Windows PC or Mac Will Not Turn On or Shows a Black Screen
Symptoms
Use this guide when a Windows PC or Mac has no lights or sound, powers on but shows a black or blank display, displays a pointer on an otherwise black screen, or appears to start and then becomes unresponsive. A blank screen is not always a failed computer. The cause can be power, a display state, an attached accessory, or startup software.
Urgent safety check
Stop immediately if you notice smoke, sparks, a burning or chemical smell, crackling, liquid exposure, severe heat, a damaged power cord, or a case that is bulging or separating. Unplug power only if you can do so without touching a hot or damaged area. Move away from the equipment and contact support or site safety staff. Do not try repeatedly to power it on.
Safe checks
Confirm the power source. Make sure the wall outlet, surge protector, and approved charger or desktop power cable are firmly connected. If safe, test the outlet with a simple known-working device. Bypass a questionable power strip, but do not use a damaged outlet or cable.
Check visible indicators. Note whether charging lights, keyboard lights, fans, sounds, or vibration occur. Increase screen brightness using the normal brightness keys. For a desktop, confirm that the separate display is powered on and set to the expected input.
Disconnect accessories. Remove docks, USB devices, memory cards, external drives, and secondary displays. Leave only approved power, the built-in display, and essential input devices. Then try one normal start.
Perform one controlled power cycle. Hold the power button for about 10 seconds, release it, wait 10 seconds, and press it once normally. This can clear a stuck power state. Avoid repeating forced shutdowns because interrupted writes can damage open work.
For a Windows black screen with signs of life, try display recovery. Press Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B once. You may hear a beep or see a flicker. If a sign-in screen might be present, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete once and wait. Do not enter credentials where you cannot confirm the screen.
For a Mac with power but a blank screen, follow Apple's blank-screen sequence. First disconnect accessories and restart once. If the Mac still starts to a blank screen, stop and contact support rather than experimenting with unfamiliar startup or recovery options.
Record the pattern. Note whether the manufacturer logo appears, whether the screen has a faint glow, how long the problem lasts, and whether it began after travel, a power interruption, a drop, or an approved change.
What not to do
Do not open the case, remove an internal battery, reseat components, use improvised chargers, press random startup key combinations, edit firmware settings, or follow instructions that erase or reinstall the operating system. Do not use registry edits, unapproved repair utilities, or repeated hard shutdowns. Never provide a password, MFA code, recovery key, customer data, or confidential file to troubleshoot startup.
When to escalate
Contact support now for any safety condition, liquid or impact damage, a bulging case, or a device that cycles on and off. Escalate after the checks above if there are no power indicators, the logo never appears, a known-good approved power source makes no difference, or the blank screen returns. If the computer briefly becomes usable, save work to an approved location and contact support before the next failure.
What to include in the ticket
Include the device make, model, asset tag, Windows or macOS if known, exact symptoms, lights or sounds observed, whether a logo appears, the time the issue began, recent non-sensitive changes, and the numbered checks attempted. A photo of the blank screen or external physical damage is useful only if it contains no confidential information. Do not attach passwords, MFA codes, recovery keys, screenshots of sensitive data, or customer files.
Official references
- Microsoft: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/display-graphics/troubleshooting-blank-screens-in-windows
- Apple, Mac does not turn on: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102623
- Apple, Mac starts to a blank screen: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102575