My Silicon Motion-Based USB Docking Station or USB Video Adapter Is Not Working as Expected. How Do I Fix This?

Summary

If a Plugable Silicon Motion-based USB docking station or USB video adapter is not detecting displays, showing a blank screen, or is not working as expected, a clean reinstall of the Silicon Motion software will often resolve the issue.

For Windows, this means uninstalling the Silicon Motion USB display driver, restarting the computer, reinstalling the current Plugable-recommended driver, and reconnecting the device. For macOS, this means reinstalling the Silicon Motion InstantView application and confirming that the required macOS screen recording permission is enabled.

Applicable To

This article applies to Plugable products that use Silicon Motion USB graphics technology, including:

These steps are not intended for Plugable DisplayLink-based products, Thunderbolt docks, or USB-C products that use native USB-C DisplayPort Alternate Mode instead of Silicon Motion USB graphics technology.

Answer

Plugable Silicon Motion-based products require Silicon Motion software in order to provide video output over USB. If the software is missing, outdated, damaged, blocked by macOS privacy settings, or did not install correctly, the connected displays may not work as expected.

The recommended first step is to perform a clean reinstall of the Silicon Motion software for your operating system.

Before You Begin

• Save any open work before uninstalling software or restarting the computer.
• Disconnect the Plugable Silicon Motion docking station or USB video adapter from the computer before beginning.
• If the product has its own external power adapter, disconnect power from the product as well. This fully resets the unit during the reinstall process.
• Connect the Plugable product directly to the computer during testing. Avoid connecting through a USB hub, KVM switch, front-panel USB port, extension cable, or other intermediate adapter while troubleshooting.
• Use the original USB cable included with the Plugable product when possible.

Windows Setup Steps

Use these steps for Windows 11 and Windows 10.

1. Disconnect the Plugable product

   Unplug the Plugable Silicon Motion docking station or USB video adapter from the computer. If the product has an external power adapter, disconnect power from the product as well.

2. Uninstall the Silicon Motion software

   Open the Windows app uninstall menu and remove Silicon Motion USB Display Driver.

   1. In Windows 11, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
   2. In Windows 10, open Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
   3. You can also use Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
   4. If more than one Silicon Motion USB display entry is present, uninstall each Silicon Motion USB display entry. If no Silicon Motion USB Display Driver entry is listed, the driver may have been installed automatically through Windows Update. In this case, continue to the next step. Note: Microsoft offers a quick guide on how to do this on both Windows 10 and 11 here.
      
      

3. Restart the computer

   Restart Windows even if the uninstall process does not prompt you to do so. This helps clear the previous driver state before reinstalling.

4. Install the current Plugable-recommended Silicon Motion driver

   Download and install the current Windows driver from Plugable's Silicon Motion driver page:

   Silicon Motion Drivers and Software

   Windows 11 and Windows 10 may install the driver automatically through Windows Update. However, when troubleshooting, Plugable recommends using the driver listed on the Silicon Motion driver page.

5. Reconnect the Plugable product

   After the driver installation is complete, reconnect the Plugable product directly to the computer. If the product has an external power adapter, reconnect the power adapter to the product.

6. Check Windows display settings

   Open Settings > System > Display. Confirm that the connected display is detected and set to the desired mode, such as Extend these displays.

macOS Setup Steps

Use these steps for macOS 13 and newer. If you are using macOS 12, macOS 11, macOS 10.15, or macOS 10.14, use the matching legacy macOS download and installation guidance from Plugable's Silicon Motion driver page.

1. Disconnect the Plugable product

   Unplug the Plugable Silicon Motion docking station or USB video adapter from the Mac. If the product has an external power adapter, disconnect power from the product as well.

2. Quit InstantView if it is running

   If the InstantView icon is visible in the macOS menu bar, quit the InstantView application before removing it.

3. Remove the existing InstantView application

   Open Finder > Applications, then look for macOS InstantView, Silicon Motion InstantView, or a similarly named InstantView application.

   If a Silicon Motion or InstantView uninstaller is present, run the uninstaller and follow the prompts. If no uninstaller is present, drag the InstantView application to the Trash.

4. Empty the Trash and restart the Mac

   Empty the Trash, then restart the Mac before reinstalling InstantView.

5. Download the current Plugable-recommended InstantView application

   Download the correct macOS InstantView application for your version of macOS from Plugable's Silicon Motion driver page:

   Silicon Motion Drivers and Software

6. Install InstantView

   Open the downloaded file, then drag the macOS InstantView app icon into the Applications folder.

7. Open InstantView

   Open Launchpad or Finder > Applications, then open macOS InstantView. If macOS asks whether you want to open the application, click Open.

8. Allow the required macOS privacy permission

   When prompted, click Open System Settings or Open System Preferences.

   Enable permission for macOS InstantView under the macOS screen recording privacy setting. Depending on the macOS version, this may appear as:

   • System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording
   • System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
   • System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Screen Recording
   • If prompted, enter your Mac password and allow the change.

9. Quit and reopen InstantView

   macOS may prompt you to quit and reopen InstantView for the permission change to take effect. Quit and reopen the application if prompted.

10. Reconnect the Plugable product

    Reconnect the Plugable product directly to the Mac. If the product has an external power adapter, reconnect the power adapter to the product.

11. Confirm the display mode

    Click the InstantView icon in the macOS menu bar to confirm that the connected display is active. You can also open System Settings > Displays to arrange displays and confirm whether the display is mirrored or extended.

Important macOS Notes

• The macOS screen recording permission is required so InstantView can access the screen information needed to generate the image shown on Silicon Motion-connected displays.
• This permission does not mean that InstantView is recording or storing your screen contents.
• On macOS 15 Sequoia and newer, macOS may require the screen recording permission to be renewed periodically. If this permission expires or is not renewed, the Silicon Motion-connected display may stop working until permission is allowed again.
• If you want Silicon Motion-connected displays to be available at the macOS login screen, right-click the InstantView menu bar icon and enable Display before Login.
• Plugable recommends keeping InstantView's auto update option enabled when available.

Troubleshooting

If the display is still blank after reinstalling the software

• Confirm that the display is powered on and set to the correct HDMI or DisplayPort input.
• Try a different HDMI or DisplayPort cable.
• Connect the Plugable product directly to the computer instead of through another hub, dock, adapter, or KVM switch.
• Try a different USB port on the computer.
• Restart the computer with the Plugable product connected.

If the display is detected but only mirrors another display

• On Windows, open Settings > System > Display and select Extend these displays.
• On macOS, open System Settings > Displays and confirm the display arrangement.
• On macOS, you can also use the InstantView menu bar icon to switch between mirrored and extended display modes.

If the issue started after an operating system update

• Repeat the clean reinstall steps above.
• On macOS, confirm that InstantView is still allowed under the screen recording privacy setting.
• On Windows, confirm that the Silicon Motion USB display driver is installed and restart the computer again after reinstalling.

Need Assistance?

If the Plugable Silicon Motion-based product is still not working after completing the steps above, please contact Plugable Support at support@plugable.com.

When contacting support, please include:

• The Plugable product model
• Your computer model
• Your operating system version
• A description of the display or behavior issue
• The output from Plugable's diagnostic tool: PlugDebug