Laptop Screen Not Working But External Monitor Works [Fixed ]

Are you facing a laptop black display issue? It can be frustrating when you can’t see anything on your laptop screen, but your external monitor works fine. 

You might wonder what causes this problem and how to fix it. Is it a hardware issue or a software issue? Do you need to replace your laptop screen or update your drivers?

Don’t panic! In this guide, I will show you how to fix the laptop screen not working but external monitor does issue using five simple troubleshooting methods. These methods are:

  • Remove Battery and Power Supply
  • Update Display Drivers From Device Manager
  • Connecting Laptop With External Monitor
  • Reseat Battery and Cables
  • Reset Your PC

If none of these methods work, then you might need to take your laptop to a repair shop or contact your manufacturer. But before you do that, try these methods first and see if they can solve your problem.

Ready to fix your laptop black display issue? Let’s get started!

What Causes the Laptop Screen Black but the External Monitor Works?

Laptop Screen Not Working But External Monitor Does

The main cause of the laptop screen not working but the external monitor does are corrupted graphic drivers or problems in the LCD backlight.

Test the laptop screen by attaching an external monitor and restarting your laptop. If the image appears on the external monitor, this is due to the graphic driver conflict between your laptop and the external display.

The most common hardware that can make your laptop screen black are the power supply, memory bank, hard disk, and motherboard.

5 Ways To Fix Laptop Screen Not Working But External Monitor Does

In the following section, I will show many steps you can follow to fix the laptop screen black when connected to an external monitor.

1) Remove Battery and Power Supply :

After turning on your laptop, if the Windows logo appears on the monitor screen, your BIOS is perfectly fine, and there is nothing wrong with the BIOS.

Step 1

Try the below Steps

  • Remove your Battery
  • Unplug Your supply
  • Hold the power button for at least 30 Seconds (For releasing Static Power)
  • Plugin your Laptop charger
  • Turn on Laptop

It will work, But for some reason, it does not work. Try the second method as every laptop display problem has something unique cause.

Step 2

After using the first method and you are not successful in turning your black screen of a laptop, then use this method

  • Put back the laptop battery
  • Turn your laptop On and keep it Until the charge is full
  • Press and Hold the Power Button for 30 Seconds
  • Plug the power Supply and Power up the laptop

2) Update Display Drivers From Device Manager

Update Display Drivers From Device Manager

In this method, we will fix the laptop black screen issue by updating or disabling drivers in the device manager

  • Right Click on the Start button and click on Device Manager
  • Click on the Display Driver
  • Click on Intel(R) HD Graphics (or whatever you have) and Disable it

After doing so, the function will restore to your laptop screen, and this method works mostly when the laptop not detecting its monitor.

3) Connecting Laptop With External Monitor

Connecting the laptop with an external monitor to check whether the Screen is working or not and also to make the BIOS detect the Laptop screen.

  • Power Off your laptop
  • Connect your laptop with a VGA or HDMI cable with an external monitor
  • Turn On the laptop

If the BIOS is working fine then these steps will help the BIOS to Recognize your laptop display and you will be able to see the laptop display working.

4) Reseat Battery and Cables For laptop Display Problem

  • Shut down the laptop and close the Laptop screen
  • Remove the charger and other cables from the laptop
  • Remove the laptop battery
  • Clean the metal contact of the laptop battery and laptop battery bay.
  • Reinsert the battery and plugin the charger and other cables
  • Ensure the cable connections are well plugged in and tight
  • Power On the laptop and check the screen display.

5)Reset Your PC to Fix Laptop Black Screen

If your laptop display is black after you turn it on, then what you can do is reset your PC or Laptop to reinstall Windows, and don’t worry about your files, settings, and apps it will not delete with the process.

Step 1:

Press the Windows logo key and L ( win+L). You will be redirected to the Windows 10 login screen.

Step 2:

Hold the Shift key and click on the Power or Restart Button in the screen’s right corner. Doing so, your Laptop or PC will restart in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) environment.

Step 3:

Reset Your PC to Fix Laptop Black Screen

From the option Screen, choose” Troubleshoot” and Reset the PC. After that, click on Next. You will have an option to remove your personnel files etc. You will have to uncheck it and then follow any on-screen instructions windows give to complete the process.

FAQs (laptop display not working but external monitor works)

Following are some most asked questions related to the laptop display issues.

Why is my laptop on but the screen is black?

Having corrupt system files is one factor the operating system didn’t load, and the laptop screen remains black. To Fix this, restart Windows and see if the issue is solved. If the problems persist, Erase your drive and reinstall Windows.

How do I fix my laptop screen but no display?

Press the FN key + the key at the top of the keyboard having a monitor symbol. If the screen is displayed on the external monitor, the issue is with your laptop’s LCD screen. If no image appears on the monitor, either your motherboard, power supply, or video card is defective.

How do I make my external monitor primary?

You can make your external monitor primary by following these steps

1) Right-click on Desktop and select Display
2 You will have the option of monitor switching select your desired one
3 Check the box “Make this my main display”. The other monitor will be now a Secondary Display
4) Click Apply and done

What is the reason for the laptop display not coming?

The leading causes of laptop displays not working are corrupted graphic drivers, Faulty RAM(Random Access Memory), Corrupt System Files, or LCD backlight problems. Also, sometimes a display driver update can fix your laptop’s black display problem.

Conclusion

There are many ways to fix a laptop screen that doesn’t work but an external monitor does

However, if you are still not successful in fixing the issue, the recommended way is to check your laptop with a professional expert in your town or city.

I hope this guide will clear many of your queries and problems related to the laptop screen display of brands like HP, ASUS, Dell, and Toshiba.