Computer black screen with cursor Windows 10 problem [fixed]

Windows 10, while an efficient operating system, can surprise you with random errors. One such problem is that of a black screen with a cursor.

There is no error code shown on the screen, nor is there any indicator that tells for how long the black screen will stay.

The computer black screen with a cursor in Windows 10 is not a normal thing, and there could be several reasons why this error has cropped up. Common reasons include:

A feature update installation that may causing compatibility issues
Some problem with a Windows update
Loose display connection
A hardware related issue

Kindly note this is not an all-inclusive list. You may also get this error because of other reasons.

Whatever the reason might be, the good news is you can resolve the computer black screen with cursor Windows 10 problem fairly quickly. To make things easy for you, we have shared a few solutions that can help resolve the issue.

Windows 10 black screen with cursor

Solution One – Check connection (for Desktops)

The first thing you need to do is ensure the connection at both ends is firm and the video input connector is well seated in the slot. The connection check solution is directed towards desktop users. If you have multiple video ports, try using a different video port. If the black screen problem does not appear with the new video port, the old port is to blame for the issue.

If the black screen issue is persistent at all video ports, you can conclude the video ports are working fine and you need to look elsewhere to find the root cause of the issue. Try the next solution in line.

Solution Two- Remove the battery (for laptops)

As mentioned above the solution is the only application for the computer that runs on batteries. Here are the steps to follow.

Shut down your Windows 10 OS
After the laptop is completely switched off, remove the battery
With the battery removed, press and hold the power button on the laptop for half a minute or more
Put back the battery in your laptop and boot Windows

Check whether the black screen issue is resolved. If it persists, move to the next solution.

Note – All solutions discussed below require access to Windows settings. Since you are facing the black screen with a cursor problem in Normal mode, you cannot execute the steps until you reach the desktop screen. In that scenario, the only way out is booting Windows in Safe Mode and then following the steps given below.

How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode from a black/blank screen?

Before you boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode, the computer needs to enter the Windows Recovery Environment. To do this, switch off the computer repeatedly (2-3 times). Here are the steps to follow.

Press the Power button and hold it down for 10 seconds to power off the computer
Press the Power button to switch the computer on
When you see the Windows logo on the screen or the manufacturer’s logo, press and hold down the Power button for 10 seconds to power off the computer again
Press the Power button to turn on your computer
Restart your computer and press and hold down the Power button again for 10 seconds to turn off the computer
Press the Power button again to start the computer
This time allow the computer to restart completely. It will enter the Windows Recovery environment

Now that the computer is in the Recovery environment, you can start the computer in Safe Mode. Here are the steps to follow.

On the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> Startup Settings -> Restart.

After the computer restarts, you will see different options to start your computer

You need to select option 5 – Safe Mode with networking. You can press F5 to start the computer in Safe Mode.

After your computer boots into Safe Mode, you need to perform the troubleshooting steps given in the solutions given below. After trying every solution, you need to exit Safe Mode and see if the computer black screen with the cursor Windows 10 issue is resolved.

How to exit Windows Safe Mode?

Press Windows logo key and R button on the keyboard simultaneously
Type msconfig in the Run box and hit Enter on the keyboard
In the System Configuration window, go to the Boot tab
Under the boot options, uncheck the box – Safe boot
Close all windows
Shut down the PC

Solution Three- Disable Fast Startup

The Windows 10 Fast Startup mode is a nice feature. It combines the hibernate and cold shutdown features. When the fast startup mode is enabled Windows shits down all programs and logs off all users before shutdown just like a cold shutdown. However, the Windows kernel and system session is running and its image is stored like in the hibernate mode.

When you boot your system, the Windows kernel and system session is not freshly loaded but loaded from the memory. This might cause errors like a black screen with a cursor. Many users have reported disabling fast startup has resolved the black screen issue in Windows 10. Here are the steps to follow.

Press the key combination Windows + R to bring up the Run dialog
Type powercfg.cpl and hit Enter on the keyboard
In the Power Options window, click the “Choose what the power buttons do” option that appears on the left

In the next screen, scroll down to Shutdown settings
Uncheck the option – Turn on fast startup

Click Save changes
Close all windows
Restart your PC

Check if the black screen with a cursor problem appears. If the issue is not resolved, move to the next solution.

Solution 4 – Disable integrated graphics card

Many laptops come with a dedicated graphics card. In some scenarios, the motherboard in the laptop also has an integrated graphics card. According to computer experts, only one graphics card needs to be active in Windows. There is a possibility the Windows 10 OS is considering the integrated graphics card as a second monitor which is causing the black screen computer.

In that scenario, disabling an integrated graphics card is a safe option. Here are the steps to follow.

Click on Start and then click on Run
Type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter on the keyboard
In the Device Manager window, expand Display Adapters
Check whether you can see two display adapters

In most cases, the graphics card with Intel’s name is the integrated graphics card, for example the Intel HD 400 graphics card. Check the computer specifications to know about integrated graphics card

Right-click on the integrated graphics card and click on Disable
Close Device Manager window

Reboot your computer in normal mode to see if the black screen issue has been fixed. If the problem persists, move to the next solution.

Solution 5 – Login into Windows with a different user account

The black screen issue could be the result of a corrupted user profile. To ensure that is not the case in your computer problem, you need to log into Windows with a different user account. If the black screen problem does not surface when you log in as a different user, you can copy the current user profile (the good one) to your existing profile (the bad one) and get the older user account working again.

Start your computer in Safe Mode
At the login screen, you will see an option Switch user
Click Switch User
It will show you all existing user account in Windows 10 including the regular user account you used that might be corrupt
Click on the user account which you want to use
Enter PIN or password to log in to Windows

After you have logged into a working user account, perform the steps given below

Go to following folder – C:\Users\{working-user-profile-name}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Caches.

Copy the folder Caches

Go to following folder – C:\Users\{working-user-profile-name}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Caches.

Replace the folder with a folder from the working user profile

If you don’t have another user account, you need to create one with administrator rights. Here are the steps to follow.

Steps to create a new user account with admin rights

Before you proceed with the steps given below, you need to ensure the account you would be signing in is an administrator account. If it is not an administrator account, you need to activate the default administrator account by following the steps given below

Click Start and type cmd in Cortana search
Right-click command prompt from search results and click Run as administrator
If prompted type the username and password that grants admin rights to the computer
Type: net user administrator /active:yes.
Hit Enter on the keyboard

After activating the default admin account, log in to your admin account and perform the steps given below.

Click Start and type settings in Cortana search
Click Settings that appears at the top of search results
In Windows Settings, click Accounts
In the next window, click Family and Other People that appears in the left pane
Under Other People, click the + icon with the title Add someone else to this PC

Follow the on-screen instructions to create a user account.

If changing user accounts have not helped, move to the next solution.

Solution 6 – Set the display output to IGFX in BIOS

IGFX sets the onboard graphics as the first display. Many users have reported setting the display output to IGFX in BIOS helped them resolve the black screen with a cursor issue in Windows 10.

You need to access BIOS to set the display output to IGFX. The BIOS access key is not standard and it could be F2, Del, or F4. Check your laptop documentation or motherboard documentation to know the right BIOS access key

Start the computer and press the right BIOS access key repeatedly until the computer enters BIOS
Once you get access to BIOS settings, look for the display output setting and set it to IGFX
Save Changes to BIOS and exit BIOS.
Restart your computer

Check whether the black screen issue has been resolved. If it persists, the last resort is Reset the PC.

Solution 7 – Reset this PC

Reset Windows will reinstall windows that are more likely to resolve the black screen with a cursor issue in Windows. Resetting the PC will delete all settings, apps, and files. Hence, we recommend you to take a backup of important data in Safe Mode before following the steps given below.

Click Start -> Settings
In the Settings window, click Update and Security

In the Update and Security, click Recovery in the left pane

When the Recovery options are revealed in the window, go to Reset this PC section
Click Get Started
In the next window, you will get two options – Keep my files and Remove Everything