How to Fix Black Screen Issue on Dell Laptop?

Dell laptop black screen problem usually arises at the very first start up. Whereas in some cases while working on the laptop unexpectedly the black screen appears on the laptop. This sort of problem usually occurs when the OS fails to connect to the graphics drivers and is unable to load the screen with the BSOD (Black Screen of Death) and as result unable to view anything on the laptop. Therefore, this problem needs to be handled on a prior basis.

Moreover, if you too are experiencing the same issue then no need to worry. As this blog covers every detail related to this particular issue concerning its causes along with their potential troubleshooting steps that will help you solve this problematic situation.

But before proceeding to the solutions let’s have a quick look through the causes first and then follow the workable solutions to get past the Dell laptop black screen problem.

What Causes the “Dell Laptop Black Screen” Problem?

Now as you are aware of the culprits causing the problem on your Dell laptop, follow the fixes given one by one to solve the problem.

1. Reboot Your Dell Laptop

The first solution you have to try is to reboot your Dell laptop. Sometimes your system might work improperly due to working for a long duration of being overloaded.  Hereby, the restart will give your system a fresh start thereby enhancing its performance. Moreover, restarting the system mostly solves the problems. So, for this you need to follow the below steps:

1. Go to Start.
2. Then, click on the Power icon.

   

3. And finally, click on the Restart option and wait until your Dell laptop restarts.

2. Check Your External Devices

In most instances, external devices connected to your Dell system can cause a black screen issue. Therefore, it is suggested to check your external devices once to know which hardware is triggering this problem. To do so, follow the quick steps below:

1. Detach all the connected external devices.
2. Reboot your laptop.
3. Now, if following the above steps fixes the problem, then attach all the detached devices again to verify which hardware is creating the problem.

3. Reboot Graphics Drivers

As it was already discussed that black screen problem occurs mainly due to improper connection between your graphics drivers and OS. So here the situation can be handled by rebooting your graphics drivers. Rebooting your system’s graphics drivers will help you to build a better and strong connection between your OS & graphics drivers. You can do so with the below-mentioned instructions:

1. Press the Win+ Shift+ Ctrl+ B keys altogether on your Dell’s keyboard.
2. Next, wait until your graphics drivers reboot.

Once your graphics drivers will be restarted, your black screen on the Dell laptop problem will be solved.

4. Force Shut Your Dell Laptop

The next method you can try to solve this black screen problem is by force shutting your Dell laptop to turn off.  If your Dell laptop is frequently reflecting a black screen then force shutting down can works for you to solve this problematic situation.

1. Plug out every external device attached to your Dell laptop.
2. Next, turn off your Dell laptop for at least 20 seconds.
3. Detach the AC adapter and the intact battery.
4. Now, drain the left battery by the long-pressing Power button.

   

1. After that, put the battery back into your Dell laptop and plug the charger in.
2. Finally, turn on your laptop and your black screen problem will be gone.

5. Try Booting into Safe Mode

If you are unable to see anything on your laptop, then it is best to boot your laptop in safe mode. Booting in Safe Mode turns on the system with few resources and drivers.  For this, follow the quick guided steps below:

1. At first, shut down your Dell laptop.
2. Next, turn it on by long-pressing the Power button.
3. Now, press the Shift key and hold the F8 key until the Windows logo appears. This will let you enter Recovery Mode.
4. If doing this will not let you enter into safe mode, then try performing the above steps again.
5. Next, select “See advanced repair options” under the Recovery Mode menu.
6. Click on Troubleshoot option.

7. 

8. Then proceed to Advanced options.
9. Now, select Windows Startup settings and go for Restart.

   

10. Once restarted, press F5 or 5 to enter into safe mode.

6. Replace Your Dell’s Display

As was already mentioned above that if your display is damaged or has any kind of issue then you may encounter this problem on your Dell laptop. Also, damaged video cards can also lead to black screen problems.

So, on finding such a case in your scenario, deal with it by repairing the video card or display otherwise replace it with the new one. For doing this, perform the below steps:

1. Drain the power on your Dell laptop by plugging out the battery and power cord.
2. After that drain the left power by long-pressing the Power button at least for 20 seconds.
3. Next, power on your laptop by connecting the power cord back again.
4. Now, verify if any indication for the LED over the Power button.

   

5. If found LED on the Power button, or Caps Lock is static, go for connecting the external monitor to your laptop and check if it is working properly or not. In case working properly, it signifies that your current monitor is damaged, so change the display.
6. Or if observed LED is blinking in a few gaps then you have to go for BIOS Recovery.
7. For BIOS Recovery, shut down the laptop and connect to the power cord.
8. Press Ctrl+ Esc keys altogether until BIOS recovery appears.

   

9. Next select NVRAM and press Enter.
10. Finally, tap on recover BIOS to enter the Recovery process and hit Enter.
11. Now check if the Dell laptop black screen problem is fixed.

7. Connecting External Display to Your Laptop

If none of the above fixes works for you to get you out of the black screen issue then you can fix the problem by connecting an external display to your laptop. For this follow the below guidelines:

1. Press the Win + P keys simultaneously.
2. Next, you will see a display list and then choose the suitable display option from the appeared list.
3. Then press the Down arrow key or the letter P to select the display.
4. Lastly, hit Enter.

It is estimated now the problem is resolved but if still seeing the Dell laptop black screen problem.

8. Update the Display Drivers

If you are using outdated Display drivers then this may cause problems with the display and may result in causing a black screen. Therefore, you need to update your graphics drivers to the latest version to get rid of the black screen on death problems. So, to update your display drivers, follow the steps below as guided:

1. Firstly, hold the Win+X keys altogether and open the Device Manager option from the appeared result.
2. Next, select the Display Adapters and expand them by tapping on them.

   

3. After that, make a right-click on the driver that you want to update and then click on the Update driver

   

4. Select the option Search automatically for updated driver software.

   

5. And then wait until the Windows search for updates and install the drivers.

Once done with the installation, reboot your Dell laptop and check whether the black screen problem is solved or not.

9. Reinstall the Graphics Drivers

Sometimes corrupted graphics drivers may trigger this problem on your Dell laptop. So, in order to solve this problem, you need to first uninstall the display drivers and then reinstall it back. For reinstallation, follow the instructions below:

1. Hold the Win+ X keys altogether and select Device Manager.
2. Next, double-click on the Display Adapter option to expand it.

   

3. Make a right-click on the Display device and go for Uninstall device

   

4. After successful uninstallation, reinstall the display drivers again to get rid of the issue.

10. Cool Down Your Laptop

As said earlier, overheating can cause this problem to appear on your Dell laptop. Using your system for a long duration can make your system overheated thereby resulting in displaying a black screen. So, if none of the above-listed solutions works for you then try cooling it down.  To do so, you need to first turn off your system for some time and then turn it on.

Moreover, you can attach an external fan to your Dell laptop to let the hot air substitute with cool air. Sometimes, dust can also be the reason for overheating. So, if you are comfortable opening your system’s back panel, open it and clean the dust on the vents or fans.

Also, try always placing your laptop on the airy surface as it helps in better air circulation and prevents overheating.

11. Quit the Explorer.exe

In most cases, Explorer.exe was found to be the culprit in causing the black screen problem. When Explorer.exe does not function properly, it then ends up appearing black screen on your Dell laptop. Therefore, you can also try rebooting Explorer.exe to get out of the issue. For this, follow the below-listed step-by-step instructions:

1. Firstly, press Ctrl+ Shift+ Esc keys on your keyboard simultaneously to open Task Manager.

   

2. Now, go for the Details tab.
3. There select Explorer.exe.
4. And then finally click on the End Task button at the bottom.

   

Reboot your laptop and you are all set to use your system without any black screen issues.

12. Reset Your BIOS

Another solution you can try is to reset your BIOS. As sometimes wrongly configured BIOS settings can cause such problems to arise on your Dell laptop. To reset your BIOS, follow the below steps as guided:

1. First, reboot your system.
2. On the Dell logo screen, press the F12 or F2 key until the Entering Setup appears.
3. Next, press the F9 or Alt+ F keys altogether to load Default settings. Or you can also go for the Load defaults button on the screen.
4. Then, press the Esc key to get out of the BIOS screen.

   

5. Choose the option Save & Exit.
6. Press the Enter key to save the made changes.
7. Lastly, reboot your Dell laptop and you are all done with the black screen problem now.

13. Update Your BIOS

When resetting BIOS doesn’t fix your issue then we suggest updating your Dell BIOS to the latest version to get past the problem. Using an outdated version can trigger various problems including the Dell laptop’s black screen. Update your BIOS with the below instructions:

1. Go for the official Dell Support Page.
2. Then, download the latest available version for your BIOS as per your Dell laptop model.
3. Next, follow the on-screen guide to install the BIOS update.

14. Clear Reinstall Windows from Your System

Another potential solution for fixing Dell black screen problem is by clearing and reinstalling Windows from your system. For this, follow the quick steps below:

1. Shut down your laptop and connect it with a USB or DVD
2. Now, reboot your Dell laptop.
3. On the Dell logo screen, hold the F12 key until the Preparing one-time boot menu shows up.
4. Next, click on UEFI BOOT and select the media for your Dell laptop.

   

5. Select the language for your keyboard as per your preference.
6. Now, on Choose an option screen, go for the option Troubleshoot.
7. Select the option “Recover from a drive”.

   

8. Once done with the process, the black screen on the Dell laptop will be fixed and the system start booting again.

15. Try Performing Hard Reset

Lastly, if none of the above solutions fixes the Dell desktop black screen problem, then try hard resetting it. Hard reset will help the laptop to start with full force thereby solving the black screen problem. Follow the simple steps below:

1. Turn off your Dell laptop by pressing the Power button.
2. Next, detach all the external devices connected to your system.
3. Then, pull out the battery & the AC adapter from the laptop.
4. Now, drain the left power by long-pressing the Power button.

   

5. Finally, place the battery and the charger back in your system and reboot it.

Well, dealing with this problem is not an easy task especially when you don’t have proper guidance. However, with this article, you can easily get rid of the Dell laptop black screen problem in no time. I hope the article serves you with all the potential fixes that will help you resolve this problem thereby letting you access your Dell laptop without any further issues.