The screen is black, or nothing comes out of the speakers. Either way the first thought is “it's broken.”
Open Microsoft's blank-screen document, though, and step two is a key combination. ⭐ The point is that it does not fix anything — it tells you whether the PC is alive.
⭐⭐⭐ Windows logo key + Ctrl + Shift + B
It restarts the graphics driver. And the document adds this —
“You should hear a beep or see a screen flicker if successful.”
⭐⭐ Even with the screen still black, a beep means the PC is on and only the display is out.
⭐ Separating “no display” from “won't turn on” takes a few seconds — and the two lead to completely different work.
⭐⭐⭐ Display — Microsoft's five basic steps
| # | The step as written | ⭐ What it separates out |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ 1 | ⭐ Check connections — charged or plugged in; external monitors connected and powered | ⭐ Cables come first |
| ⭐ 2 | ⭐ Wake the screen — Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B | ⭐⭐ “Beep or flicker” = the PC is alive |
| 3 | Check display mode — Windows + P, tap P again, press Enter | ⚠️ For output sent to a different screen |
| 4 | Ctrl + Alt + Del — if the security screen appears, restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager | ⭐ The security screen appearing at all means Windows is running |
| ⚠️ 5 | ⚠️ Force restart — hold the power button for 20 seconds | ⚠️ Last |
| ⭐ The advanced steps that follow run: check hardware connections → safe mode (force shutdown by holding the power button 10 seconds, repeated 2–3 times) → update or roll back graphics drivers → restart Explorer (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) → system restore. | ||
⭐⭐ Steps 2 and 4 show what kind of list this is. Neither repairs the display — both report how far the PC is still working.
| If you get this response | ⭐ What it tells you | Where to look next |
|---|---|---|
| A beep or a screen flicker (step 2) | ⭐ The PC is on; the problem is graphics | Display mode (step 3) → drivers (advanced 3) |
| Ctrl + Alt + Del brings up the security screen | ⭐ Windows is running; only the display is blocked | Restart Explorer from Task Manager |
| ⚠️ No response at all | ⚠️ This does not separate it from “won't turn on” | ⭐ Go to when the computer won't turn on |
| ⚠️ The third row's “does not separate” is our judgement. The document does not say it. | ||
⭐⭐ Sound — the first solution is “check your speaker output”
The audio document has just as clear an order. ⭐ Not drivers first, but “where is it going?”
| # | The solution as written | ⭐ How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ 1 | ⭐ Check your speaker output — Start > Settings > System > Sound, then select the correct audio device under Output | ⭐⭐ “Make sure the volume is not muted and the slider is turned up” sits in the same step |
| 2 | Set the default playback device — right-click the device and set as default | ⭐ A separate matter from step 1 — “selected now” and “the default” are different things |
| 3 | Turn off audio enhancements — set Audio enhancements to Off in advanced settings | The feature meant to improve sound can block it |
| ⚠️ 4 | ⚠️ Run the automated Audio troubleshooter — via the Get Help app | ⚠️ Last |
| ⚠️ This document has no separate steps for cables, the volume mixer, or restarting the audio service, ⚠️ so none appear above. | ||
⭐⭐ Step 1 of the display document and step 1 of the audio document ask the same question — “where is the output going right now?” ⭐ If you run two monitors, or pair and unpair earbuds often, it frequently ends in that single box.
⭐ When a Mac stops at a blank screen
Apple's document is far shorter, and its order is different.
| # | The step as written | ⭐ How it differs from Microsoft |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ 1 | ⭐ Power cycle — “Press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off” | ⚠️⚠️ The force restart that is Microsoft's last basic step is Apple's first |
| 2 | Start up from macOS Recovery | If Recovery starts: repair the startup disk with Disk Utility → if it persists, reinstall macOS |
| 3 | If Recovery won't start — on Apple silicon or T2 models, revive or restore the firmware | ⭐ It adds: if you use an external display, check the display itself |
| ⚠️ 4 | ⚠️ Contact Apple for service | |
| ⭐ On laptops with Touch ID, press and hold the Touch ID button instead. | ||
⚠️⚠️ Same blank screen, and the two companies' first steps are opposites. ⭐ Microsoft establishes whether it is alive; Apple power cycles. ⚠️ Neither document says which is right — though following the one written for your own machine seems the safer bet.
⭐ If there is no sign of power at all, when the computer won't turn on is the right article; if it starts but drags, the slow-computer article. If only the connection is down, see when the internet is not working.
Questions people ask
I pressed Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B and nothing happened
⚠️ The document only describes success (“a beep or a screen flicker”) and says nothing about no response. ⭐ Following the list, the next moves are steps 3 and 4 (Windows + P, Ctrl + Alt + Del). ⚠️ If none of them produce anything, the problem is no longer narrowed to the display.
I run two monitors and only one is black
⭐ That is exactly step 3 — Windows + P to cycle display modes. ⭐ Apple's document separately says to check the external display itself when one is in use.
I unplugged my earphones and the speakers still don't play
⭐ Solutions 1 and 2 cover that case. “The output device selected now” and “the default playback device” are separate settings, which is why the document splits them into two steps.
Is holding the power button for 20 seconds safe?
⭐ Microsoft lists “hold the power button for 20 seconds” as the last of the five basic steps, and in the advanced procedure says to force shutdown by holding for 10 seconds, repeated 2–3 times, to reach safe mode. ⚠️ In both cases only after the earlier steps have been tried.
Sources
- ⭐⭐⭐ Microsoft official support — Troubleshooting blank screens in Windows (checked August 2026). Source for the five basic steps and their order, ⭐ Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B and “you should hear a beep or see a screen flicker if successful,” the Windows + P sequence, Ctrl + Alt + Del then restarting Explorer, the 20-second force restart, and the advanced procedure (hardware connections → 10-second force shutdown repeated 2–3 times for safe mode → graphics driver update or rollback → Ctrl + Shift + Esc → system restore).
- ⭐⭐⭐ Microsoft official support — Fix audio issues when no sound plays from speakers or headphones in Windows (checked August 2026). Source for the four solutions and their order, ⭐ solution 1's “select the correct audio device” and “make sure the volume is not muted and the slider is turned up,” solution 2 on the default playback device, solution 3 on audio enhancements, and solution 4's automated troubleshooter.
- ⭐⭐ Apple official support — If your Mac starts up to a blank screen (checked August 2026). Source for “press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off,” the macOS Recovery → Disk Utility → reinstall sequence, the firmware revive or restore for Apple silicon and T2 models, the note about checking an external display, and the Touch ID button.
- ⭐ Checked directly. “Steps 2 and 4 report rather than repair,” “display and sound open with the same question,” and “the two companies' first steps are opposites” are our comparison of three documents set side by side; none of them puts it that way.
What we could not verify
- ⚠️⚠️ How often each step resolves the problem. None of the three documents says which step fixes the most cases. The order looks like easiest-first, but the pages do not say so.
- ⚠️⚠️ Diagnosing a failed monitor or speaker. This article reads computer-side documents only. Display and audio makers' own procedures were not checked.
- ⚠️ Cables, the volume mixer, the audio service. Not separate steps in the audio document, so not included.
- ⚠️ Windows 10 against Windows 11. Whether the display steps are identical across versions was not checked.
- ⚠️ Bluetooth devices. The audio document opened here has no Bluetooth-specific procedure.
As of August 2026. The display and audio steps come from Microsoft official support, the Mac procedure from Apple official support, and the comparison across the three is marked as ours. ⚠️⚠️ If hardware failure is suspected, do not open the machine — take it to the manufacturer or a service centre.
