How to Troubleshoot Display or Video Issues on a Dell Monitor

In a well-lit environment, the monitor might be on, but the screen could appear blank because the display brightness is set to its lowest level, making it seem like it is not turned on.

All monitors have brightness and contrast controls. The location of the brightness settings in the menu may vary depending on your monitor model.

Below are generic steps to locate and ensure that the brightness level is at its highest.

1. Press the bottom-most control button either on the front or right side edge of the monitor.
2. Press the button to the right of the Menu (make note of any Model number showing).
3. Look for the Brightness and Contrast settings. Ensure that the brightness is set to its highest level.

If you have another monitor available, disconnect the current monitor, and replace it with the other monitor. This helps eliminate several factors that might prevent a video signal from reaching the original monitor. When the monitor you are testing with works, ensure all the settings on the original monitor are correct and that the cable connections are secure. See the  manual for your monitor page for how to change the settings.

For more information, see Dell Knowledge Base article How to Connect a Monitor to a Dell Computer.

If you do not have a second monitor to test with, go to the next step.

Accessories like external hard drives, USB devices, Wi-Fi antennas, printers, and VR headsets can sometimes interfere with the boot process. If your computer screen remains black on startup, disconnect all non-essential peripherals. Reconnect the devices one by one to see which device might be causing the issue.

No matter how careful you are, accidents can happen. Has the monitor been dropped, knocked over, or liquid spilled on it?

Internal damage caused by these sorts of situations could prevent the monitors from working correctly.

Unless you have an active accidental damage policy, you have to cover the cost of repair yourself. For out of warranty repair service, see Dell Knowledge Base article How to Arrange an Out of Warranty Repair on Your Dell Computer.

Dell monitors can be reset to factory default settings using the on-screen display (OSD) menu. This can be accessed using the buttons or joystick that is available on the Dell monitor.

For step-by-step instructions on how to reset a Dell monitor to factory default settings, browse to the Dell Product Manuals page to obtain the manual for your monitor. You must input your Service tag or Monitor model number to obtain the Product Manual.
Tips for finding the Service tag or Monitor model number.

• Use the model number noted before.
• Check the Quick Start Guide or model number on the box that the monitor came in.
• Look for a sticker on the back of the monitor for the model number or Service Tag.

The Video Playback Troubleshooter helps find and fix issues with your display, including playing movies TV shows or videos.

For Windows 11 perform the following steps:

1. Press and hold the Windows () key, and then press the q key.
2. In the search box, type settings.
3. Select Settings (System) in the list of results.
4. Select System from the column on the left.
5. Select Troubleshoot.
6. Select Other troubleshooters.
7. Select Run to the right of Video Playback. You are given several choices, select the option that best matches your issue, and follow the prompts.

For Windows 10 perform the following steps:

1. Press and hold the Windows () key, and then press the q key.
2. In the search box, type settings.
3. Select Settings (System) in the list of results.
4. Select Update & Security.
5. Select Troubleshoot.
6. Select Additional troubleshooters.
7. Select Video Playback, and then select Run the troubleshooter. You are given several choices, select the option that best matches your issue, and follow the prompts.

When the current display settings are not optimal for your monitor, what you see on the screen may be distorted or not the right size.

For Windows 11 perform the following steps to check the monitor settings:

1. Press and hold the Windows () key, and then press the q key.
2. In the search box, type display settings.
3. Select Display settings (System settings) in the list of results.
4. On the display page, ensure that the drop-down menu under Scale is set to the recommended setting.
5. On the display page, ensure that the drop-down menu under Display resolution is set to the recommended setting.

For Windows 10 perform the following steps to check the monitor settings:

1. Press and hold the Windows () key, and then press the q key.
2. In the search box, type settings.
3. Select Settings (System) in the list of results.
4. Select System.
5. On the display page, ensure that the drop-down menu under Change the size of text, app, and other items is set to the recommended setting.
6. On the display page, ensure that the drop-down menu under Display resolution is set to the recommended setting.

Resetting the graphics drivers may help with any corrupt settings causing distorted images on the monitor screen.

For Windows 11 and 10, perform the following steps to restart the graphics drivers.

1. Press and hold the Windows () key, and then press and hold the ctrl () key, then press and hold the Shift () key, and finally press the b key.
   NOTE: You should hear a beep and the screen flash.

If you encounter a display issue after an update, reverting to a previous version of the display driver might help resolve it.

To roll back the driver, perform the following steps:

1. Press and hold the Windows () key, and then press and hold the q key.
2. In the search box, type device manager.
3. Select Device Manger (Control Panel) in the list of results.
4. Select the arrow to the left of Display adapters.
5. Right-click the video adapter listed, and select Properties.
6. Select the Driver tab.
7. When available, select Roll Back Driver, and follow the prompts.
   NOTE: When Roll Back Driver is not an available option, go to the Ensure you have the latest display driver installed section.

1. Browse to Dell Drivers & Downloads website.
2. Identify your Dell product.
   • Click the listing of your computer listed under This PC
     NOTE: When your computer is not listed, click Download & Install SupportAssist, this application auto-detects your Dell product. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Dell SupportAssist.
   • Or, enter the Service Tag, Express Service Code, or the Serial number of the Dell product and click Search.
   • Or, click Browse all products to manually select your Dell product from the catalog.
3. Click Find Drivers.
4. Ensure that the correct Operating System is listed on the driver page. If not use the drop-down menu under Operating system to change it to the Operating System installed on the computer:
5. Using the drop-down menu under Category select Video.
6. Click Download to the right of the video driver listed, and follow the prompts.
7. After the driver installation is complete, restart the computer.

Due to all the programs and services that run during normal operation of the computer, something could have gotten corrupted or interfered with each other causing a display issue. Booting into Safe Mode eliminates any program that is not necessary to run the computer.

To learn how to boot into Safe mode, see Dell Knowledge Base article How to Boot into Safe Mode in Windows 11 or Windows 10.

When the display works correctly in Safe Mode, it means that some program has caused the issue with the display. To correct this issue, Dell Technologies recommends updating Windows and the drivers for your computer.

See the Dell Update Windows and Drivers library page for more information.

System Restore in Microsoft Windows creates restore points whenever you install a new application, driver, or Windows update, or when you manually create one. While using System Restore will not impact your personal files, it will remove any apps, drivers, and updates that were installed after the restore point was created. This allows you to go back to a time when the display was working correctly.

See Dell Knowledge Base Article How to Use System Restore in Microsoft Windows for instructions on how to use the System Restore application.

If after performing the previous steps and the issue continues, the best course of action is to Reset (Windows 11) or Refresh (Windows 10) Windows.

This process will:

1. Reinstall Windows and keeps your personal files.
2. Removes apps and drivers that you installed.
3. Removes changes that you made to settings.
4. Removes any apps your personal computer manufacturer installed.
5. Restores any apps that your computer manufacture installed if your computer came with Windows.

See Dell Knowledge Base articles for information about Resetting or Refreshing Windows:

• Reset or Reinstall Windows 11 on Your Dell Computer
• How to Reinstall Windows 10 on your Dell computer