Laptop screen won't turn on, but the laptop is running

If the power light is on, the fan spins or the keyboard lights up but the screen stays black, the laptop itself is often fine. The problem is usually getting a picture onto the screen, and your files are almost always still there.

Signs the laptop is actually running

• The power or charging light is on
• You hear the fan, or the startup sound
• The Caps Lock light turns on and off when you press Caps Lock
• The keyboard backlight comes on

Try this first

1. Press the brightness-up key a few times (often Fn plus a key with a sun on it): the brightness may simply be at zero
2. On Windows, press the Windows key, Ctrl, Shift and B together. The screen flickers or beeps if Windows restarts the display
3. Shine a flashlight at the screen from an angle. If you can faintly see the desktop, the screen's backlight has failed, and the rest of the laptop is working
4. Connect a TV or monitor with an HDMI cable. On Windows, press the Windows key and P, then choose Duplicate. If a picture appears there, the laptop works and the problem is the laptop's own screen
5. Hold the power button for 15 seconds until everything goes off, unplug the charger, wait a minute, then start it again

What is usually behind it

• A failed backlight (the picture is there, but too dark to see)
• The screen cable that runs through the hinge, often after years of opening and closing
• A failed screen panel, sometimes after a knock or pressure on the lid
• The graphics chip or memory, when an outside monitor stays black too
• Windows stuck in sleep after an update, which a full shutdown usually clears

Keep working meanwhile

If an outside monitor works, you can keep using the laptop with it, a keyboard and a mouse until it's repaired. Back up anything important now.

What we usually see

Typical situations behind this problem, and what usually fixes them. Every device is different: we check yours before saying what it needs.

• The laptop shows a picture on a TV, but its own screen stays black. Usually the screen's backlight or the cable through the hinge. Replacing the screen or the cable brings it back, and a screen repair doesn't touch your files.
• A flashlight shows the desktop very faintly. The picture is there but the backlight has failed. On most laptops that means a new screen panel for that model.
• The screen went black right after a Windows update or after the laptop slept overnight. Often Windows stuck in sleep. A full shutdown (hold the power button for 15 seconds) and a restart usually clears it; an updated display driver can help keep it from coming back.

When to call us

If none of this brings the screen back, we test whether it's the screen, the cable or the board, tell you what it takes before we start, and fit the part for your exact model. If the repair would cost more than the laptop is worth, we say so, and we can still get your files off it.

General self-help steps in plain English, checked when we wrote them. Try only what you're comfortable with: if you're unsure, or something smells hot, sparks or swells, stop and call a technician. This isn't professional advice for your exact device. See our website terms.

Other common problems

• Android or Samsung phone won't turn on
• Phone touch screen not responding
• Computer stuck on the logo or in a repair loop
• Printer says offline
• All common problems