rendering pipeline itself is functioning correctly.

The problem appears to occur specifically when Minecraft reads back the rendered framebuffer to generate a screenshot.

Regression

The issue is a regression introduced between:

• Minecraft 1.21.5 (working)

• Minecraft 1.21.6 (broken)

Possible Cause

Although this report does not identify the exact source code responsible, the regression strongly suggests a change in the screenshot/framebuffer readback pipeline introduced in Minecraft 1.21.6.

The issue appears to affect Intel HD Graphics 2500 drivers specifically.

Reproducibility

Always reproducible on the tested hardware.

Hardware Information

CPU

• Intel Core i5-3570

GPU

• Intel HD Graphics 2500

Driver

• 10.18.10.5161

OpenGL

• 3.3

Operating System

• Windows 10 (19045.6466)

Notes

This issue does not affect:

• Windows Snipping Tool

• OBS Studio

• General rendering performance

Only screenshots generated internally by Minecraft are affected.

Attachments Recommended

Include the following when submitting the report:

1. A black screenshot generated with F2.

2. A normal Windows Snipping Tool capture taken at the same moment.

3. F3 debug screen showing:

   • GPU

   • OpenGL version

   • Driver information.

Personal note

I spent several hours isolating this issue by testing multiple Minecraft versions, removing all mods, comparing launchers, and verifying different capture methods.

The regression consistently appears starting with Minecraft Java 1.21.6, while all previous tested versions work correctly on the same hardware and operating system.

This should hopefully make the issue easier to reproduce and investigate.