How to fix these my dell laptop displays dark blocks?

MD SHAEL 20 Reputation points
2026-08-12T18:38:04.0366667+00:00

Screenshot 2026-08-12 171816

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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Ivan B 123.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-08-12T19:15:46.0966667+00:00

Hi,

Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del), look for Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select Restart.

See if that solves the issue. If it does, do you have any applications like Wallpaper Engine or Lively installed?

Thanks.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-12T18:38:26.1066667+00:00

    Dark blocks like that are most commonly caused by the graphics driver or HDR/display settings.

    Try these in order:

    1. Reset the graphics driver
      • Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B.
      • A beep or brief screen flicker means the reset worked.
    2. Check whether Windows is using the wrong display mode
      • Press Windows + P.
      • Press P again to cycle modes, then press Enter.
    3. Update or reinstall the graphics driver
      • In Settings, go to Windows Update and install the latest display driver updates.
      • If the problem started after a driver change, reinstalling the graphics driver can help. Similar cases of dark or pixelated blocks in only some apps are commonly tied to the graphics driver.
    4. If HDR is enabled, adjust HDR brightness balance
      • Go to Start > Settings > System > Display > HDR.
      • If the display is HDR-capable, lower SDR content brightness, HDR content brightness, or HDR/SDR brightness balance depending on what appears on that page.
      • If some apps do not change immediately, restart the affected app.
    5. If using HDMI with an HDR display, reduce display load
      • Go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display.
      • Try setting the refresh rate to 30 Hz if available.
      • Or go to Display adapter properties > Adapter > List All Modes and try 1920 by 1080, 60 Hertz.
      • If the display supports HDR over DisplayPort, use DisplayPort instead of HDMI.
    6. Test whether it is software or panel hardware
      • If the blocks appear only in certain apps, that points more to the graphics driver.
      • If they also appear everywhere, including startup or recovery screens, that points more to a display or hardware issue.

    If the issue is only on the laptop screen, also check the Dell display/power utility for adaptive brightness or similar display features and turn those off for testing.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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