What Causes Chromebook Black Screen & How To Troubleshoot It (2023)

Just like computers, laptops, and tablets, a Chromebook also runs into a black screen now and then due to various reasons. Most people will be disappointed by the black screen but they often don’t know what causes the problem exactly. And more importantly, they don’t know how to deal with the Chromebook screen black.

In recent years, the Chromebook becomes a more and more popular portable device; its size, appearance, and basic functions are very much like the laptop you use. But some aspects of Chromebook are very different from those of a laptop or desktop computer. Take the unique OS as an example: the default operating system used in a Chromebook (no matter it’s an Acer Chromebook, a Samsung Chromebook, or another Chromebook) is Chrome OS, which is designed by Google.

Run into a Chromebook Black Screen

One of the popular problems Chromebook users have reported so far is Chromebook black screen. The screen of a Chromebook turns black (or blank) suddenly while users are performing tasks on it. This is undoubtedly a terrible experience when you’re in the middle of something, right? What makes things even worth is a black screen of death: a fatal error is detected on your device, causing the operating system to shut down forcibly.

When that happens – the Chromebook screen becomes black, the vast majority of users’ first reaction is asking help from others to find solutions to fix the problem. That’s why I’m here. The possible causes of a black screen on Chromebook and some effective solutions to solving the problem will be displayed later on this page.

Chromebook Screen Black Problems

You may find yourself in face of the following issues on a Chromebook:

• Chromebook black screen of death
• Chromebook won't turn on or charge
• Chromebook black screen after login
• Chromebook screen goes black randomly
• Chromebook stuck on black Chrome screen
• Etc.

7 Main Possible Cause of Chromebook Black Screen

There are many reasons to cause a Chromebook’s screen to become black. We only list some of the most possible ones according to users’ feedback; they can explain why an Acer Chromebook won't turn on or why other Chromebooks won't turn on.

Cause 1: Battery Problems

What you should first think of is whether the battery on your Chromebook is draining out or runs into trouble. The battery is the main power source of a Chromebook, just like a laptop. If the battery is not working well, you’ll find your Chromebook not turning on. The battery issue is one of the popular reasons to answer questions like why is my Chromebook not turning on.

You should connect the charger to your Chromebook and let it charge for at least 10 minutes. Then, try to turn the Chromebook on again. Please replace the battery or charger with a new one if it’s broken.

Cause 2: Screen Brightness Too Low

There’s a chance the brightness of your Chromebook screen is adjusted to a low level that you can’t see any information on the screen clearly. In this case, your Chromebook is working properly, but you just can’t see anything.

All you should do is turn up the brightness of your screen by pressing the bigger cogwheel key on the keyboard. Your screen issue will be solved immediately (you can see information on the Chromebook screen as usual) if this is the problem.

Cause 3: USB Device Issues

If one or more faulty USB devices (USB flash drives or USB disks) are plugged into your Chromebook, various problems may be caused, including the black screen.

You should safely remove all the USB & external devices and then, try to restart the Chromebook to troubleshoot.

How to fix it if you connected a USB device to a computer but it can’t be recognized?

Cause 4: Hardware Failure

Please restart your Chromebook and take a look at the lights.

• If the lights turn on when you press the Power button, but you can’t access the Chrome OS, your hard drive may be damaged/broken. You should try to reinstall the system or try to replace your hard drive with a new one.
• If no lights turn on when you’re pressing Power, please connect the charger to your Chromebook. However, this may also fail if your motherboard is broken. You should send your device to the manufacturer for a replacement if it is still within the warranty period.

Cause 5: Chrome OS Outdated/Damaged

If you may receive a message like Chrome OS is missing or damaged when trying to start your Chromebook, you should realize that your system is corrupted.

You should go to reinstall your Chrome OS under guidance. Google shows you how to recover your Chromebook on this page.

What about the Operating system not found error?

Cause 6: Overheated Computer

If no lights turn on when you’re pressing the Power button, you can use your hands to touch the bottom of the Chromebook. If it’s very hot, you can confirm that your Chromebook screen is turning black due to overheating.

Please wait for a while (at least 15 ~ 20 minutes) and try to restart the Chromebook again when it’s cooled down. If it starts normally, it means the problem is caused by too high temperature; then, you should use it on a hard surface in the future to prevent overheating.

Cause 7: Chromebook Screen Broken

Sometimes, your Chromebook screen may be damaged physically so you can see nothing on it no matter what you have tried.

You should connect your Chromebook to an external monitor or TV to check out. If the screen is really broken, please consider changing one.

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Sign out & Turn off Your Chromebook

How to Sign out of Chromebook

1. Locate the time section at the bottom right of the Chromebook.
2. Click on it and a small window will show up.
3. Click Sign out at the top of the window.

Signing out of Chromebook is very necessary if you want to switch accounts or let others use your device.

How to Turn off Chromebook

How to turn on a Chromebook? The only way is to press the Power button.

How to turn it off? There are 4 options:

• Click on the time section at the bottom right -> select the Power icon.
• Click on the time section -> click Sign out -> select Shut down.
• Press and hold the Power button for 3 seconds.
• Press and hold the Power button until you see a menu to Power off or Sign out.

How to Fix a Chromebook

It doesn't matter if you can’t confirm the exact cause of the Chromebook black screen issue. All that matters is how to fix the problem effectively.

Please check the following things as soon as you find your Chromebook screen black:

• Check whether the AC adapter is fully plugged into the charging port or not.
• Check whether the Chromebook is turned on by pressing the Power button.
• Check whether there’s an unnecessary external device connected to Chromebook.

If the problem persists, please refer to the solutions below.

Restart Your Chromebook

Option 1: normal restart.

Please try to restart your Chromebook by pressing the Power button, as you usually do.

Option 2: power reset.

Press and hold down the power button for six seconds. Then, press the power button again to turn it back on.

Option 3: hard restart.

You should force your Chromebook to hard reboot if the normal restart didn’t work.

• Please press and hold the Power button; then, press the Reload/Refresh button at the same time. Keep them pressed for about 10 seconds.
• Turn off Chromebook and close the lid -> remove the charge cable -> also remove the AC adapter -> wait for a few minutes -> reconnect the adapter and charger -> try to turn on Chromebook.

Option 4: drain out of battery.

1. You can let the Chromebook battery run down.
2. Wait for a few minutes.
3. Charge the Chromebook for at least 30 minutes.
4. Try to turn it on again.

Also, you can try to take out the battery; then, put it back in and restart your Chromebook.

If your Chromebook starts successfully, you should prevent future black screen by updating the graphics card driver, signing in to a different user account, or deleting useless apps.

If the Chromebook won't turn on, please continue with the following tips for Chromebook troubleshooting.

Increase Screen Brightness

Press the volume up button (looks like a bigger cogwheel) on your keyboard to try to bring up the brightness and see whether the black screen is gone. If this didn’t work, please move on.

Factory Reset Chromebook

Please note that a factory reset on Chromebook will erase all the information on your hard drive. Please transfer your important files out or back them up before factory reset.

1. Sign out of your Chromebook.
2. Press and hold Ctrl + Alt + Shift + r on your keyboard.
3. Select Restart.
4. Click Powerwash in the dialog box that appears on your screen.
5. Click Continue.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to perform the rest steps.
7. Sign in with your Google Account (it will be the owner account).
8. Set up your Chromebook once you’ve finished resetting Chromebook.
9. Check if the problem is fixed.

How To Factory Reset ASUS Laptop: Restore To Default Settings?

System Recovery

Please consider a system recovery when the Chrome OS is corrupted and unable to use the display.

1. Disconnect any external accessories: mouse, external disk, etc.
2. Press & hold Esc + Refresh and press the Power key simultaneously.
3. Release Powerfirst.
4. Release other keys when a message shows up on your screen.

Update Chrome OS

1. Connect your Chromebook to the network.
2. Click the time section at the bottom right and select Settings.
3. Look for About Chrome OS and click it.
4. The version of the Chrome OS you’re using will be displayed under Google Chrome OS.
5. Click on the Check for updates button and wait.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to continue.

How To Run Google Chrome OS From Your USB Drive?

Try F2, F9, and F10 Key

1. Remove all external devices from Chromebook.
2. Press the Power button to turn it on.
3. Press F2, F9, F10, and Enter, or another key when you see the logo or splash screen appears.
4. Select Exit and then Yes.
5. Press Enter to confirm.

Update BIOS

Also, you can try to update the Basic Input Output System (BIOS) of your Chromebook since various problems will be caused if the BIOS version is too old. However, the BIOS update should be very dangerous; any mistakes made during the process will lead to horrible results.

How to update BIOS:

1. Please visit the support page of your manufacturer.
2. Find the BIOS file for your model.
3. Download it to an external disk.
4. Follow the steps provided by your manufacturer to update BIOS carefully.

If all the above methods failed, UNFORTUNATELY, please contact the manufacturer to request service.

Things to Do after Fixing Chromebook Black Screen

Data Recovery

The first thing to do is recover all files lost due to Chromebook issues or the recovery process. If you also install Windows on Chromebook, the data recovery will be an easy job.

1. Download MiniTool Power Data Recovery to a USB drive.
2. Boot your Chromebook into Windows operating system.
3. Connect the USB drive to Chromebook and double click on the setup file to install the recovery software properly.
4. Launch the recovery software and keep the Logical Drives tab selected.
5. Put your cursor onto the Chrome OS system drive (usually C:) and click Scan.
6. You can also double click on the system drive to start scanning it directly.
7. Wait for the scan.
8. Browse the scan results to find what you need.
9. Check the files and folders you want to recover and click Save.
10. Choose a location to store recovered data and click OK.
11. Wait for the recovery to finish.

You can repeat steps 5 ~ 11 to recover files from another partition on your hard disk.

Free Download

Please click here to know how to recover files after a factory reset.

How to Prevent a Black Screen

Here are some simple tips for preventing a Chromebook black screen:

• Don’t open a Chromebook for too long since it will cause overheating.
• Don’t use your Chromebook in a humid or high-temperature environment.
• Download apps only from professional and trusted websites.
• Keep your Chromebook updated: update the Chrome OS, the programs, and the drivers regularly.

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Conclusion

Please don’t worry if you find your Chromebook screen black. Computer black screen can be caused by lots of factors, but it is not a big deal most of the time. This page introduces the possible causes of Chromebook showing a black screen suddenly and Chromebook not turning on. Then, it tells you how to turn off a Chromebook, how to sign out from Chromebook, and how to put it to sleep. After that, it provides some effective methods for users to fix a Chromebook with a black screen issue. Finally, you're told the things to do after fixing your Chromebook (data recovery is necessary).

8 Ways To Fix A Frozen Or Unresponsive Chromebook.