10 Simple Ways to Fix a Lenovo Laptop with a Black Screen

What to do when your Lenovo laptop's screen doesn't turn on

Co-authored by Blain Gunter and Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: September 15, 2024 Fact Checked

What do you do if you've powered on your Lenovo laptop but the screen is black? Fortunately, there are simple troubleshooting steps you can use to fix your Lenovo laptop's black screen yourself before seeking professional help. This wikiHow article lists easy fixes for a Lenovo laptop with a black screen, including Thinkpad models.

Things You Should Know

Before you do anything, try restarting your laptop.
If the screen is still black, refresh your display connection by pressing Win + Ctrl + Shift + B.
Disconnect any connected accessories like, theAC adapter, mice, keyboards, and other devices in case they are interfering with the display.

1

Restart your laptop.

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To restart, press and hold your Lenovo laptop's power button until it turns off.^{[1]
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2

Reset the display mode.

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Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B to refresh your display.

3

Remove connected devices.

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Something you have connected might cause your screen to bug. USB mice, keyboards, or anything else you have plugged into your laptop might make the screen bug black, so removing them might help. If simply unplugging them doesn't work, try unplugging them and restarting your laptop.
- Also check to make sure you have the latest drivers for your plugged-in devices – open the software that was installed along with the mouse to see if there are driver updates.

4

Hard reset your Lenovo.

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A power cycle can clear out any stubborn glitches. If restarting didn't work, you may need to up the ante by performing a full power cycle. To do this, shut down your Lenovo and unplug it from the wall. Next, remove the battery as well as any plugged-in mice or other devices, and wait for about 30 minutes to make sure the laptop loses power completely. With everything still disconnected and the battery removed, press and hold the Power button for about 60 seconds.
- Finally, replace the battery and plug it back into a wall outlet before turning it back on.

5

Connect to an external monitor.

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Your internal cables and LCD screen can be damaged. By plugging into an external monitor or TV, you can determine if they are broken or malfunctioning. Connect with a VGA or HDMI cable, then restart your laptop. If the screen works, you could have a damaged or faulty LCD screen or cable.
- If you're handy, you might be able to fix the screen yourself.

6

Update your graphics drivers.

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Update your driver in Control Panel > System and Security > Device Manager > Display adapters and right-click your graphics card. Finally, select Update driver and allow Windows to update it automatically.^{[2]
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7

Update Windows.

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Windows updates can solve any bugs or glitches appearing in earlier software versions. To update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Check for updates.^{[3]
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8

Restart the "explorer.exe" process.

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A glitch in this process can affect your entire laptop. The "explorer.exe" process runs on every Windows computer and laptop and manages the most important tasks on your system, like the desktop and taskbar.
- Restart this by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Click Details if you see it, then locate "explorer.exe" and select End Task.
- Finally, restart your laptop to see if that fixed your black screen.

9

Factory reset your Lenovo laptop.

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This is a last resort as all of your personal details and files will be deleted. But, this might be your only option if the screen remains black even after you've tried all the other steps. If a corrupted file is the cause of the black screen, factory resetting it will definitely fix the issue.^{[4]
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- If you can see the screen enough, go to Settings > Update & Security/Recovery > Get Started (under Restart) > Remove everything > Reset.^{[5]
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- You can also use BIOS to boot into Safety Mode if malware or a suspicious file is causing your screen to go black. In Safety Mode, go to Settings > Update & Security/Recovery > Get Started > Remove everything > Reset.
- You might be able to find a small pinhole on the back of your Lenovo laptop that, when pushed with a pin or straightened-out paperclip for about 15 seconds, automatically resets your system to factory settings.

10

Schedule a repair.

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Get professional help if you can't fix it yourself. Almost everything on this list is doable without professional help and might get your laptop's screen displaying again at a fraction of the cost! However, if you've tried everything and the screen is still black, or if you connected to an external display and figured out your LCD screen or cables are malfunctioning, contact a repair shop.^{[6]
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- Check your paperwork to see if your laptop is still under warranty and if it could be fixed for free!