HP Laptop Black Screen

HP Laptop Black Screen

Jacob Mehnert and 1 contributor
Last updated on

Before undertaking significant repairs on your device, try these basic troubleshooting steps:

  • Is the device powered on and charged? Make sure the outlet and charging cable are functional. If your device's charging LED does not turn on, your laptop may not be charging. Check out our HP Laptop Not Charging page instead.
  • Turn up screen brightness settings: A function key or buttons on the keyboard should control display brightness.
  • Test with an External Monitor: Unplug any other device to ensure you're outputting to the monitor.
    • If no display appears on the monitor, ensure that you're experiencing a black screen problem by checking for any signs of life. You can find some examples here.
      • If your device is showing signs of life, but the screen is still truly black (no logos or display at all), the most likely culprit is the motherboard.
      • If your device is not showing any signs of life, it's likely that your device simply wasn't turning on to begin with. Move over to our HP Laptop Won't Turn On page for help with your problem.
    • If a display appears, continue on to the causes outlined below.

Causes

1

To resolve this issue, boot the laptop in Safe Mode and reinstall the graphics driver. Follow these steps to enter Safe Mode:

  1. Hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device.
  2. Press the power button again to turn on your device.
  3. On the first sign that Windows has started (for example, the HP logo), hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device.
  4. Press the power button again to turn on your device.
  5. When Windows restarts, hold the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device.
  6. Press the power button again to turn on your device.
  7. Allow your device to restart into Automatic Repair, and select Advanced options to enter winRE.
  8. In winRE, follow these steps to enter Safe Mode: On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
  9. After the device restarts, you will see a list of options. Select four or press F4 to start your PC in Safe Mode.

Once in Safe Mode, uninstall the current graphics driver and restart the laptop. Then, download and install your device's latest graphics drivers from the HP support website.

When the laptop powers on but the screen remains black, it could be due to a corrupted or faulty graphics driver.

2

If you've encountered this issue after updating your operating system, it might be caused by an incompatible update.

  • Boot your device into Safe mode using the instructions in the Faulty Display Driver Section.
  • Once you have booted into Safe Mode, Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history > Uninstall updates.
  • This will open the Control Panel with all the recent updates installed on the PC. Select the most recent update, then click the Uninstall button above the list.
3

Outdated BIOS firmware can sometimes cause conflicts with new updates, leading to a black screen.

  • The process for updating your device's BIOS will depend on your specific type of HP Laptop. Use this guide to update your device's BIOS. Download and install the latest BIOS update following the provided instructions.
4

If your HP Device works with an external display but with the main display, it suggests possible damage to the display. To check if the display might be faulty, follow these steps.

  1. Power off your Laptop. Be sure to remove any peripherals or power sources.
  2. Carefully inspect the internal display for physical damage. This includes any significant or small cracks or any liquid damage. Checking from different angles can help spot hairline cracks as they catch in the light.

If there is physical damage, consider HP Laptop Screens.

5

If the external monitor works but the laptop screen remains black, the issue may be with the laptop screen itself.

  • Verify that the display is correctly connected to the display cable. This will involve some dismantling. Ensure the display cable is securely plugged into the LCD panel and motherboard. If the cable appears loose, reconnect it carefully. After reconnection, test the display to see if the content displays correctly on the LCD panel.
  • Perform a visual inspection of the display cable. If no visible damage is apparent, thoroughly examine the display cable connections. Check both the end of the display and the point where the display cable connects to the motherboard. Look for any signs of damage, such as burns or indications of liquid damage. If any damage is found, try to replace the HP Laptop Cables.
6

If your laptop can't boot properly to Windows, or load display drivers due to a bad storage drive, there may not be clear enough information (or any information) Windows can use to display an image correctly.

  • If your screen is entirely black except for a single white cursor in the top left, this usually means your device cannot find an Operating system to boot to. Although this could mean only your boot sector is to affected, and a rebuild will help, in a worst case scenario, this could be caused be storage failure.
  • If the test fails, replace the drive with a compatible one. You may need to do a bit of research depending on the model to get this right. With m.2 drives. note whether it is a PCIe or SATA based drive, it is usually listed on the sticker.
7

What if HP laptop still displays a black screen, even after following all the troubleshooting steps above. It's safe to say, clues point toward a motherboard problem.

  1. Ensure that your device's CPU is adequately cooled. If you have recently reinstalled your heatsink, double-check that it is correctly attached to your CPU and that the CPU has the appropriate amount of thermal paste applied. Proper cooling is essential to prevent overheating and ensure optimal performance. Also ensure that your device's cooling fan is plugged in and working and spinning freely in its housing.
  2. Remove any accumulated dust or debris from the internal components of your device. It is crucial to maintain proper airflow within your device. Dust or debris can hinder the cooling process, potentially causing issues with the operating system. Regularly cleaning the internals of your device helps prevent excessive heat generation and ensures optimal performance.
  3. Reset your device's BIOS Settings. To reset your motherboard's BIOS settings, you can try uninstalling and then reinstalling the CMOS battery. By doing so, any stored settings or configurations that may have become corrupted will be cleared, and the system will start with default settings. This helps eliminate potential conflicts or misconfigurations that could be causing the issue you're experiencing.
  4. Perform a thorough visual inspection of the circuit boards for any signs of burns or damaged components. If you observe any visible damage, such as burns or parts that appear to be physically damaged, the board likely needs to be replaced, especially if it's the board carrying the display cable connector. You can find both motherboard and daughterboard components for select Chromebook models in our store.

You can check for the following signs of life to ensure that your device is actually powered on while displaying a black screen:

  • Startup sounds - Does the device make any noises during startup? Is it obvious it is turning off or on?
  • Caps lock light - Does pressing the caps lock key turn on any indicator lights?
  • Keyboard backlight - Is the keyboard lit up?
  • Charging/battery indicator - Are there any other indicator lights on the device? Do lights appear while charging?
  • Haptic responses - Some devices with vibrate with haptic response when touching the keyboard or touchscreen. Do not confuse a mechanical vibration on the keyboard with a haptic motor response.
  • Screen backlight - If there's a faint glow illuminating your black screen, while the display is still a blank black box, this is a good indicator that something's functioning behind the scenes.

Is the screen black, save for your cursor? Well the culprit might be that the Explorer.exe Process isn't running. Essentially, Explorer.exe, or Windows Explorer, is a Windows GUI shell, that provides the graphical user interface for file management and the desktop, including the taskbar, Start menu, and file explorer.

  1. To reset Explorer.exe, simply hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc to bring up Task Manager
  2. Click the Processes tab in the Task Manager window, and find the Windows Explorer Process.
  3. Right Click the process and click on Restart.

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