Bitwarden App displays an empty screen on iMac (Monterey 12.7.3)

[BarryW1042]

Steps To Reproduce

Open the Bitwarden App

Expected Result

Expect to see the Bitwarden Vault

Actual Result

Blank Window

Screenshots or Videos

No response

Additional Context

No response

Operating System

macOS

Operating System Version

Monterey 12.7.3

Installation method

Mac App Store

Build Version

Version 2024.2.0 (20587)

Issue Tracking Info

• I understand that work is tracked outside of GitHub. A PR will be linked to this issue should one be opened to address it, but Bitwarden doesn't use fields like "assigned", "milestone", or "project" to track progress.

[SergeantConfused]

Hi @BarryW1042,

Thank you for this report. Just to make sure that you and I are on the same page, could you please upload a screenshot that shows what you see when you launch the Bitwarden desktop client on your macOS machine?

Thank you in advance,

[BarryW1042]

I should add that the Safari Plug-in is working correctly. Just the desktop App is the issue.

[BarryW1042]

Sorry I am new here, I think my previous post did not go?

I attach a screenshot of the empty Bitwarden Window.

[SergeantConfused]

Hi @BarryW1042,

Thank you; That's helpful. Yes, we are aware of this behaviour and have been examining it internally; I will keep this GitHub report open so that it'd be possible to track this topic externally as well.

If you'd like to be able to use the Bitwarden desktop client in the interim, you can uninstall Bitwarden, reboot, and install the Bitwarden macOS desktop client via the .dmg file from here under (View desktop installation guides); Please bear in mind that the .dmg installation path does not include the Safari extension, so you may want to stick to your current setup if the Safari extension is more important to you than the desktop client.

Thank you again for taking the time to report this,

[BarryW1042]

Thank you very much for looking into this issue. I will stick with my current setup as I use the Safari Extension daily. I will follow this thread with interest.

Thanks again

Barry

[jjmtz70]

I have this same error, just noticed it today

[StarSeeker99]

I also have this same issue and noticed it after the recent update to the OS.

[eleftrik]

I was going mad with this problem.
Just a few minutes ago I was able to solve this way:

• uninstall Bitwarden (drag to thrash)
• delete ~/Library/Containers/com.bitwarden.desktop/Data/Library/Application Support/Bitwarden folder
• install Bitwarden via Brew: brew install bitwarden

Now the applications opens again and it asks for credentials.

[BarryW1042]

Hi eleftrik,

I don't have ~/Library/Containers/com.bitwarden.desktop/Data/Library/Application Support/Bitwarden folder on my MAC

[jjmtz70]

I was going mad with this problem. Just a few minutes ago I was able to solve this way:

• uninstall Bitwarden (drag to thrash)
• delete ~/Library/Containers/com.bitwarden.desktop/Data/Library/Application Support/Bitwarden folder
• install Bitwarden via Brew: brew install bitwarden

Now the applications opens again and it asks for credentials.

This worked for me, thank you.

[eleftrik]

Hi eleftrik,

I don't have ~/Library/Containers/com.bitwarden.desktop/Data/Library/Application Support/Bitwarden folder on my MAC

@BarryW1042 Honestly I don't know, I'm a regular user just like you :)

[BarryW1042]

Just as an update...

I deleted Bitwarden and all references to it on my iMac. I downloaded the app again from the Mac App store but observe the same results.

[eleftrik]

Just as an update...

I deleted Bitwarden and all references to it on my iMac. I downloaded the app again from the Mac App store but observe the same results.

Indeed. I tried several times to uninstall / clean folders / reinstall, but it didn't work.
@BarryW1042 Did you try to install Bitwarden via Brew?

[BarryW1042]

Brew...not yet

[jzleu]

Hi @BarryW1042,

Thank you; That's helpful. Yes, we are aware of this behaviour and have been examining it internally; I will keep this GitHub report open so that it'd be possible to track this topic externally as well.

If you'd like to be able to use the Bitwarden desktop client in the interim, you can uninstall Bitwarden, reboot, and install the Bitwarden macOS desktop client via the .dmg file from here under (View desktop installation guides); Please bear in mind that the .dmg installation path does not include the Safari extension, so you may want to stick to your current setup if the Safari extension is more important to you than the desktop client.

Thank you again for taking the time to report this,

Thanks I followed the link and that version seems to work. I was getting the attached screen print on the version from the apple store. I am running MacOS 12.7.3 Monterey

[luc-bw]

Hi Everyone,

We would appreciate community assistance in testing a beta build that targets this issue. If you can reproduce this behavior and would like to participate, please reach out to us via our contact form and reference this comment to sign up.

Thank you!

[jmbravo]

Something similar in Sonoma 14.1. I open the app and it keeps going round and round and I can't access my account

[SergeantConfused]

Hi @jmbravo,

It sounds like you're encountering this which is different from what is being discussed in this thread; I recommend checking if the steps in the comment here assist you.

If there's anything else you'd like to add, please feel free to post it in that GitHub thread.

All the best,

[jmbravo]

Hi @jmbravo,

It sounds like you're encountering this which is different from what is being discussed in this thread; I recommend checking if the steps in the comment here assist you.

If there's anything else you'd like to add, please feel free to post it in that GitHub thread.

All the best,

You're right. Thanks

[iFrog44]

Hey all, I have the same display with the Mac App Store version of Bitwarden (latest version) as @jzleu Downloading the dmg version works perfectly and since I don't use the Safari, extension, I doesn't matter so much since I have Firefox and Chrome with the extension if needed. What I am curious about though is, what makes Bitwarden's extension require the Mac App Store version to work in Safari? I have Down 4, IINA, Movist Pro, and PullTube apps that aren't even on the App Store and they all have working safari extensions. I read the page about Bitwarden's extension and that's why I'm a bit confused.

My iMac is model 17,1 27" late 2015, Mojave 12.7.3. Bitwarden version 2024.2.0 (App Store version) that causes the problems with display, but 2024.2.0 from DMG works perfectly. Also wanted to bring to the community that the MAS version will load if the iMac is booted in Safe Mode, so I'm thinking the display issues may be GPU driver issues since safe mode disables those.

[BarryW1042]

Hi Everyone,

We would appreciate community assistance in testing a beta build that targets this issue. If you can reproduce this behavior and would like to participate, please reach out to us via our contact form and reference this comment to sign up.

Thank you!

I filled in the contact form but in response to the Apple form it froze after I tried to send it. I am however not overly familiar with Mac OS so it may be best for me not to join. I will follow this thread with interest.

Regards, Barry

[jzleu]

Hi Everyone,

We would appreciate community assistance in testing a beta build that targets this issue. If you can reproduce this behavior and would like to participate, please reach out to us via our contact form and reference this comment to sign up.

Thank you!

Hi Luc, sorry for my ignorance, but is that the DMG under the standard installer heading found on the Bitwarden site?

[BarryW1042]

I am using the dmg from the Mac App Store because it includes the Safari Plug-In.

[iFrog44]

I am using the dmg from the Mac App Store because it includes the Safari Plug-In.

Hi @BarryW1042 The App Store release doesn't load on my iMac, I get that odd black and white pattern, even on a fresh install without any existing data. The DMG from the site works fine and the only difference seems to be the absence of the Safari plugin. The only way I can get the App Store version to load on this iMac is to boot in safe mode with graphics acceleration disabled, so something must be wrong with that version that's causing it to have problems with my graphics drivers. Since I don't use the safari extension, it's not a big deal. However, I asked in my initial post why Bitwarden has to come from the App Store to have a Safari extension? I have native Mac apps not in the App Store that all have a fully functional Safari extension. No one answered my question. Even after reading their disclaimer regarding Apple's change, it still din't make sense because of my other apps.

[BarryW1042]

Hi @iFrog44
It is rather puzzling that it does not include the Safari extension. I guess there must be a valid reason for it? Oh well, I will just have to wait for a resolution.

[BarryW1042]

FYI: Just had an Apple update. The current versions now running on my iMAC are...

OSX: Monterey 12.7.4
Safari: 17.4 (17618.1.15.111.5, 17618)
Bitwarden: 2024.2.1

Unfortunately the issue still persists

Regards, Barry

[BarryW1042]

FYI: It also displays the same issue using the Duck Duck Go for Mac browser.

[Hinton]

Thank you, I have a device id which we can probably force hardware acceleration to be disabled for that hardware.

@TheCranston Hmm, that's also a dedicated gpu so could be a similar issue. Are you able to provide a gpu report?

[iFrog44]

@Hinton What I'm a bit confused about is:
Why does the exact same version from the dmg from the site work without problems while the Mac app store version doesn't? Aren't they the exact same, other than the safari extension no longer being packaged outside the Mac app store?

[Hinton]

@iFrog44 they are. There are minor differences mainly some features that are only available in certain distribution channels. Where they do differ is in entitlements and sandboxing. Mac App Store apps are generally more restrictive in capabilities and it's possible that has an impact.

[iFrog44]

@Hinton Thanks, there was one question I asked a couple weeks ago that never got answered. it was out of curiosity to the Bitwarden Safari Extension. Even after reading the page about the packaging of the extension I was still a bit confused because I have a few apps not in the App Store that have Working Safari extensions that work with the current version of Safari, so I was unclear as to why the App store version of Bitwarden was the only version to have the extension.

Here is a screenshot of other functional Safari Extensions I have from apps not in the store.

[Hinton]

Bitwarden uses the newer Safari Web Extensions APIs which can only be distributed through the App Store, https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/659029. That application is probably using the older Safari App Extension.

[plinss]

Same issue on Ventura 13.6.3, running from the App Store with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 4 GB. (Note this is a MacPro 2010 running OpenCoreLegacyPatcher.)

Launching the app from a terminal via /Applications/Bitwarden.app/Contents/MacOS/Bitwarden --disable-gpu does resolve the problem.

[Hinton]

Hi all,

We will be shipping two improvements in the next desktop release.

1. [PM-3316] Feature addition - Toggle Hardware Acceleration [Desktop] #5968 by @prithvi2k2 and [PM-6978] Add menubar option for toggling hardware acceleration #8424 adds a toggle for disabling HW acceleration + a menubar which I believe should be accessible even with the blank screens.
2. [PM-6983] Disable hardware acceleration for bad GPUs #8427 should automatically disable hw acceleration for devices with switchable graphics. We haven't tested this extensively though since we lack the necessary hardware.

[BarryW1042]

Please note that the current version with the blank screen does not allow the Bitwarden Preferences accesable on my MAC. The option is greyed out.

[pianoman10]

Hi all,

We will be shipping two improvements in the next desktop release.

1. PM-3316 Feature addition - Toggle Hardware Acceleration [Desktop] [PM-3316] Feature addition - Toggle Hardware Acceleration [Desktop] #5968 by @prithvi2k2 and [PM-6978 Add menubar option for toggling hardware acceleration [PM-6978] Add menubar option for toggling hardware acceleration #8424]([PM-6978] Add menubar option for toggling hardware acceleration #8424) adds a toggle for disabling HW acceleration + a menubar which I believe should be accessible even with the blank screens.
2. [PM-6983 Disable hardware acceleration for bad GPUs [PM-6983] Disable hardware acceleration for bad GPUs #8427]([PM-6983] Disable hardware acceleration for bad GPUs #8427) should automatically disable hw acceleration for devices with switchable graphics. We haven't tested this extensively though since we lack the necessary hardware.

Hi. Thanks to the team for taking care of this issue
When is the new desktop release expected? So that we can have the option to disable the GPU in the meantime as a workaround
The other workaround of @plinss works for me, thanks mate

[chmtc94]

Same issue with macOS Ventura 13.6.5 and last update 13.6.6 on iMac late 2012 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2 Go and Open Core Legacy Patcher 1.4.3.

Workaround of plinss also works fine for me 👍

Waiting for the Bitwarden update, I created a shell script BitwardenDesktop.scpt with the iMac Script Editor for easier launch when needed:

do shell script "open -a '/Applications/Bitwarden.app/Contents/MacOS/Bitwarden' --args --disable-gpu"

[iFrog44]

Same issue with macOS Ventura 13.6.5 and last update 13.6.6 on iMac late 2012 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2 Go and Open Core Legacy Patcher 1.4.3.

Workaround of plinss also works fine for me 👍

Waiting for the Bitwarden update, I created a shell script BitwardenDesktop.scpt with the iMac Script Editor for easier launch when needed:

do shell script "open -a '/Applications/Bitwarden.app/Contents/MacOS/Bitwarden' --args --disable-gpu"

I also think using the non App Store release is also a suitable option. It doesn't have the graphics problems and while the Safari extension isn't included, I find it a far lesser issue to deal with because one could always use another browser where the extension is available.

[chmtc94]

Same issue with macOS Ventura 13.6.5 and last update 13.6.6 on iMac late 2012 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2 Go and Open Core Legacy Patcher 1.4.3.
Workaround of plinss also works fine for me 👍
Waiting for the Bitwarden update, I created a shell script BitwardenDesktop.scpt with the iMac Script Editor for easier launch when needed:

do shell script "open -a '/Applications/Bitwarden.app/Contents/MacOS/Bitwarden' --args --disable-gpu"

I also think using the non App Store release is also a suitable option. It doesn't have the graphics problems and while the Safari extension isn't included, I find it a far lesser issue to deal with because one could always use another browser where the extension is available.

Having a very light cocoa apple script in the dock just beside the Bitwarden app icon is a very easy workaround to quick launch Bitwarden with gpu disabled (waiting for the final solution from Bitwarden) and avoid having to manage multiple browsers configurations/updates/synchronisation on the same machine.

[iFrog44]

Same issue with macOS Ventura 13.6.5 and last update 13.6.6 on iMac late 2012 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2 Go and Open Core Legacy Patcher 1.4.3.
Workaround of plinss also works fine for me 👍
Waiting for the Bitwarden update, I created a shell script BitwardenDesktop.scpt with the iMac Script Editor for easier launch when needed:

do shell script "open -a '/Applications/Bitwarden.app/Contents/MacOS/Bitwarden' --args --disable-gpu"

I also think using the non App Store release is also a suitable option. It doesn't have the graphics problems and while the Safari extension isn't included, I find it a far lesser issue to deal with because one could always use another browser where the extension is available.

Having a very light cocoa apple script in the dock just beside the Bitwarden app icon is a very easy workaround to quick launch Bitwarden with gpu disabled (waiting for the final solution from Bitwarden) and avoid having to manage multiple browsers configurations/updates/synchronisation on the same machine.

I see your point. I am just someone who prefers third party browsers to Safari so I'm not locked into one specific platform for software. With that said, I saw there was a new release of Bitwarden, and wondered if the App Store release contains the graphics fix mentioned here. The other reason I use the non App store release right now is because I have Bitwarden start to the menu bar on system boot so it's out of the way and not taking a space in the Dock. Makes it easier for things to just work in this case.

[chmtc94]

Same issue with macOS Ventura 13.6.5 and last update 13.6.6 on iMac late 2012 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2 Go and Open Core Legacy Patcher 1.4.3.
Workaround of plinss also works fine for me 👍
Waiting for the Bitwarden update, I created a shell script BitwardenDesktop.scpt with the iMac Script Editor for easier launch when needed:

do shell script "open -a '/Applications/Bitwarden.app/Contents/MacOS/Bitwarden' --args --disable-gpu"

I also think using the non App Store release is also a suitable option. It doesn't have the graphics problems and while the Safari extension isn't included, I find it a far lesser issue to deal with because one could always use another browser where the extension is available.

Having a very light cocoa apple script in the dock just beside the Bitwarden app icon is a very easy workaround to quick launch Bitwarden with gpu disabled (waiting for the final solution from Bitwarden) and avoid having to manage multiple browsers configurations/updates/synchronisation on the same machine.

I see your point. I am just someone who prefers third party browsers to Safari so I'm not locked into one specific platform for software. With that said, I saw there was a new release of Bitwarden, and wondered if the App Store release contains the graphics fix mentioned here. The other reason I use the non App store release right now is because I have Bitwarden start to the menu bar on system boot so it's out of the way and not taking a space in the Dock. Makes it easier for things to just work in this case.

1. You then just have to replace the bitwarden app in the menu bar of system boot by the cocoa AppleScript app ;) and remove both script and app icon from the dock if you like ;)

2. I just updated the bitwarden app from the Mac App Store with last version 2024.3.2 said published 12 hours ago. The issue with black screen still persists. So I will keep by now my cocoa AppleScript ;)

[iFrog44]

Thanks for the update. I updated to the latest from the website the .dmg and it still continues to wok as expected. I was going to try the App Store release again, but since the problem still exists I'll just stick with the release from the Bitwarden site. By the way, I still primarily use iCloud Keychain for passwords, Bitwarden is just a backup as a cross platform solution. I also use Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator via IOS. I also use the built in sync features of Firefox and Chrome for my cross platform browsing. P.S. I also have Bitwarden for iOS.

[Hinton]

To my knowledge the AMD GPU should be blocked, unfortunately I don't have access to GPU reports for GTX 680 and so have no way to verify if that GPU is correctly blocked.

We now also provide a way to disable hardware acceleration from the menu bar which should be a suitable solution to this problem.

[chmtc94]

To my knowledge the AMD GPU should be blocked, unfortunately I don't have access to GPU reports for GTX 680 and so have no way to verify if that GPU is correctly blocked.

We now also provide a way to disable hardware acceleration from the menu bar which should be a suitable solution to this problem.

I confirm disabling the hardware acceleration with menubar troubleshooting of last bitwarden Mac App Store version 2024.3.2 works with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX of my iMac and relaunching the application solve the issue 👍
(NB : the application do not relaunch itself. We just need to relaunch it manually 😉)
Many thanks for the update.👍

[Hinton]

Yea we are unable to automatically relaunch on Mac App Store builds since that command causes a crash 😭.

[pianoman10]

Many thanks to the team for the update.
It works for me the App Store last update 2024.3.2 on a iMac mid 2011 with AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB (after disabling the hardware acceleration with menubar troubleshooting)

I am attaching an screen shot to help others to find the option

Thanks

[TheCranston]

I can concur, after updating to 2024.3.2 and disabling the hardware acceleration via the menu, it's working here. same experience as @chmtc94. Thanks again for the new version!

[iFrog44]

I haven't gone back and checked the whole thread, but did this issue ever exist on "Apple Silicon" Macs, or was it just an Intel based issue? As I've mentioned before I just switched to the dmg, non App Store release as I don't need the safari extension. However, if I ever got a new M Series Mac was curious if this would exist there as well? Also considering switching to Linux for an overall more open platform. Anyone using Bitwarden with Linux and do any of these graphics issues exist there? Right Now Linux would be more of a "just works" solution after Monterey is out of support over OpenCore as graphics related issues currently exist for me as a result of patched drivers vs natively included ones.

[plinss]

I can also confirm the new version fixes the problem, after selecting the menu option to disable GPU and manually restarting.

I attached the GPU report for my NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680, hopefully that'll help in detecting this card. If there's any other information I can provide, please ask.

[iFrog44]

I'm coming back here to confirm that Installing version: Version 2024.4.1 (23240) from the Mac App Store, it's working correctly WITHOUT having to disable Hardware acceleration. I even confirmed when launching and the setting under the troubleshooting menu says "disable hardware acceleration and restart". So whatever fix was implemented after the initial fix must have fixed the issue I was having completely. I have an iMac 17,1 with the AMD GPU.

[ryanjrp]

I have been having the same issues in macOS Catalina on a 2012 iMac 27" running:
System Software Overview:

System Version: macOS 10.15.7 (19H2026)
Kernel Version: Darwin 19.6.0

Of course after reading this through I found out if I turn off the Hardware Acceleration setting that the UI for Bitwarden works properly for the application.

However I believe the Safari Extension is still not working properly.

I have a question about this? Why does BitWarden need hardware acceleration for the UI anyway? It is not performing anything special graphically.

[jwildman16]

I'm on Version 2024.7.1 and I have a blank screen, whether or not the setting to disable GPU acceleration is enabled. I will try the DMG from the Bitwarden site since I don't need the Safari extension. This seems to be a pretty recent issue for me, but I'm not certain - I typically use the Chrome extension. I'm on a 2021 MacBook Pro M1.

Shell 31.2.0
Renderer 126.0.6478.127
Node 20.15.0
Architecture arm64

[iFrog44]

I'm on Version 2024.7.1 and I have a blank screen, whether or not the setting to disable GPU acceleration is enabled. I will try the DMG from the Bitwarden site since I don't need the Safari extension. This seems to be a pretty recent issue for me, but I'm not certain - I typically use the Chrome extension. I'm on a 2021 MacBook Pro M1.

Shell 31.2.0 Renderer 126.0.6478.127 Node 20.15.0 Architecture arm64

I had an issue with the Safari extension not being present on Monterey 12.7.5 on a late 2015, 27" iMac, but after the Monterey 12.7.6 and Safari 17.6 updates it came back. Same Version of Bitwarden mentioned in the quoted post.

I'm actually surprised to see people still posting here. I had the initial issue, but then they fixed it with an option to disable hardware acceleration, but for me it started working without having to disable it, and haven't seen any kind of consistent reports on the issue since. This is the first time, so thought this thread had been closed. Once macOS support runs out for this iMac after Monterey is done, I plan on switching to Linux as the primary OS, and have confirmed the Bitwarden snap package works without issues for me.

[AlecKinnear]

I expected a faster resolution from Bitwarden for pay users.

In my case, I have TWO Bitwarden folders inside Containers:

I had two Bitwarden folders here ~/Library/Containers/ here as well. After deleting both of them and reopening the latest Bitwarden client for macOS (2024.11.2), I was able to access my passwords again. Half an hour of work time lost on this today, solving it. Fifteen minutes, lost once (first encounter), ten minutes lost another time (second encounter). Finally after just under an hour total of wasted work time, the issue is solved.

This is on a Mac Mini 2018 running Ventura 13.5.1.

Not cool, macOS Bitwarden coders.

---

PS. What's good is that Bitwarden maintains Github repositories, with these issues. Without Issues, I'd be on my own and probably not have been able to solve the issue at all. And no email support is not a substitute. Usually tech email support is so incompetent and slow that it means five or six emails over ten days to maybe get an answer.