Black Screen

Question

Using an excel spreadsheet and screenwent black. individual sheet titles are on bottom but I cannot see data that has been entered. what do I do?

Answer 1

Hi @Lois Bell

Thank you for reaching out.  

Based on your description, it seems that your Excel file is still open (as the sheet tabs are visible), but the data is not displaying properly. This issue is usually related to a temporary display or software setting issue rather than data loss. 

You could try to follow these steps to troubleshoot it: 

Open Excel in Safe Mode 

Close Excel completely. 

Press Windows + R, type excel /safe, then press Enter. 

Open your file and check if the data appears normally.

Repair your Office Application  

Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.  

Select Microsoft Office.  

Click Change > choose Quick Repair (or Online Repair if needed).  

Restart your computer and test the file again.

References: 

Excel opens to a blank screen | Microsoft Support 

Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working | Microsoft Support 

To ensure I fully understand your situation and provide the most effective assistance, I’ll need a few additional details, such as:  

May I know if this behavior also occurs with other files or on different devices? 

Have there been any recent changes to your application or account settings? 

Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.  

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Answer 2

Try these steps in order to bring the worksheet back into view:

1. Check if the sheet is hidden:
   • Go to the View tab.
   • Select Unhide.
   • If a workbook or sheet is listed, select it and choose OK.
2. Refresh the Excel window:
   • In the top-right corner of Excel, select the Minimize button.
   • In the taskbar, right-click the Excel icon and select the workbook again (or double-click the Excel icon) to maximize it and see if the data appears.
3. Make sure worksheet tabs and scroll bar are not hiding things:
   • Select File > Options > Advanced.
   • Under Display options for this workbook, ensure Show sheet tabs is checked.
   • At the bottom of the window, drag the edge of the horizontal scroll bar to the right so all tabs and the sheet area are visible.
4. Turn off Dark Mode in Excel in case the sheet background is appearing black:
   • Open the workbook.
   • Go to File > Account.
   • Under Office Theme, choose something other than Black (for example, Colorful or White), or use Use system setting.
   • Then go to the View tab and use Switch Modes to toggle Dark Mode off so the sheet background returns to light.
5. If the entire screen is black/gray in Windows (not just Excel), check Windows color filters:
   • Open Settings > Accessibility > Color filters.
   • Make sure all options on that page are turned Off.

If the problem persists after these steps, repair Office:

1. Close Excel and all Office apps.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
3. Find Microsoft 365 (or Office) and select Modify.
4. Choose Online Repair and start the repair.
5. After it finishes, restart the PC and open the workbook again.

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References:

• Troubleshoot opening a blank screen when you double-click a file icon or file name in Excel
• Where are my worksheet tabs?
• Dark Mode in Excel
• Screen turns black background with white text. - Microsoft Q&A