8 Quick & Easy Fixes for No Signal Problem on Monitors

The no signal message on your screen reveals the monitor is not receiving any input from your video adapter. This can be due to various factors which generally include incorrect input source, unseated RAM sticks, faulty cable, or even a screen resolution conflict.

Your monitor relies on the input it receives from the graphics card installed on your motherboard to display the proper output. If there is no signal being received by the monitor, it won’t know what to display, thus, disclosing the no signal message. We will be taking you through several methods that you can try to resolve the issue in question.

1. Check the Input Source

The first thing you should do when starting to troubleshoot the no signal error message is to check the input source of your monitor. Modern monitors support multiple input channels, like HDMI and DisplayPort. If you are using a DisplayPort cable to connect your monitor to the DisplayPort port on your graphics card, you need to make sure DisplayPort is selected as the input source on your monitor.

In most cases, your monitor will automatically detect the input source. However, if you have selected an input source manually, you will need to change it again should you change the input port.

This can be done quite easily via the menu buttons provided on your monitor which are usually located in the back of the bottom-right corner. On some monitors, the buttons will be located right at the bottom, under the screen. Use the menu to change the input source of your monitor. See if that resolves the issue.

2. Use Graphics Card Ports

Some motherboards generally come with video ports other than the ones on your graphics card which can often confuse users when plugging in their monitor.

If you have plugged in the monitor cable to an incorrect video port, the monitor will not be able to receive any signal, and, thus, unable to display anything. Therefore, you need to make sure you have plugged in your monitor’s cable in the correct video port.

To resolve the issue, you have to plug in the cable in its respective port on your graphics card. Once you do that, the graphics card will be able to provide the required to your monitor, and it should turn on. In case the cable is already in the right port, move to the following method below.

3. Try a Different Port

In some instances, the no signal message can appear due to a faulty port on your graphics card. In such a scenario, you can resolve the issue by using a different port on your graphics card.

Typically, most graphics cards offer at least two ports of the same type, like DisplayPort and HDMI. As such, if you are using a DisplayPort cable to connect your monitor, try switching to the other DisplayPort port on your graphics card to see if that works.

In some scenarios, you can find yourself in a situation where the graphics card only has one port for the interface that you are using. If this scenario is applicable, you will have to use a different interface, for example, HDMI, to connect your monitor.

Note: Make sure that you change the port on both the monitor and the graphics card one by one. Start with changing the port on your graphics card, and if the issue persists, change the port on your monitor as well.

4. Use a Different Cable

Another common cause of the issue mentioned above is the cable that you are using to connect your monitor and the video adapter. This can happen when the cable is faulty or damaged.

In such an instance, you will have to use a different cable on your monitor to eliminate the possibility of a faulty cable in the issue. If the problem persists even after changing the cable, move to the next method below.

5. Check GPU Installation

One of the reasons you can experience the no signal message is when the graphics card is not seated properly in its slot. This can happen, in some scenarios, when you move your PC which can unseat or loosen your graphics card. In other cases, the GPU may not have been seated properly in the first place which results in the issue.

If this scenario is applicable, you will have to open your computer to check the installation of the graphics card. Typically, you will be able to find the graphics card at the bottom of your motherboard where the PCIe slots are located. However, in some scenarios, the location can differ.

Follow the instructions below to re-seat your GPU:

1. Turn off your computer.
2. Disconnect the power cables.
3. Open your computer case and locate your graphics card.
4. Carefully remove the graphics card from its slot. Make sure to pull back the retention clip of the PCIe slot before removing the graphics card.

   

5. Once the graphics card has been removed, align it again and push it in firmly to seat the graphics card.
6. You will hear a click sound once the graphics card has been seated properly.
7. Plug in the power cable, and the video cable to your monitor.
8. After that, hold down the Power button for around 30 seconds and then plug in the power cables.
9. Finally, turn on your computer to see if the issue persists.

6. Check RAM Sticks

The RAM sticks installed on your motherboard can also trigger the no signal message in some scenarios. This happens when the RAM sticks are not seated properly on your motherboard which prevents the computer from booting up.

If your system is not booting up at all, you can mitigate the issue by checking your RAM sticks. This can also occur when you have a bad memory module. In such a scenario, you will have to remove the bad memory stick to resolve the issue.

Follow the instructions below to check the RAM sticks on your motherboard:

1. First, power off the computer and disconnect the power cables.
2. Then, open the computer case and locate your memory modules. Refer to the image below for reference.

   

3. After that, pull back the retention clips, and then remove all of the RAM sticks.

   

4. Once the RAM sticks have been removed, install the memory modules again one by one firmly. You will hear a click sound when a module has been inserted correctly.
5. Then, connect the power cables again and turn on your computer. See if the issue goes away.

In case the no signal message is still there, there might be a bad memory stick. In such a scenario, you will have to remove one of the RAM sticks, and then power on your computer. Do this until you find the bad memory module. In some scenarios, the problem can be due to a damaged memory slot. Thus, try installing the RAM sticks in different slots to see if the issue goes away.

7. Boot in Low-Resolution Mode

Some monitors will display the no signal message when they are not able to render the resolution provided by the input signal. This can happen when you change your resolution to something higher than your monitor supports.

Upon doing this, if the resolution is not supported by the monitor, Windows will try to automatically reset in some scenarios. However, that is not always the case and you can get stuck with a black screen and the no signal message.

If this scenario is applicable, you can boot into the Windows Recovery environment and enable low-resolution mode. This will start your computer at a low resolution which will be supported by the monitor, allowing you to fix the issue.

To boot into the Windows Recovery Environment, you will have to interrupt the boot process. Follow the instructions below:

1. Start with turning on your computer.
2. After you press the Power button, turn off your computer after a second or two to interrupt the bootup process of Windows.
3. You will have to repeat this step at least three times. Windows will automatically boot into the Windows Recovery Environment on the fourth attempt.
4. There, click on the See advanced repair options button.

   

5. Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings.

   

6. After that, click on the Restart button.
7. Your computer will be restarted quickly and you will be shown a menu.
8. Press 3 on your keyboard to Enable low-resolution video mode.

   

9. See if that fixes the issue.

8. Test Monitor and GPU on a Different PC

Finally, if none of the above methods has resolved the issue for you, the message can be caused by your monitor or GPU. This can happen when the monitor has been damaged due to which it is unable to display anything even after receiving the required input.

In other cases, your GPU might have gone bad and it is not able to send any input to the monitor. To verify these suspicion, you can try testing your monitor and GPU on a different computer respectively. Start with connecting the monitor to a different computer and see if it displays any output.

If there is output displayed on the screen, it will be evident the issue is not with your monitor but rather the graphics card on your computer. You can also do the same for the graphics card to verify whether it works or not.