How to Fix Windows 11/10 Black Screen with Cursor?

David Darlington

Apr 16, 2024 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions

Many Windows users face this issue where their Windows 10 PC is stuck on a black screen with a cursor only. This issue can be irritating and can restrict you from using your PC or laptop. But there are several fixes that you can use to fix this issue of the black screen with only a cursor.

How to Fix Windows 11/10 Black Screen With Cursor Issue | 11 Solutions

There are various methods to fix Windows 10 black screen with cursor issues. Follow any of the below-elaborated methods and see if it helps you in getting rid of the issue.

Method 1. Turn Off Fast Startup

Windows 10 comes with an extremely useful feature "Fast Startup". But in terms of achieving the fast bootup, it restricts your Windows from winding up properly at the time you are shutting your System down. This puts your Windows 10 at risk of various kinds of malfunctioning possibilities, and one of those is Windows 10 black screen with the cursor.

If you know that the Windows 11/10 black screen with cursor issue is occurring due to the Fast Startup feature, then turning off the Fast Startup might help.

1. First, you need to start your Windows PC in Safe Mode.
2. Go to Search-panel on Task Bar and search for "Control Panel". Go to "Control Panel" from the search results and choose "Small icons" under the "View by" sorting command.

3. Now, look for "Power Options" and click on it. Now, under the "Power Options" window, on the right-hand panel, you will see a "choose what power buttons do" option, click on it.

4. On the new window, under "Define power buttons….", you will see an option "Change settings that are currently unavailable", click on it.

5. You will be now able to access "Shutdown settings" below on the same window. Under the "Shutdown setting" look for "Turn on Fast Startup (recommended)" option. You will see the Fast Startup enabled, uncheck the option to disable Fast Startup.
6. Once you have unchecked the "Turn on Fast Startup" option, click on the "Save" button at the bottom of the window.

After completing the process, shut down your Windows PC and try to restart it again in normal mode.

Method 2. Restart File Explorer

When your computer shows black screen with cursor, you could shut down the File Explorer app and restart it to see if the problem can be solved.

1. Launch Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc simultaneously.
2. Find Windows Explorer under the Processes tab, and right-click on it.
3. Click Restart. Or End task, and restart it manually.

Method 3. Change Display Project

Switching the display screen sometimes can solve the Windows black screen with cursor problem.

1. Press Windows+P to launch Project.
2. By default, it shows that the PC screen only option is selected. You can select any other option to switch the display screen.
3. Then select PC screen only again to switch it back.
4. Check if the problem is fixed.

Method 4. Change Display Device

If you have multiple screens for your Windows computer, this solution may also work.

1. Type Settings in the search box and press Enter to open Windows Settings.
2. Go to System->Display.
3. Find the Multiple displays section, and click on the Advanced display settings option.
4. Then, go to “Choose display” section to select a different display screen for your computer.

Method 5. Uninstall/Reinstall or Update Graphics Card

Graphics Card in your Windows PC is the one component that deals with most of the screen-related tasks. The slightest of problem in your Graphic card can cause various errors in your display, including the issue of a black screen without a cursor. Thus, updating, disabling, or reinstalling of the Graphic card might help you.

1. Try to start your Windows PC in Safe Mode.
2. Go to the search – panel on Task Bar and search for "Device Manager". Click on Device Manager from the results to access the Device Manager window.
3. On the Device Managers window, look for the "Display Adapters" option. Click on Display Adapters to see the Integrated or external Graphics Cards. Now, left-click on the Graphic card you want to take action on and choose from the options Update, Disable, or Uninstall, as per your requirement.

Method 6. Enable GPU Acceleration

1. Type Settings in the search box next to the Start menu.
2. Go to System->Display.
3. Find the Graphics settings option.
4. Ensure that the Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling option is activated.
5. Restart your computer and test if your computer works normally.

Method 7. Reset the Windows GPU Driver

In most cases, the computer black screen issue can be related to your computer’s graphics driver. In this case, you can try to fix the Windows black screen with cursor problem by rebooting your graphics driver.

1. To reboot the driver, you only need to press Win+Ctrl+Shift+B at the same time.
2. Your computer screen will turn to black for a few seconds. And some computers may won’t show anything.
3. That’s it. The graphics driver has been reset now.

Method 8. Update BIOS

BIOS in your Windows 11/10 system is one of the most important software. It is a Basic Input and Output System and is used by your computer's microprocessor. It helps the processor in getting your Windows ready. It also helps with input from your input devices and output to your output devices. It plays a role in all kinds of data flow inside your system, to your system, and from your system. Sometimes a problem in the BIOS software can result in an error that causes Windows 11/10 black screen with or without a cursor. Sometimes updating BIOS software can also repair the issue of the black screen with the cursor on Windows.

If you want to update your BIOS, you can visit the website of your Motherboard manufacturer and follow the instructions to download and update the latest version of BIOS on your system. But, as BIOS is extremely critical software for your Windows system, and is extremely complicated to deal with, we recommend you consult a professional to update your BIOS and fix the problem of the Windows black screen with the cursor.

Method 9. Reset Your PC

If the black screen with cursor issue on your PC is a result of a bug in your Windows, then resetting your Windows PC is the most basic yet most useful thing you can do. Though the Reset Your PC tool allows you to keep your personal files, we recommend taking a secure backup to avoid data loss.

1. Start your Windows 10 PC having the error of a black screen with a cursor in Safe Mode.
2. Once you are in Safe Mode, from your Desktop, go to the "Start" menu. Click on the "Settings" icon to be redirected to the "System Settings" window.
3. Once in System Settings, click on the "Update & Security" tab to go to the respective windows. Under "Update & Security", look for the "Recovery" tab, and click on it to enter the recover panel that will be shown on the left side of the Window.
4. Under the Recovery panel, click on "Get Started" under the "Reset This PC" section. You will be directed to a mini window. You will be asked whether you wish to keep your files or not. Choose the option as per your requirements and proceed ahead according to the instructions.

Method 10. Boot into Safe Mode and Remove Problematic Software

If you know which software is causing the black screen problem, then you can remove the problematic software.

1. Start your Windows 11/10 PC having the error of a black screen with a cursor in Safe Mode.
2. Once on the Home Screen of your Windows 10 system, use the shortcut "Windows+R" to access the "Run" command window. In the Run search box, type "appwiz.cpl" and press OK.
3. You will be redirected to the "Programs & Features" window where you will see all kinds of programs running on your System listed. From here you can find and remove any problematic software that's causing the issue of a black screen on your PC.

Method 11. Troubleshoot in Clean Boot State

Windows allows you to boot your PC in a clean state. It means booting your PC with all the unnecessary programs disabled. This can help you in finding the problem.

1. On the search panel of your Task Bar, type "MSConfig" and press Enter. Now go to the "Services" tab on the window panel that pops up.
2. Once you are under "Services", go to the "Hide all Microsoft Services" option located at the bottom edge of the window on the right side, and then click the checkbox next to it. Once done, click on the "Disable All" option located at the bottom left of the window.

3. Now, switch to the "Startup" tab located next to the "Service" tab on the same window. On the Startup tab, you'll see the "Open Task Manager" option. Click on it to open Task Manager.

4. On the Task Manager window, look for any Startup program that you think might be causing a problem. Disable all such Startup programs one by one using the "Disable" button at the bottom left of the window.

5. Once it's done, close the Task Manager by using "X" for the selective window, and then click on "OK" on the Startup tab.
6. Now Restart your PC.

Now your PC will restart only with essential programs. You can then see if the problem of the black screen with the cursor on your Windows PC still persists or if it's solved. You can try and access all the enabled tools and programs to see if one of them is causing the issue. If none of the essential programs shows any issue, you need to then find the issue in the disabled programs and services. You can repeat "Steps 1- 2", and this time by keeping half of the "Non-Microsoft" services enabled, and restart your PC. You can do this again and again by enabling or disabling the remaining "Non-Microsoft" services until the error or program that's causing a black screen is found.

Note: Do not disable the essential services to Windows. 

In addition, you can learn how to fix the Acer laptop's black screen issue.

Bonus: Recover Lost Data After the Black Screen with Cursor Error in Windows 11/10

When you encounter a black screen with a cursor error, it means all data on your computer can't be accessed. Don't worry. Here is a powerful utility to help you recover lost data even when the computer becomes a black screen. That's Wondershare Recoverit.

The Recoverit Data Recovery tool is the best recovery tool that you can use to recover lost data. It can recover 100% of lost files and also allow you to recover data from crashed Windows. Thus, if you want a secure and reliable recovery of your data, you should only use the Recoverit tool. Follow the below instruction to make it.

Video Tutorial on How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows 11/10/8/7 Easily?

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1. After successfully installing Recoverit on your computer, click on the icon to launch the software. From the recovery options provided in the menu, select "Recover from Crash Computer" and click the "Start" button.

2. You will be required to select a bootable drive. The options include a USB bootable drive and a CD/DVD bootable drive. In this case, we will select a USB bootable drive. Click on the "Create" button to initialize the process.

3. A pop window will immediately appear prompting you to format your USB drive. Ensure that you have backed-up all the data on your USB drive to avoid further data loss. Click the "Format" button once you are certain.

4. The process of creating a bootable drive immediately begins. Avoid removing the USB flash drive to ensure you don't interrupt the process.

5. This process will often take a while. Don't be alarmed and feel the need to interrupt it. Once it is complete, three simple steps will be displayed on your screen. You can simply choose to follow the steps or view the full guide.

6. An important step before starting your recovery process is changing your computer boot sequence. Simply restart your pc and enter the BIOS menu. In the menu, set your computer to boot through the USB drive you just created by selecting "Removable devices". Save the changes and exit. Learn how to set the computer to boot from a USB drive 

7. Once you boot your computer from the USB drive, the Recoverit software will immediately be launched. You can now simply recover data from your drives.

By following the above-mentioned steps, you'll be able to recover all of your data lost while fixing the error of the back screen on your Windows PC.

What Causes Black Screen With Cursor?

This issue of the Windows 11/10 screen going black with the only cursor can happen for various reasons. It can be a result of Graphic card failure or the failure of connections under your display. But most of the time it happens due to the malfunctioning of some program or software installed on your Windows. There are programs that interfere with the Start-up process of your Windows, and sometimes an error in them can restrict the proper bootup for your Windows.

Conclusion:

Without fixing the issue of the Windows 11/10 black screen with only a cursor, you won't be able to use your System. Thus, it's necessary that you follow one of the above-mentioned methods to fix this issue of the black screen with only a cursor.