Most PC users consider the black screen of death more problematic than the “blue screen.” After all, it’s impossible to guess the cause of the issue immediately, let alone the repairs needed. The best way to address this is by understanding why is computer screen black. And as tricky as it might be, considering it can have dozens of causes, it’s more common than you’d assume!
We must take a more in-depth look into the black screen issue to develop the best possible fixes. This way, you can revive your system in no time.
7 Possible Reasons On Why Is Computer Screen Black
1. Loose or Faulty Connections
Loose connections are among the main culprits of computer screens turning black. These can come from your computer’s circuit board or other cords. See if the adapter plug is fastened well to your monitor and plugged into a working outlet.
Moreover, ensure the video cables are well-attached to the back of your PC and monitor. And that its graphics card is near the motherboard with the rest of the wires secure.
If you don’t spot the standby light when connecting your monitor to an outlet, there might be a problem with your computer screen or power cable. So, try using other wires or connections if your standby light is active but your computer has no signal.
Finally, disconnect external devices such as your keyboard, mouse, or flash drive and reboot your computer. And if the black screen dissipates, plug each one back to see the culprit behind it. Once you spot the problem device, restart its drivers.
2. Malfunctioning External Devices
As briefly mentioned, external devices can cause the black screen of death. If you suspect this is the case, unplug your external devices and reboot the computer. And once active, plug each back in to see what’s causing the black screen.
But if that doesn’t work, you have two options to address the issue. And these include forcing the display to turn on or using a different monitor.
Remember, not all black screen cases signify a severe issue with hardware or external devices. It might be that your display isn’t getting detected by the operating system, which you fix fast.
You can use your keyboard keys to force the display to turn on.
Although it differs for each system, pressing the Windows key, CTRL, SHIFT, and B simultaneously can restart the graphics drivers, addressing a few of the underlying problems.
If that doesn’t work, use ALT, DEL, and CTRL, click the power button on your computer screen and restart it. At this point, your monitor shouldn’t display the dreaded black screen anymore.
Faulty video cards are either the manufacturer’s fault or yours. There’s no in-between. Either way, you can double-check if yours is at fault or needs total replacement by using it on another monitor.
3. Third-Party Utilities
Another common cause of black screens on computers hails from third-party utilities. These include applications such as antivirus programs or games. Either way, you can address the issue by uninstalling these third-party utilities. But remember to boot into safe mode to protect your software from malicious content.
You can find a complete list of the downloaded third-party apps on your computer’s “Apps” or “System” tab. Here, you’ll find all the applications installed in the system. From there, remove all optional third-party utilities and restart your computer.
4. New Installations
If you’re still dealing with a black screen, your newest installations might cause it. You can address this by booting into safe mode and using the “System Restore” option to remove them all. It’s a preprogrammed utility that comes with most operating systems.
The pre-installed utility then stabilizes your computer, resolving the black screen issue. But remember, anything installed after the reboot will get deleted.
5. BIOS/UEFI
Your Basic Input/Output System or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (BIOS/UEFI) keeps everything in your system in order, helping your computer function well.
Regardless, the idea here is to transfer the default options in the BIOS/UEFI utility.
To do this, you must restart your PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI utility by adding a specific key based on your motherboard. And during botting, it should show a particular key like “F2” or “Delete.” Look for “Load or Optimized Defaults” or anything similar.
Once you’ve brought the default options to the BIOS/UEFI utility, restart your PC.
6. Faulty Boot
Some utilities, applications, or settings start up during boot, which doesn’t always go as planned. So, if you suspect the cause behind your computer’s black screen is a faulty boot, disable those things that run in the background after a startup. And if possible, uninstall it completely.
So, reboot your computer in safe mode and disable all those apps to perform a seamless startup.
7. Buggy Updates
Finally, buggy updates are the last possible cause of your computer screen turning black.
The best way to address these buggy updates is by removing them altogether. But remember, this only works on optional updates since mandatory ones come from the OS.
How to Prevent Your Computer Screen from Turning and Staying Black
Although there are ways to address black screen issues, they don’t always work. So, what better way to fight the infamous black screen of death than preventing it from happening in the first place? Here’s how you can keep your computer’s screen from turning and staying black:
Turn Off Your Computer’s “Preprogrammed” Power Settings
Regardless of their operating system, most computer screens go black and stay that way after extended periods of inactivity. It’s a pre-programmed setting, automatically turning off the monitor after a particular time to save power.
Here’s how you can stop the system from turning your computer screen off:
- Go to your computer’s control panel window, look for the “Power” tab, and click it.
- Pick the “turn off the display” option and place it to “never.”
- Also, if there’s an option to “put the computer to sleep,” do the same as step 2.
- Once done, make it permanent by clicking on “save changes.”
Remember, this is a preventive measure meant for computer screens. And though it works excellently in keeping it from going black, it doesn’t work as well on laptops. After all, the adjustment can shorten the device’s battery life.
Stay Well-Connected
As mentioned earlier, loose connections are among the many culprits of computer screens turning black. So, avoid these consequences by keeping them well-connected in the first place! Ensure your cables, power cord, and wires remain well-connected and secure.
You can start by turning your monitor’s backside toward you and see all the wires running to it. Generally, you should see an HDMI cable, a VGA, a DVI, or a DisplayPort wire connected to it.
Aside from that, it would be best if you also spotted the power cord from the power outlet to your computer screen. If this isn’t well-connected, expect your monitor not to turn on. So, be sure always to have this particular cord connected.
Also, don’t forget about the monitor’s display cable! Usually, this runs from the screen to the back of your computer. Follow this wire from your PC where it’s connected and confirm it’s screwed into both parts.
You Can Never Have too Many Cables
If your computer still displays a black screen even after ensuring everything’s connected and secure, you might have faulty wires. If the signals between these cables, especially between your HDMI and DVI, are poor, it’ll stop the screen from syncing to the computer.
Also, if the signal gets split for some reason, it can lead to the black screen of death. And sometimes, these cables can stop working out of nowhere. Although they work great on other devices, they might stop syncing for no reason.
So, remember, it’s never a bad idea to stock up on cables and test each one till you find one that works well with your PC. It’s an excellent way to prevent your computer system from succumbing to the black screen of death.
Boot Your Computer Into Safe Mode
A foolproof way to prevent a black screen once you’ve logged into your PC is by launching its “Safe Mode.” This preprogrammed setting lets the computer boot up with fewer programs or drivers. Hence, there shouldn’t be too many utilities that your PC can’t handle.
This way, your computer can load up the basic settings while removing all interferences from unwanted drivers or programs.
Once your computer boots up after launching its safe mode, uninstall all drivers and programs via your task manager.
Turn On Your Windows Explorer
Exclusive to Windows computer users, try loading your “Windows Explore.” It loads your desktop and its icons, but if they’re not loading, it might be due to a black screen issue in the system. One way to avoid this is enabling “explorer.exe” via your task manager.
Creating this new task helps your computer load the desktop and its icons without issues.
Do BIOS/UEFI Utility Reset To Default Settings
The BIOS/UEFI utility regulates your computer’s hardware configuration, specifically the PC. BIOS is the more conventional version of PCs, while the UEFI is the latest take. Regardless, this utility ensures your operating system runs and launches without issues.
So, you can see why keeping this specific utility to default options can help prevent a black screen. It prevents it from running unwanted apps and settings. Aside from that, it’s also crucial to check whether your PC starts up from its hard disk or not. If not, you can see it as the “boot priority.”
Restarting is Key
If your PC doesn’t turn on properly, it’ll cause a black screen. And to prevent this issue from occurring, restart your device until the operating system launches a startup repair. Doing this starts an automatic repair, addressing and preventing future black screens.
If that doesn’t address your computer’s black screen issues, go to the advanced options settings and go for “system restore setting.” Here, you can launch the OS to restore and choose a specific system restore point.
This way, your computer should be able to restore the files without succumbing to the black screen of death.
Keep Your Graphics Driver Updated
An outdated or damaged graphics driver can lead to the black screen of death. After all, this determines how your computer’s system splits the power with the monitor. So, keeping your graphics driver updated is vital in keeping your computer in its best condition.
You’ll need to be patient to get your preferred graphics driver’s latest or newest update. And not to mention, you’ll need to master some computer skills. But before anything else, determine what video card you’re using by checking with your computer’s device manager via the control panel.
Once you get the information needed, go to the graphics driver’s manufacturer’s website, find the latest version, and download it. And when done, install the driver according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
If updating your graphics driver isn’t possible, have it done automatically by consulting with an expert in the field.
Remove All Automatic Applications
Some users can face a black screen after logging into their computers. And this occurs when applications mess with your operating system while trying to load the others.
Access your computer’s bluescreen page and open the task manager. From there, go to the startup tab and disable all “automatic” applications from the list.
Further Understand Why Computer Screen Turns Black Even When It’s Functional?
Across the different operating systems, a common issue they face is the “black screen of death.” It’s a phenomenon that occurs when you turn your PC on, but the screen stays black. And sometimes, its lights might turn on, but most of the time, it remains dark.
Thankfully, as typical as it is across operating systems, it doesn’t happen often. But what happens when it does?
Screens that don’t turn on despite the PC running might state a malfunctioning screen. Or, you have a bad connection between your PC and the computer screen. Sometimes, switching the monitor or cable is enough to see the cause of it for desktop computers.
But you might need to disassemble your device if you’re experiencing the black screen of death with your laptop or if a malfunctioning video card is an issue.
For a better insight into black screens across operating systems, here’s an overview of the issue for Windows, MAC, and Linux:
Windows
Windows might be experiencing the black screen of death due to a corrupted system file. And though you’ll face the same issue as other operating systems, you may also spot a blinking prompt.
If not a faulty system file, your Windows computer might have an issue with its display adapter. It’s when your PC can’t detect the monitor, making it stay dark. In these cases, when you can’t get your computer to start, restarting is necessary. And if possible, boot your system into recovery mode.
For Windows, all you must do is hold down the F8 key as your computer reboots. And if not possible, you can use an external drive like a DVD or flash drive to help.
Finally, if you’ve managed to log into your computer, the black screen might mean an app froze.
MAC
The main culprit for MAC users’ black screen is kernel panic. It happens when OS’s kernel finds something requiring you to restart the computer. And sometimes, MAC users may see a message accompanying the black screen.
But as distinct as this might be, it won’t help you see if the issue is due to software or hardware issues.
If the black screen keeps happening, MAC users can track what happens when it occurs. And if you can see a specific program causing the issue, it might help you solve it. After all, like with Windows, restarting a MAC’s recovery partition can be helpful during the troubleshooting process.
If you have an issue after botting from your MAC’s recovery partition or external boot disk, it may indicate the problem lies within your MAC’s hardware. And if you suspect that is the case, check your MAC’s RAM for any loose connections.
Linux
Finally, Linux users experiencing a black screen likely run into the same issues as the other operating systems. Damaged video cards or kernel panics can affect them as well. But with Linux, other ways might tinker with the boot sequence that others don’t offer.
Final Words
Why is computer screen black? From loose connections to buggy updates, these are some causes of the black screen of death. And regardless of the issue, we’re confident this guide will be able to guide you to the right path. You’ll be able to fix your black screen issues in no time!