The screen turns plain white
Why is my laptop screen completely white with nothing on it?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
Most of the time the computer is fine and the picture is simply not reaching the screen properly. A loose display cable, a stuck graphics driver, or one bad app can all paint the screen white. The quickest thing to try first: force the computer off, then back on — Press and hold the power button for about ten seconds until everything goes quiet. Wait half a minute, then press it once to start again. This clears a stuck graphics driver more often than anything else. Most people are done in about 10 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 5 steps for Windows and Mac, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •Bright white screen
- •No icons or text
- •Computer sounds like it is running
Why it happens
Most of the time the computer is fine and the picture is simply not reaching the screen properly. A loose display cable, a stuck graphics driver, or one bad app can all paint the screen white.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Force the computer off, then back on
Press and hold the power button for about ten seconds until everything goes quiet. Wait half a minute, then press it once to start again. This clears a stuck graphics driver more often than anything else.
- 2
Check whether the picture itself is broken
Plug the laptop into a TV or a monitor using an HDMI cable. If the picture is normal on the TV, the computer is healthy and the fault sits in the laptop screen or its cable, which a repair shop can replace cheaply.
- 3
Wake the display with a keyboard shortcut
On Windows press the Windows key, Control, Shift and B together. The screen blinks and the graphics driver restarts. On a Mac, close the lid, count to ten, and open it again.
- 4
Tap the lid gently near the hinge
If white flashes to normal when you move the lid, the ribbon cable behind the hinge is loose. Stop using the lid roughly and book a repair, because the cable will fail completely with time.
- 5
Start in Safe Mode and remove the newest app
Turn the computer off and on three times during the logo to reach the Windows recovery menu, then choose Troubleshoot, Advanced options, Startup Settings, Restart, and press 5 for Safe Mode with Networking. If the screen behaves there, uninstall whatever you installed just before the trouble started.
If none of that worked
If an external screen is also white, the graphics chip needs a technician. Save your money for a proper diagnosis rather than replacing the screen first.
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Who wrote this and how we checked it
The CommonFixes team
Writer and researcher
We are a small group of people who spend our days repairing laptops and desktops for family, friends and small offices. Every guide here starts with a problem someone actually brought to us, and we only write down the steps that put the machine right.
- Everyday repairs
- Windows and Mac
- Plain language
CommonFixes review desk
Technical editor
Before a guide goes live, a second person walks through it on a real machine and checks each instruction against the maker's own support pages. Anything we cannot confirm is removed rather than guessed at.
- Fact checking
- Safety warnings
- Source links
This guide was last updated on 10 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
A gentle reminder: back up anything you cannot afford to lose before major repairs. If a step ever feels risky, stop and ask a technician. There is no shame in that.