how do i fix the black screen on my monitor after restarting my pc

Question

i factory reset my pc and my pc has a problem of not turning on after it’s been restarted and i’m trying everything i possibly can to turn my monitor on without turning having to turn off my computer and nothing is working. i’ve tried a different monitor, unplugging my monitor, hdmi, and trying to restart my graphics with the windows key+ctrl+shift+b and it did nothing someone help me pleaseee

Answer 1

Hi, I'm Bernard, a fellow Windows user. I'm happy to help!

Kindly follow the steps provided by Q&A Assist. If the issue persists, I recommend repairing Windows OS and or running a clean installation of the GPU driver.

May I know the Windows version and edition you have?

To check: Go to Settings > System > About

Under Windows specifications, please let me know the Windows version and edition you have.

Additional note: May I know the make and model of your Graphics card? so that I can provide you with the steps wherein we will do a clean installation of the graphics card driver.

Answer 2

Try the following steps in order, focusing on what happens after a restart when the screen stays black.

1. Wake or switch the display output
   • Press Windows logo key + P, then press P once more and Enter. Repeat this a few times to cycle through display modes (PC screen only, Duplicate, Extend).
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + Del and check whether the security screen appears. If it does, the system is running but not showing the desktop.
2. Reset the graphics driver
   • Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + Shift + B once (already tried, but do it after confirming the monitor and cable are firmly connected).
   • Listen for a beep or see a brief flicker. If nothing happens, continue to the next steps.
3. Check basic hardware connections
   • Power off the PC completely.
   • Reseat the HDMI/DisplayPort cable on both PC and monitor.
   • If using a graphics card, make sure the cable is plugged into the graphics card output, not the motherboard.
   • Try a different cable and a different port on the PC if available.
4. Boot into Safe Mode when the screen is black
   Because the issue appears after restart, use forced shutdowns to reach Recovery:
   1. Hold the power button for about 10 seconds to turn the PC off.
   2. Turn it on, and as soon as Windows starts loading, hold the power button again to force it off. Repeat this 2–3 times until Windows Recovery Environment appears.
   3. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
   4. Press F5 to start Safe Mode with Networking.
5. Update or roll back the display (graphics) driver in Safe Mode
   In Safe Mode:
   1. Open Device Manager.
   2. Expand Display adapters.
   3. Right-click the GPU and select Update driver and follow the prompts.
   4. If the black screen started after a driver or Windows update, open the adapter’s Properties > Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver if available.
6. Restart Windows Explorer if only a cursor shows
   If after sign-in there is a black screen but the mouse cursor is visible:
   1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
   2. Find Windows Explorer, right-click, and select Restart.
   3. If Windows Explorer is missing, select File > Run new task, type explorer.exe, and press Enter.
7. System Restore if the issue started recently
   If the problem began after a recent change and restore points exist:
   1. Boot into Recovery Mode or Safe Mode as above.
   2. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.
   3. Choose a restore point from before the black-screen issue started and complete the wizard.

If none of these steps change the behavior, the problem may be deeper (for example, firmware/BIOS or hardware). In that case, continue using Safe Mode or Recovery to back up important files, then consider a repair install or contacting hardware support.

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References:

• Troubleshooting blank screens in Windows
• Troubleshooting black or blank screens in Windows
• Scenario guide: Black screen after you sign in to the system
• Troubleshoot external monitor connections in Windows