Windows 11 has a black screen on startup every startup

Jack125 0 Reputation points
2026-08-20T08:21:14.2233333+00:00

On startup/restart the login screen is just a black screen, and none of my key pressing does anything. My graphics card drivers are up to date, Windows+ctrl+shift+B doesn't do anything, the only thing that fixes it is turning the PC off by holding down the power button and then turning it back on again, after which the PC functions perfectly normally, but I don't want to be doing that every single startup because it means there's still something wrong with the PC. I thought it was windows discovery because before I turned that off the popup with the location name and the little location bubble symbol showed up on my secondary monitor while the rest of the screen was black, but after turning windows discovery off the screen is just all black instead.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Display and graphics
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  1. DaveM121 926K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-20T09:34:53.8566667+00:00

    This problem is most likely caused by a Windows update, if reinstalling the graphics card drivers did not resolve the problem, the best option is to open the Settings App.

    Go to System - Recovery.

    Click the 'Reinstall Now' button in the 'Fix problems with Windows Updates' section and wait for that process to complete.

    This process should resolve the black screen problem if it is caused by Windows Updates, and this process will not affect your files, Settings or installed apps.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-20T08:21:30.3166667+00:00

    Since the black screen happens at sign-in and a hard power-off temporarily clears it, use this order of troubleshooting:

    1. Try the display recovery shortcuts again in this sequence:
      • Press Windows + P, then press P again and Enter to cycle display modes.
      • Press Ctrl + Alt + Del. If the security screen appears, open Task Manager.
      • In Task Manager, restart Windows Explorer. If it is not listed, select File > Run new task, type explorer.exe, and press Enter.
    2. Check whether Windows is loading the correct shell.
      • This issue can happen when sign-in completes but the desktop shell does not start.
      • Open Registry Editor with Windows + R, type regedit, and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
      • Verify the Shell value is explorer.exe.
      • Warning: editing the registry can cause serious problems if done incorrectly. Back up the registry before making changes.
    3. Perform a clean boot.
      • If the shell value is correct, perform a clean boot to identify whether a startup app or service is causing the black screen after sign-in.
    4. Boot into Safe Mode and check the display driver state.
      • Force shutdown by holding the power button for about 10 seconds.
      • Repeat this 2–3 times until Windows enters Recovery Mode.
      • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
      • Press F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.
      • In Device Manager, expand Display adapters, right-click the GPU, and choose Update driver.
      • If the problem started after a driver or Windows update, choose Roll back driver instead.
    5. If the issue began recently, use recovery options:
      • In Recovery Mode, try Startup Repair.
      • If available, try System Restore to a point before the issue started.
      • If the problem began after an update, try uninstalling the latest update from Troubleshoot > Advanced Options.
    6. Check for broader system causes once the PC starts normally:
      • Open Device Manager and look for devices marked with an exclamation point.
      • Make sure the system drive has roughly 10% to 15% free space.
      • Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update and install the latest updates.

    If the system works normally only after a forced shutdown and this continues even after Safe Mode checks, clean boot, and recovery actions, the next supported path is System Restore or other Recovery options in Windows 11.

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

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