If you get to a login screen and then your screen goes black or blank, try the following actions:

Action 1: Try a Windows Key sequence to wake the screen.

Let’s try to wake your device and see if that helps.

If you have a keyboard connected, press the Windows logo key  + Ctrl + Shift + B. If you’re in tablet mode, press the volume-up and volume-down buttons simultaneously three times within 2 seconds.

If Windows is responsive, a short beep will sound and the screen will blink or dim while Windows attempts to refresh the screen

If you’re still seeing a black or blank screen, try the steps in Action 2 and see if you can open Task Manager to restart Windows Explorer.

Action 2: Try to open Task Manager to restart Windows Explorer

If you see some content or a cursor on the black or blank screen, try to open Task Manager so that you can restart the Windows Explorer process. Here’s how:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and then select Task Manager.

   Note

   If you don’t see Task Manager after pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

2. Under the Process tab, search for Windows Explorer. Right-click Windows Explorer, and then select Restart.
3. If that didn’t work, select File at top-left corner of Task Manager, and then select Run new task. Type explorer.exe, and then select Ok.

If you’re still seeing a black or blank screen, try the steps in Action 3 to rollback your display adapter driver.

Action 3: Roll back the display adapter driver

If you’re experiencing a black or blank screen issue and if Windows was operating correctly before an update, you can roll back your display adapter driver to undo the changes that were made when you updated Window 10.

To do this, first you’ll need to sign in to Windows using safe mode. For the steps to sign in to Windows using safe mode, see the “From a black or blank screen” section of the Start your PC in safe mode in Windows 10 page.

Once your device is in safe mode, do the following to roll back the display adapter driver:

1. Open Device Manager by typing device manager in the search box on the taskbar, select Device Manager, and select the arrow to expand Display adapters.
2. Under Display adapters, right-click the item and select Properties.
3. Select the Driver tab, and then select Roll Back Driver > Yes.
4. Shut down your device, and then turn your device back on.

If you’re still seeing a black or blank screen, try the steps in Action 4 to uninstall your display adapter driver.

Action 4: Uninstall your display adapter driver

Driver updates for Windows 10 and many devices (such as network adapters, monitors, printers, and graphic cards) are automatically downloaded and installed when you update Windows 10.

It’s likely you already have the most recent driver, but if you’re experiencing a black or blank screen, you can try fixing it by uninstalling the driver.

To do this, first make sure that Windows is in safe mode.

Once your device is in safe mode, do the following to uninstall the display adapter driver:

1. Open Device Manager by typing device manager in the search box on the taskbar, select Device Manager, and select the arrow to expand Display adapters.
2. Under Display adapters, right-click the item and select Properties.
3. Select the Driver tab, select Uninstall > OK.
4. Shut down your device, and then turn your device back on.

If you’re still seeing a black or blank screen, try the steps in Action 5 to remove third-party antivirus software.

Action 5: Remove third-party antivirus software

Some third-party antivirus software has been known to cause black or blank screens. You can temporarily uninstall this software to determine if it is causing your issue, and then reinstall the software after your device is back up and running.

Removing the software won’t leave your device unprotected because Windows Defender Antivirus will kick in if no other antivirus software is running. Get more info about Windows Security.

To do this, first make sure that Windows is in safe mode.

Once your device is in safe mode, select the Start  button, then select Settings  > System  > Apps & features. Select Sort by name and change it to Sort by install date. Select the third-party antivirus software you want to remove, and then select Uninstall. After you uninstall the third-party anti-virus software, restart your device.

If you’re still seeing a black or blank screen, try the steps in Action 6 to restore your device to an earlier point using System Restore.

Action 6: Use System Restore

Use System Restore to restore Windows back to an earlier point in time, called a restore point. System Restore doesn’t change your personal files, but it might remove recently installed apps and drivers. Restore points are created when you install a new app, driver, update, or when you create a system restore point manually.

For more info about how to restore your device with System Restore, see the “Restore from a system restore point” section on the Recovery options in Windows 10 page.

If you’re still seeing a black or blank screen, try the steps in Action 7 to uninstall recent updates.