How do I check for the possible cause ‘Graphics Driver Interruption’?

If there is no change in the first step, compare in order until ‘Switching output screen mode’. If symptoms disappear immediately after certain actions or the conditions for their occurrence change, this can be an important clue in narrowing down the cause.

Computer Screen Suddenly Goes Black: When Do I Need a Professional Check-Up?

Even if you follow the above solution steps in order, if the screen suddenly turns black repeatedly or hardware abnormality signals such as a burning smell, abnormal noise, overheating, or failure to recognize parts appear, we recommend backing up important data and having a professional inspection.

PC FIX

Computer Troubleshooting Guide

Display

Computer screen suddenly turns black

Q: What should I check first if I see the screen suddenly turning black?

First, proceed with the ‘Restart the graphics driver using shortcut key’ step. If Windows is running but the screen output stops, you can immediately reinitialize the display driver. We recommend that you avoid changing multiple settings at once and check to see if your symptoms change after each step.

If you are experiencing the “screen suddenly goes black” symptoms, possible causes include a graphics driver crash or display output change. First check if Windows is running, then check the output mode and graphics driver in that order.

Solving Order
We've organized the methods starting with the simplest and least expensive ones. Please check the solutions one by one, starting from the top.

Do you have these symptoms?

Screen suddenly turns black
monitor black screen
screen off
black screen

main causes

Graphics driver outage
Change display output
Cable or GPU issues

How to solve

Please check them in order from the top. If the issue is resolved, you do not need to proceed to the next step.

Restart graphics driver with shortcut key

If Windows is running but the screen output stops, you can immediately reinitialize the display driver.

Difficulty Easy time 1 minute cost 0 won

1Press Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B simultaneously.
2Check for short beeps or screen flickering.
3Once the screen is restored, proceed with checking the graphics driver.

confirmation point

After these steps, see if the “screen suddenly goes black” symptom decreases or disappears. If there is no change, check for the possibility of graphics driver interruption in the next step.

Switching output screen mode

Windows may be sending the screen to a nonexistent second monitor.

Difficulty Easy time 2 minutes cost 0 won

1Press Windows key + P.
2Try selecting ‘PC screen only’ or ‘Duplicate’ using the arrow keys and Enter.

Completely restart your PC

Temporary driver and service errors can often be recovered just by restarting.

Difficulty Easy time 2-5 minutes cost 0 won

1Save the file you are working on.
2From the Start menu, select Power → Restart.
3After rebooting, see if the same symptom occurs again.

confirmation point

If it's normal right after rebooting, it's most likely a temporary software error.

Check the same symptom in safe mode

Safe mode loads only a minimal number of drivers and services, which is helpful in narrowing down the cause.

Difficulty Moderate time 10-20 minutes cost 0 won

1Go to Settings → System → Recovery → Advanced startup.
2After restarting, select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
3See if the issue reproduces in safe mode.

confirmation point

In safe mode, if normal, third-party drivers, services, and startup programs are suspected first.

Update or reinstall graphics drivers

Outdated or corrupted graphics drivers can cause the symptom.

Difficulty Moderate time 10~30 minutes cost 0 won

1Check the device in Device Manager.
2Check your PC or component manufacturer's site for graphics drivers for your current model.
3If the problem started immediately after an update, consider rolling back to the previous stable version.
4After installing the driver, restart your PC.

Revert recent changes

If the problem started immediately after installing an update, driver, or new program, a recent change may be the cause.

Difficulty Moderate time 10~30 minutes cost 0 won

1Find out when the problem first started.
2If there are any programs, drivers, or updates that were installed just before, uninstall or roll them back one by one.
3Reboot every time you make a change and check for symptoms.

Frequently Asked Questions

We've put together a list of things we frequently check regarding this issue.

When troubleshooting a monitor that is turned on but the screen is black, it is important to rule out causes one at a time. Based on the “monitor is powered on but black screen” symptom, check for problems with the input signal, brightness, or panel, then proceed to the next step. Cross-testing the input source, cables, ports, and then other monitors can help isolate output device and PC issues.

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