The black screen can happen to any computer, no matter how new or old it is. Unfortunately, when you’re affected by this problem, the black screen can last anywhere from a few seconds and up to minutes. It depends on your own computer and everything that’s running on it at the time.
The good news is that there are ways to fix each of these types of issues if you have them. Let’s get into what might be causing your monitor to go black in the first place.
Why Does My Monitor Keep Going Black For a Few Seconds?
To start, we must identify the issue as best we can to provide you with the best solution appropriate for your needs.
There are numerous reasons why monitors will go black, although a few of the more common reasons include:
- Full reboot of the device
- Faulty connection cord
- Monitor hardware failure
Let’s take look at each of these issues in turn to identify what might be causing your screen to go black.
Cables
If your monitor goes black for a few seconds and then comes back on, it’s usually because something went wrong with the cable or power to the device.
These cables can include the power cable running into the monitor, as well as any other type of connector such as HDMI cables, and display port cables. To check this issue you can simply swap out any of the cables to see if this fixes the problem.
If for some reason, you’re using a DVI connection instead of an HDMI connection, then check your cables and hardware with another monitor.
If the problem persists, try swapping out the monitor too. Maybe you have an old component that needs replacing.
A lot of times monitors will have a specific power cord that is designed for that device so you will want to use that one instead of using a generic power cord.
This problem is typically easy to solve if you can figure out what part of the connection between the computer and the monitor is causing the issue, and it should soon be working properly again.
Monitor Overheating
Dead pixels, screen flickering, and the screen randomly turning black are all issues that can be caused by an over-heating monitor.
What causes a monitor to overheat?
There are a couple of reasons but the main reason is almost always going to be a lack of ventilation. What does ventilation mean? Ventilation means your monitor has sufficient airflow around the components and through the vents.
By adding additional vents, your monitor will run cooler and you will experience far less screen flickering and random blackouts.
Monitor Refresh Rate
One of the most common causes for your monitor to go dark is not having it on the correct refresh rate.
Some monitors will default to a 60 Hz refresh rate and while this isn’t a big deal for watching high-quality television, the same thing can’t be said when it comes to being productive.
If you are using your computer for work purposes, then you should turn on the highest refresh rate available.
If you don’t have your monitor on the correct refresh rate then it could start showing signs of screen tearing right from boot up.
Graphics Drivers
If your monitor is going black for a few seconds, then you should try updating your graphics drivers.
The reason for this problem is because your graphics card has become corrupted and needs to be repaired or updated to deal with the screen going black.
If the latest graphics card drivers are causing you issues with your monitor going black, then you will need to downgrade them.
The graphics card could also be having problems keeping up with processing all of the information that you are sending through them.
Power Supply
Another possible cause for your monitor turning off is due to excess strain on the power supply coming from your computer. This can happen if the hardware inside your system is not properly seated.
If you believe that this is a possibility, then you might want to think about replacing your power supply.
Another thing that you can do in order to rule out the power supply as the issue is that you can try switching the plugs that you are using or even try using another outlet for your computer so that you could eliminate possible inconsistencies in the power grid of your house or office.
Computer Crash
Your PC or Mac may crash or freeze. This is probably one of the easiest reasons as to why your monitor might go black. If you have been using your computer for a long time there is every chance that the graphics card may have overheated.
The computer tries to cool itself down by cycling the power, which means it will simply turn off for a few moments before it turns back on again.
The same thing happens if you are running using too much memory (RAM) and not enough of it is being used. If you have a program that goes rogue and keeps resetting your processor’s clock settings, this could bring about the same result.
Conclusion
Monitor blacking out is a concern for many people. When this problem occurs it’s more than just a little frustrating when you’re in the middle of an important project.
It can take a few minutes to reboot your computer and power up the monitor again depending on what’s causing the issue.
As a result, having troubleshooting steps that eliminate potential causes is important to be able to locate the source of the problem and take action to repair it.
In this post we have discussed some of the common issues that may cause your monitor to go black.
As mentioned before, you’ll want to check and make sure everything is plugged in properly. Disconnect a cable at a time from the computer and monitor until the problem disappears for a moment. This is so that you can discover which cable is causing this issue and replace it if needed.
