My laptop computer screen is black

If your laptop screen is not displaying any image, there are several troubleshooting steps that might help you resolve the issue. Review each section below for steps that might help.

Note

If you are having trouble with a monitor for a desktop computer, see: No display or black screen on a computer monitor.

Tip

If you see a white screen or a rainbow of colors, this could mean the video card in the laptop is defective. In this case, the video card or graphics chip needs to be replaced by an authorized repair center for your brand of laptop.

Computer is not booting

Although you may not be able to see anything on the screen, listen to the laptop for sounds indicating it's booting. If don't hear any sound, follow the steps in the link below before moving to other sections on this page.

Note

Newer computers with an SSD and no other drives are silent even during a normal boot. Therefore this suggestion should only be followed for laptops with a traditional hard drive.

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If the computer boots up, but the screen goes black or blank after you log in, there may be an issue with the operating system.

Tip

An indication of the operating system not loading properly and being at fault is if you can see the mouse cursor on the screen and nothing else.

One of the main causes for this issue is a corrupt system file preventing the operating system from loading, resulting in the black or blank screen.

Restart Windows to see if it's a temporary issue and resolves itself with a reboot. If the problem persists, erase your hard drive and reinstall Windows.

Read more:

Common Laptop Motherboard Problems