10 Ways to Fix Windows 11 Black Screen Issue

It can be terrifying if the screen of your Windows 11 computer goes black all of a sudden, especially when you’re in the middle of an important task. While it may seem like a hardware issue, in many cases, it’s simply a software problem that can be easily resolved.

There can be plenty of reasons for this, ranging from loose wired connections to a malfunctioning display driver. If you’re unsure about the cause, work your way through the following fixes to resolve the black screen issue in Windows 11.

1. Check Connections

If you are using a Windows 11 desktop, you should start by checking the wired connections between your CPU and the monitor. Unplug the HDMI cable and wait for a few minutes before reconnecting it. While you’re at it, check out the monitor’s connection to the power outlet.

If you have a spare monitor, you can connect it to your PC to check if the black screen issue is related to the monitor.

2. Restart Your PC

Your Windows 11 PC may display a black screen immediately after login if it encounters any issues at startup. If it’s just a one-off glitch, restarting your computer should solve your problem. Press and hold the power button until your PC turns off. Wait for some time, and then press the power button again to turn on your computer.

3. Change Projection Settings

Selecting the incorrect projection settings on Windows can also cause the black screen problem. To fix it, you can press the Windows + P keyboard shortcut to launch the projection settings and use the arrow keys to scroll through the available options.

Since your screen is black, it may take a few attempts before you get this right.

4. Unplug Peripheral Devices

Interference from external devices connected to your system can also lead to such problems. To check for this possibility, you will need to disconnect all peripherals from your computer.

If this solves your problem, you can reconnect your external devices one at a time to identify the one causing the issue.

5. Restart the Windows Explorer Process

If Windows 11 is showing a black screen but you can see the cursor, there may be an issue with the Windows Explorer process. If that’s the case, restarting the Windows Explorer process should help fix it.

Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

Step 2: In the Processes tab, right-click on Windows Explorer and select Restart.

6. Restart the Graphics Driver

The graphics driver on your PC is responsible for connecting Windows to your PC’s hardware. If the graphics driver is experiencing issues, Windows 11 might display a black screen.

To fix this, you can restart the graphics driver by pressing the Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B shortcut. Once you press these keys, you will hear a beep followed by a flash on the screen. After that, the screen should appear.

7. Update the Graphics Driver

If resetting the graphics card driver works, you should consider updating the graphics driver to avoid such issues in the future. To do so, use these steps:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + S to open Windows Search, type in device manager, and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Device Manager window, expand Display adapters. Right-click on your driver and select the Update driver option.

From there, follow the on-screen instructions to update the driver. Alternatively, you can also update the display driver manually by downloading the latest version from the manufacturer’s website. For that, you need to know what graphics hardware your PC is using. Here’s how to check.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type dxdiag and press Enter.

Step 2: Go to the Display tab and note down the name of the driver.

Now, head over to the manufacturer’s website and fill in your PC’s OEM, Model number, etc., to download the latest compatible display driver.

Download Intel HD Graphics Driver

Download NVIDIA GeForce Drivers

Download AMD Graphics Driver

Once downloaded, open the installer file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the drivers. After that, restart your PC to apply the changes.

8. Install Windows Updates

Such black screen issues can also occur due to a buggy Windows build. If that’s the case, upgrading to a newer build should help more often than not.

Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and navigate to the Windows Update tab. Then, click the Check for updates button in the top right corner to download and install pending updates.

9. Try Safe Mode

There’s a chance that a third-party app or process running in the background is causing the black screen problem. To check for this possibility, you can try booting your PC in safe mode.

Step 1: Press and hold the power button to shut down your PC forcefully. Then, press the power button again to boot your PC.

Step 2: When the Windows logo appears, press and hold the power button until your PC restarts. Repeat the above step to interrupt the boot process thrice. On the fourth occasion, Windows will greet you with the Automatic Repair screen. When it does, click the Advanced options button.

Step 3: Click on Troubleshoot.

Step 4: Go to Advanced options.

Step 5: On the Advanced Options screen, select Startup Settings.

Step 6: Click the Restart button to visit the Startup Settings menu.

Step 7: Lastly, press 4 or F4 on your keyboard to restart your PC in Safe Mode.

Wait for your PC to boot into Safe Mode. If you don’t see the black screen while in Safe Mode, it means one of your startup apps or programs is causing the problem during a regular boot. You can try uninstalling recently installed apps or software and see if that fixes the issue.

10. Perform System Restore

If uninstalling suspicious apps or programs does not solve your problem, the black screen issue could be caused by some other recent system change. Performing a system restore will allow you to undo that change and resolve the issue for good.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type create a restore point, and press Enter.

Step 2: Under the System Protection tab, click the System Restore button.

Step 3: Click Next to continue.

Step 4: Select a restore point before the issue first appeared and then hit Next.

Step 5: Click Finish and allow Windows to restore to the specified restore point.

FAQs on Windows 11 Showing Black Screen

Live Life in Color

While such screen-related issues can make you feel helpless, there are several things you can do to resolve them. Hopefully, one of the above solutions has brought your screen to life, and things are back to normal.