7 Fixes: Windows 11 Black Screen After Update

User case: how do I fix my black screen on Windows 11 after the update?

Black screen after Windows 11 update
“Hi all! I have just updated my PC to Windows 11 under the developer setting. However, once it’s updated and restarted, after showing the boot screen (of the motherboard) and the window circling dots, the screen is just shown as plain black. I can hear that the window is running cause there is sound coming from it and my keyboard all works, but there is just a plain black screen.”

Microsoft has integrated many new features in Windows 11, such as a new, more Mac-like interface. One of the biggest changes is that Microsoft has changed its famous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) to Black in Windows 11. As shown in the case above, some users encountered a black screen after the Windows 11 update. Others also encountered black screen with cursor after upgrading to Windows 11. Are you also bothered by this problem? Read on to learn more about this issue.

What causes BSOD on Windows 11?

Before we jump on to how to fix it, it’s necessary to know what causes the Windows 11 black screen of death. Since BSOD provides very little information about what caused the computer to crash, some diagnosis and troubleshooting may be required to find the root cause of the problem. Some possible reasons for black screen on Windows 11 are listed below:

✪ Applications incompatibility issues
✪ Memory stick incompatibility/corruption or poor contact
✪ Hardware corruption
✪ MBR or system file error
✪ Driver issues
✪ Virus or malware attack

In the following content, we have listed some of the most effective repair methods to solve the Windows 11 black screen after update.

How to fix black screen on Windows 11

Notes✍: Some of the solutions discussed below may cause data loss. Therefore, if you do not have a copy of your computer, it is recommended that you back up your computer in advance. The best free backup software is provided in the next part. 

There are 7 solutions in total, if you use the last 6 solutions, please boot your PC in safe mode first to be on the safer side and prevent any problem that may occur while troubleshooting the black screen of death error.

Boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode:

1. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your computer. When it starts showing you the Windows Logo on the monitor screen, reboot it again. Repeat two more times to enter WinRE.
2. There, click Advanced options -> Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> Startup Settings.

3. Next, click Restart, and once the system is rebooted, press F4 to enable safe mode.

Solution 1: Disconnect unwanted peripherals

Some of the most common issues that cause the black screen of death are related to hardware-related issues. If you continue to experience computer crashes, you may need to disconnect the peripheral device to see if the problem is resolved. This will include external hard drives, USB devices, printers, additional displays, and phones, etc.

Solution 2: Run Windows memory diagnostic

The internal components of your computer (such as the RAM sticks) may also malfunction or be damaged, resulting in Windows 11 black screen of death. You may need to run memory diagnostics to find out if it is the cause.

1. Press Win+R to open the RUN box, type mdsched.exe, and press Enter.

2. You will be prompted to restart your computer. Click on Restart now and check for problems (recommended).

3. The system will reboot, and the test will initiate. Wait until the test is completed.

4. Once the test is done, restart your PC again and check if the problem is fixed.

Solution 3: Uninstall recent updates

A black screen error may also appear after the system is updated. If you started experiencing BSOD crashes after an update, you may want to roll back those updates. To uninstall recent updates, follow the steps below:

1. Press Win+I to open Settings. Click on Windows Update in the left panel.

2. Then select Update history. Here, you can see all the latest updates that your system has received.

3. Scroll down and click on Uninstall updates under ‘Related Settings’.

4. Then select the most recent updates and click on Uninstall.

5. Once they’re uninstalled, restart your system to see if the black screen on Windows 11 is fixed.

Solution 4: Update/Rollback/Disable/Uninstall device drivers

Just as system updates can cause problems for your system, incompatible or outdated drivers can also cause black screen errors. You may try updating, rolling back, disabling, or uninstalling device drivers to fix this issue.

♦ Update device driver

1. Right-click on the Start button and select Device Manager.

2. If you see a yellow triangle icon for any entry, this highlights that there may be a problem with the driver. Right-click these entries and click Update Driver.

3. Click on Search automatically for drivers to let Windows install the necessary updates.

 ♦ Rollback device drivers

1. Go to Device Manager, expand the device branch whose driver updates you want to roll back.
2. Right-click on the Driver and select Properties.

3. Under the Driver tab, click on Roll Back Driver.

4. Now, check if the error is solved.

♦ Disable/Uninstall device drivers

If you still encounter the black screen error, you may need to completely disable or uninstall these drivers. To do so, go to the driver properties as you did earlier, select the Driver tab, and this time, click on Disable device or Uninstall Device.

Let the process end and check if this has solved the issue.

Solution 5: Run SFC scan

Damaged system files can also cause BSOD errors. You can use the SFC command tool to check if this is the problem.

1. Press Win+R to open the RUN box, type ‘cmd’, and hit Enter.

2. In Command Prompt, type the following command and hit Enter:

• SFC /scannow

It will take a while for the system file checker to diagnose any system file corruption and repair it. Wait until the process is complete, and then check if the error disappears.

Solution 6: Scan PC for malware

Malware infection can also damage system files and cause Windows 11 black screen after upgrade. It is recommended that you perform regular scans to check for such infections and remove the cause of any malicious elements that may be the source of the problem.

Here, I will show you how to run virus scan through Windows Defender on Windows 11.

1. Right-click on the Windows icon on the desktop and click Settings.

2. In the Settings window, select Privacy & security -> Windows Security.

3. Click on the Virus & threat protection option.

4. To get more scan choices, click Scan options.

5. Then you will be asked to select a scan mode. Choose to perform a Full scan rather than Quick scan to ensure that malware is removed from your system. Click Scan now to begin the process.

Solution 7: Perform system restore

Restoring your system to a previous state should solve your black screen on Windows 11. Detailed steps are as follows.

1. Press Start, type recovery and select the option shown below.

2. Then click on Open System Restore.

3. In the pop-up window, click on Next.
4. Then select a restore point and click Next.

5. Now click on Finish to confirm your restore point.

Your computer will now restart and restore your PC to its best working condition.

Best free backup software to prevent unexpected problems

As mentioned earlier, the solutions discussed above may result in data loss. For instance, the last method-System Restore, will bring your device to the default or selected restore point, which will affect your applications, programs, system files, etc.

In order not to lose any data due to Windows 11 black screen after update, or other vulnerabilities, you need to install the latest security patches, such as, November 2022 Patch Tuesday updates. And it is also recommended to back up your computer in advance. The full-featured free backup software – AOMEI Backupper Standard can help you create a copy of your computer with just a few clicks.

AOMEI Backupper enables you to backup files, system, disk, and partition and then restore them. You can back up to multiple destinations, such as internal or external hard drives, cloud drives, network locations, or NAS devices. It also lets you create bootable media to restore data from a BSOD-affected, unbootable, or crashed Windows system.

Create a backup of your computer

As long as you have created a computer backup when you encounter a black screen problem, you can easily use this software to restore to a working state previously. Learn how to back up your computer with the best free backup software from the graphical instructions. Firstly, download and install AOMEI Backupper on your computer.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Backupper, click Backup on the left panel, then select Disk Backup.

Step 2. Click “+ Add Disk” to choose the source disk that you want to backup.

Step 3. Choose the destination place where you plan to store backup image to. It is recommended that you back up to an external disk.

Step 4. (Optional) You can click on “Options”, “Schedule”, “Scheme” on the left corner of this program as per your needs.

✧ Options: If you want to easily distinguish this task from other tasks, you can write comments for the task. You can also enable email notifications to inform you of the result of the operation. Encryption for backups is available after upgrading to higher versions.

 ✧ Schedule: It enables you to automatically back up data on a regular basis, which can improve data security to a large extent. You can choose daily, weekly, or monthly frequency, and so on.

 ✧ Scheme: 4 different backup schemes are supported. Delete old backups to free up disk space while keeping the latest backup versions (available on AOMEI Backupper Professional at least).

Step 5. After finishing all the settings, click Start Backup.

♦ What if none of the above solutions resolve Windows 11 BSOD error

If the black screen of Windows 11 cannot be solved by the above methods, you can use AOMEI Backupper to perform a Universal Restore. You just need to find a working Windows 11 computer and create a system image backup and restore it to your computer.

Note✍: Remember to tick the Universal Restore feature while restoring system image created on different hardware ((available in higher edition).

Conclusion

After reading this article, the error of Windows 11 black screen after update will not appear. However finding the cause of this error can be tedious. The easiest is to use AOMEI Backupper to back up your computer in advance. No matter what happens, you can restore your computer to a working state by this backup.

If you are still troubled by the Windows 11 reset not working error, this software can also help you. At the same time, it is the best alternative to Windows 11 file sharing. Explore its more powerful functions by yourself!