Sleep mode is a super handy feature in modern laptops. It helps save battery and time. But what if you’re all set to get back to work and your laptop screen just won’t light up? This frustrating scenario, often called the black screen of death, is actually pretty common and happens across different laptop brands like Dell, Lenovo ThinkPad, Acer, ASUS, HP, MSI, and many more. It’s like your computer takes a nap and refuses to wake up.
In this guide, we’ll look at several troubleshooting steps to get your laptop’s screen from black to bright. We’ll cover everything from checking your power settings and updating your graphics drivers to considering hardware issues. Let’s find a way to fix this together.
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Understanding why a laptop might stay black after sleep
Before getting into the fixes, let’s understand why your laptop screen might decide to stay dark. A black screen can happen due to a bunch of reasons, like:
- Sometimes, it’s not a hardware problem but a software hiccup. This could be because of a recent update, some corrupted system files, or maybe an app messing with your laptop’s sleep and wake cycle.
- Old or wrong drivers, especially for your graphics, can lead to the black screen issue.
- If your laptop’s power settings are off, it might struggle to wake up properly.
- Less common, but sometimes a problem with your laptop’s RAM, hard drive, or motherboard could be the culprit.
- Connected gadgets like USB drives or a second monitor might interfere with waking up your laptop.
Linked issue: Second Monitor Keeps Going to Sleep (Fix)
How to fix the laptop black screen after sleep issue
Since there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, we suggest trying these fixes one by one to find what works for your laptop.
1. Reset power configurations to default
Odd power settings can cause wake-up issues. Resetting them to the default might help clear up any problems.
- Hit the Windows key, type “cmd” to find the Command Prompt, right-click it, and choose “Run as administrator”.
- In the command window, type
powercfg -restoredefaultschemesand hit Enter.
- After running the command, reboot your laptop to see if the issue’s fixed.
Might be useful: How to Stop Windows 11 From Turning Off Screen or Sleeping
2. Set power plan to “Balanced”
If you’ve played around with your power settings, setting them back to “Balanced” might help.
- Press Win + S and search for “choose a power plan”.
- Pick the “Balanced (recommended)” option.
- Restart your laptop after making the change.
This balances your system’s performance and energy use, which might solve the wake-up problem.
Useful tip: How to Keep Laptop On When Lid is Closed in Windows 11
3. Update your GPU driver
Outdated or buggy graphics drivers are a common cause of the black screen issue. Updating them might just do the trick.
- Manually download the latest drivers from the NVIDIA or AMD websites.
- Use Device Manager in Windows to update your GPU driver.
- Or, update through NVIDIA GeForce Experience.
Keeping your GPU drivers up-to-date can help avoid many problems, including the black screen after sleep.
4. Rollback your graphics driver
If the problem started after a driver update, rolling back to a previous version might fix it.
- Right-click the Start button and open “Device Manager”.
- Find your graphics card under “Display adapters” and open “Properties”.
- Go to the “Driver” tab and click “Roll Back Driver” if you can. If it’s greyed out, you can’t roll back.
- Choose a reason for the rollback and follow the prompts.
- Restart your laptop afterwards.
Rolling back can be a quick fix if a recent update is causing issues.
Related resource: How to Roll Back Windows 11/10 Update to Previous Version
5. Windows Update
Keeping Windows updated can solve a bunch of issues, including the black screen problem.
- Press Win + i to open Windows Settings.
- Go to “Update & Security”.
- Click “Check for updates”.
- Let any available updates install, then restart your laptop.
Updates can fix bugs and improve your laptop’s performance.
Also see: “Turn off hard disk after: (minutes)” setting in Windows 11
6. Disable ULPS (Ultra Low Power Savings)
ULPS can save energy but might cause issues like the black screen after sleep. Disabling it involves editing the registry, so be careful.
- Open the Registry Editor by typing “regedit.exe” in the Start menu.
- Once in the Registry Editor, press
F3. In the search box that appears, type “EnableUlps” and press Enter. - Continue pressing
F3until you locate a registry entry named “EnableUlps” under a subfolder named “0000”. - Double-click on this entry and change its value from 1 to 0.
- Keep using
F3until you discover another “EnableUlps” entry within a “0001” subfolder. - Again, double-click this entry and modify its value from 1 to 0.
Be cautious with registry edits. They can have unintended effects on your system.
7. Potential hardware issue, specifically GPU
If none of the above solutions work, the problem might be with the hardware, like the GPU.
- Check for physical damage and listen for unusual noises.
- Try connecting an external monitor to see if it’s a GPU issue.
- Boot into the BIOS. If the BIOS screen displays correctly, it’s likely not a total GPU failure.
If you suspect a GPU problem, contact the manufacturer or a professional technician.
Suggested read: GPU 100% Usage When Idle or Gaming (Good or Bad)
8. Check RAM using MemTest
Memory issues can also cause black screens after sleep. Running MemTest can help identify any RAM problems.
- Download MemTest86 and create a bootable USB or CD/DVD.
- Boot from it and let the tests run. This might take a few hours.
- If errors are found, your RAM might be faulty.
If RAM is the issue, try reseating or replacing the faulty sticks.
Summing things up
Most of the time, the black screen issue can be solved by updating drivers or adjusting power settings. Start with the simple fixes before moving on to the more complex ones, like disabling ULPS or checking for hardware issues. Step by step, you’ll likely find a solution that works for you.
