How to Fix Windows 11 Black Screen Issues

This article covers all the fixes for the common Windows 11 black screen glitch. We'll walk you through various potential fixes to get you back to using your computer in no time.

What Causes the Windows 11 Black Screen of Death?

The apparent shutting down of a monitor or screen when using Windows 11, often referred to as the Windows 11 Black Screen of Death, has been known to happen while performing a wide variety of actions on both desktop computers, tablets, and laptops. Sometimes the screen shuts down while other times the screen remains turned on but is unable to display any imagery.

Windows 11 becoming stuck on a black screen before login is just as common as the Windows 11 black screen after login problem. The black screen can also occur while opening and closing an app, watching media, connecting a computer to an external power source, and after installing an app, driver, or operating system update.

Simple causes, such as the monitor being turned off or not connected properly, are very common though sometimes the issue can be caused by more complex issues such as driver and software conflicts, an unsupported graphics card, or even a hardware issue.

How to Fix the Black Screen in Windows 11

Here are some proven solutions for fixing the black screen Windows 11 bug. Work through them in the order presented as they’re listed from fastest and easiest to more time-consuming and advanced.

1. Turn the monitor on. If you use an external monitor, press its power button to wake it up.

2. Inspect the ports and cables. You want to confirm that the cable is securely attached to both the computer and the power source. Also, check the cable itself to see if it’s been damaged or is experiencing extensive wear and tear.

   Press Ctrl+Alt+Del or Ctrl+Shift+Esc. If something pops up on the screen, or you can see the mouse pointer, then you know that the monitor is correctly attached to your computer and is receiving power.

3. Adjust the monitor’s brightness settings. Someone may have dimmed the brightness settings. Most computer monitors have physical buttons that can do this, as do some keyboards.

4. Cycle through the screen’s inputs. The incorrect input source may be selected.

5. Check for graphics card compatibility. If you get a black screen only when using a certain app or video game, it’s likely that your graphics card simply isn’t supported for this one specific task.
   

   Graphic card requirements for specific apps are usually mentioned on the app's download page.

6. Check for hardware restrictions. Some devices, such as the Amazon Fire Stick, will display a black screen or static when connected to a computer unless an HDMI splitter that supports HDCP1.2 is used.

7. Check your capture card’s ports. If you’re using a capture card to connect a Nintendo Switch or some other console to your laptop, ensure the console is plugged into the capture card's Input HDMI port and that the USB cable is plugged into the Output port.

8. Restart Windows with unnecessary hardware disconnected. A quick restart can fix whatever is causing your Windows 11 black screen problem, but be sure to unplug flash drives and anything else you don't need right now (keep your keyboard and mouse attached).

9. Restart the video driver. Use the Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B keyboard shortcut to restart the video drivers, which can quickly fix the black screen problem in Windows 11.

   If you have a Microsoft Surface, press the physical Volume Up and Volume Down buttons at the same time three times in a row. If done correctly, your screen should briefly flicker and reset.

10. Charge your device. Shut it down, plug it into a power source, and leave it to charge for several hours.

    If the usual charging light doesn’t turn on while charging, your device may have a damaged battery or charging cable.

11. Clean your monitor and computer. A build-up of dust and grime could be causing the screen to overheat and turn off prematurely.

12. Update BIOS if there's an update available. Here's how to access BIOS from Windows 11 if you've never been in there before.

13. Try a different monitor. If you’re using a desktop computer, if possible, try connecting it to a different monitor. If that monitor also shows a black screen, the issue is likely software or driver related. If the second monitor works fine, your original monitor is very likely damaged and in need of repair or replacement.
    

    For this fix, we’re simply replacing the original monitor with another one. We’re not trying to set up a multiple monitor setup.

14. Connect to another screen via an HDMI or USB cable. Physically connect your Windows 11 computer to another screen like a TV. Its screen should automatically mirror on this second screen and you can now use this to perform the below tips.

15. Try a different HDMI or USB cable. The connecting cable could be the cause of your Windows 11 black screen problem.

16. Start Windows 11 in Safe Mode. If this bypasses the black screen issue, it’s likely that your screen or monitor is fine and that a software or driver problem is causing the glitch.

17. Update Windows. If you can see your device’s content on another screen, perform a basic Windows update. If this is a known bug, Microsoft might have pushed out a fix, and all you need to do is install it.

18. Update your drivers. Open Device Manager and update the drivers associated with Monitors and Display Adaptors.

19. Recalibrate your monitor. This process can not only fix monitor issues but it can also improve its overall performance and image quality.

20. Uninstall programs you recently added to your computer. If the Windows 11 screen went black shortly after installing a program, there's a really good chance that is to blame. Remove it and then restart your computer to verify if this fixes it.

21. Disable Fast Startup. While convenient, this feature has been known to cause black screen problems.

22. Roll back the graphics drivers. Do this if the black screen in Windows 11 started happening after updating the video card driver.

23. Perform a system restore. If you suspect that a recent change made to your computer is behind the black screen problem, roll everything back to a restore point when everything worked properly.

24. Reset Windows. This will reinstall the operating system, which should fix the black screen if it's caused by a software problem.