fixed : MacBook’s external monitor screen stays black

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Question :

In my office, I am using an external monitor as my main screen for my MacBook Pro. Today, the screen didn’t respond when I connected my MacBook however : the screen stays black and nothing appears on-screen. So I opened up my MacBook and used the built-in screen to figure out what’s wrong, but so far I haven’t found any indication in the Displays Preference Panel that my MacBook even detects the second screen…

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

In such situations you should always do this first :

Remedy #1 :

  • if you are using a MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, make sure you have the power adapter connected
  • if your laptop is on battery power, the external screen will go black whenever you close the lid of your laptop (when on battery power, all connections are powered off when you close the lid to save energy)

if this works, you’re good, if not, try Remedy #2

Remedy #2 :

  • make sure your monitor is switched ON
  • then hit the SPACE-bar on your external keyboard several times (maybe once, usually about 5 to 10 times…)
  • the monitor should now appear and show the inlog panel to unlock your screensaver
  • then login

if this works, you’re good, if not, try Remedy #3

NOTE : if you have a Benq monitor (especially the BL2420TP), try this first :

fixed : Benq monitor stays black when MacBook is switched on

Remedy #3 :

  • unplug all cables between the monitor and your Mac ( DisplayPort / Thunderbolt / HDMI / DVI / VGA  and also USB, UTP, FireWire and PowerAdapter )
  • shut down your monitor
  • shut down your MacBook
  • reconnect all cables and double-check if they’re properly connected on both the Mac and the monitor
  • switch on your MacBook
  • switch on your monitor

if this works, you’re good, if not, try Remedy #4

Remedy #4 :

  • on your MacBook, open Apple [main menu bar top-left] –> System Preferences
  • in the System Preferences window, select “Displays”
  • in the Display Preferences window, see if there is a button marked “Gather Windows” bottom right
  • if there is no “Gather Windows” button, press the ALT-key on your keyboard and a button marked “Detect Displays” appears ; click on it when it appears

if this works, you’re good, if not, try Remedy #5

Remedy #5 :

  • on your MacBook, open Apple [main menu bar top-left] –> System Preferences
  • in the System Preferences window, select “Displays”
  • in the Display Preferences window, see if there is a button marked “Gather Windows” bottom right
  • if there is a “Gather Windows” button, click on it
  • then you will see 2 Display Preference windows on your MacBook screen
  • select the Display Preference window that has 3 tabs on it marked “Display”, “Arrangement” and “Color” (not the window that has “Display” and “Color” only)
  • first, press the ALT-key on your keyboard and a button marked “Detect Displays” appears where the “Gather Windows”-button used to be ; click on it when it appears
  • if your monitor switches on, you’re good, if not…
  • click on the “Arrangement”-tab and in the next window put a checkmark at “Mirror Display”
  • if your monitor switches on now, uncheck the “Mirror Display” option again and close your MacBook… you should be good now…

if this didn’t work, try Remedy #6

Remedy #6 :

  • unplug all cables between the monitor and your Mac ( DisplayPort / Thunderbolt / HDMI / DVI / VGA  and also USB, UTP, FireWire and PowerAdapter )
  • shut down your monitor
  • shut down your MacBook
  • reconnect your Mac to your monitor using a different type of cable then you normally would choose (e.g. if you normally use a DisplayPort/Thunderbolt-cable, use an HDMI or DVI cable now)
  • switch on your MacBook
  • switch on your monitor
  • if your monitor wakes from sleep now, open Apple –> System Preferences
  • in the System Preferences window, select “Displays”
  • in the Display Preferences window, see if there is a button marked “Gather Windows” bottom right
  • if there is a “Gather Windows” button, click on it
  • then you will see 2 Display Preference windows on your MacBook screen
  • now, remove the monitor-cable that you have just used to connect your MacBook to your monitor
  • then, reconnect your MacBook to your monitor using all cables you normally use to connect the two
  • if your monitor now wakes from sleep, you’re good
  • if it doesn’t, restart your monitor
  • it that doesn’t help, restart your Mac

normally your issue should be resolved by now…

if still the monitor stays showing a back screen, I’m sorry to inform you that your screen probably has a hardware problem… if so, get an authorized Mac-repair-centre to fix it, get the Apple Store support-crew to fix this…

that’s it !

enjoy 😉

29 thoughts on “fixed : MacBook’s external monitor screen stays black”

  1. Pingback: fixed : Benq monitor stays black when MacBook is switched on | MacManus.nl

    • @Michelle :

      Thanks for the feedback.
      Sorry to hear this hasn’t worked for you.
      As mentioned in the original post : if all this won’t help, you probably have a hardware problem, that you have to take to an Apple repair service to get it fixed…
      sorry…

      Good Luck 😉

      Reply ↓

  3. Have to agree with Michelle, just unplugging and restarting things isn’t great advice. I have the same issue and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the monitor. I can hook up other computers to it, so that’s not the issue. There are enough reports out there that there is clearly a bug in the thunderbolt 2 to digital display output that can creep up on people. I’ve tried different adapters and monitors, nothing works. The thunderbolt ports work enough that I ethernet and vga work…super frustrating

    Reply ↓

    • @Brandon :

      Thanks for the feedback.
      Sorry to hear this doesn’t work for you.
      Which MacBook do you have ?
      Could it be you have a MacBook that has gotten rather hot when this problem occurs ? Maybe you even have a rather old MacBook that has a swollen battery that is pressing onto internal components (like the touchpad) so severely that they start malfunctioning ?
      You might be right it’s a software problem, but I think it’s an indication of a hardware failure somewhere inside either your MacBook, your monitor or your cable…

      Good Luck 😉

      Reply ↓

  4. I have the same issue and I know the screen is not at fault. Mac details:

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
    3.1 GHz Intel Core i7
    16 GB 1867 MHz DDR3
    Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB

    The comp is not starting up in Safe Mode which may be related. I would appreciate any help.

    Reply ↓

    • @W :

      Thanks for your feedback !
      Sorry to hear you still have additional problems.

      If your Mac refuses to restart in Safe Mode, try resetting the SMC first.
      If that doesn’t work, try resetting the PRAM/NVRAM.
      I’ve outlined how to do both in these post (scroll down to the bottom of the post) :
      spinning beachball problem
      trackpad problem

      If that still doesn’t work, you probably have a hardware problem.
      In that case, start out by cleaning the connectors and ports (with a hair-pin, and maybe a tiny bit of alcohol-based detergent).
      If that doesn’t work, try replacing the connector-cable with a new or a spare one.
      And if that still doesn’t work… take your Mac to an Apple-certified repair centre (or an Apple Store)…

      Hope this helps.

      Reply ↓

  5. Same problem here. Macbook pro 13″ 2018 touchbar. Monitor attached from USB-C through USBC-to-DisplayPort adapter to the monitor. The Macbook is brand new and has been installed fresh latest Mojave 10.6. All updates have been installed. NPRAM and PRAM have been reset. Monitor has been factory reset. Computer has been rebooted.

    If I attach a Dell UP3216Q it works all fine.
    If I attach a Dell UP3214Q the monitor stays black. Both mac and monitor persist claiming no cable is connected. No monitor appears in any apple menu, there is nothing to ‘gather screens’ etc.
    If I attach a macbook pro 2013 to same displayport The UP3214Q works perfectly fine .

    Note, According to Dell these 2 monitors are identical technically apart from an extra HDMI input port on the 3214 which we don’t need.

    So
    * Dell 3216Q Monitor works correctly (with similar but older macbook pro)
    * Computer works correctly (with a similar monitor)

    Phoned with apple, they made ticket. Waiting now for their response.

    Reply ↓

    • @Winston :

      Great to hear !
      Thanks for the feedback !
      Sometimes the hardest struggles are with the simple basics no one ever bothered to tell you about… 😉

      Reply ↓

  8. Hi,
    Thanks for your article, I have this problem, I’m sure the monitor is okay, I ran apple diagnostics, and it says there are not hardware issues, I changed monitor and cables, the problem is whenever I turn on my monitor or plug the HDMI in I have the screen just for a couple of seconds, then the screen turned dark!
    I did not have this problem one week ago, and nothing is changed, monitor and cables are all healthy, and according to apple diagnostics, my laptop does not have hardware issue,

    Reply ↓

    • @sam75m :

      Thanks for the feedback !
      Sorry to hear this doesn’t work for you yet.
      I’m not completely sure what your problem could be, but I can think of 2 things that could cause this type of behaviour :
      1- the HDMI-connector inside your MacBook (or inside your monitor) has got a loose connection to it’s motherboard… in that case you have to get your MacBook’s HDMI-port (or your monitor’s HDMI-port) fixed… assuming that you are sure the HDMI-cable is okay (and that you are using a good HDMI-converter if you have a MacBook without internal HDMI-port)
      2- the screen setting you have chosen in macOS is not available on your second display (the screen setting is incompatible), so you need to select a different screen setting (a different screen resolution)… to adjust his goto System Preferences > Displays > Display-tab > Resolution > check “Default for display”

      Hope this helps ! Good Luck 😉

      Reply ↓

    • Hi,
      I got the exact same problem. First of all my two external monitors turn black after 20-30 seconds, and the second problem which i have is that my internal screen is still available with my curser, even though i have it closed and no idea where the curser even is.

      If you or anyone else has a solution for this, please let me know.

      Thank you very much in advance.

      Best regards,
      Manuel

      Reply ↓

      • @Manuel Brunner :

        Sorry to hear this doesn’t work for you yet.
        Your feedback is slightly confusing, since you seem to be able to view your MacBook’s screen even when your MacBook is completely closed…
        …or is that a misinterpretation of your feedback ?
        If so, please explain in more detail what is happening…
        regarding your first problem : how did you connect 2 external screens to just one MacBook ? it is possible to do so, but the exact way of doing so might differ…
        regarding your second problem : where are you seeing this ? do you mean that you can see all three screens represented in the Displays-setting within System Preferences ? and you are not seeing a cursor there maybe ?

        Anyway : this might not be the solution, but this sounds like the situation that arises when the MacBook is not on external 230V power when using an external screen… so make sure your MacBook’s power adapter is functioning properly.

        If you have any additional info, please share.
        😉

  10. Nothing helped. 2 Thunderbolt 3rd party monitors, 1x Thunderbolt 2 1x Thunderbolt 3x using an adapter, using the very first Retina-Macbook from early (?) 2013.

    Thunderbolt usually works fine, even in daisychain on Windows machine.
    Macbook recognises monitor (shows up in System Preferences and such) and even the USB ports work, where the Keyboard/Mouse are attached to, but screen stays black. The same setup worked for years (2013-2018+).
    But at some random point (guess with my new laptop) I stopped connecting my Mac to the monitors and used it mostly as a portable.
    Now reconnecting it does this.

    Connecting via HDMI kinda worked, but basically ruins the entire purpose of the Thunderbolt cable.

    Reply ↓

    • @Naomi :

      Thanks for the feedback !
      Sorry to hear you ran into unsolved problems…

      This post was mainly focussing on not-Thunderbolt displays, so you might have run into a Thunderbolt-specific problem…
      however…
      after a little searching online I found a few solutions that you might try :
      1) unplug and re-plug the Thunderbolt-cable on the display’s end (if possible) and then restart the monitor
      2) in the macOS System Preferences, make sure the output signal is set to something the monitor can handle
      3) if available, go into the display’s own onscreen settings menu and do a reset to factory settings
      4) see if you can find a free or payed app that can handle issues like this ( e.g. https://apps.apple.com/pt/app/display-menu/id549083868?l=en&mt=12 )

      Hope this helps !
      Please report back if you succeed and I wil include your solution 😉

      Reply ↓

  11. Monitor issues for me with a new MacBook pro. Everything was working fine for 2 days until a Big Sur upgrade. Now I can’t get my second external monitor working. When I restart the laptop, the login screen comes up on screen two. After I log in, screen 1 shows the desktop, but screen two now turns black. It is recognized by the OS and shows no issues, but the screen says it doesn’t detect any input and goes black. If I restart again, the login screen shows up again on screen two, and then goes black as soon as I log in.

    Reply ↓

    • @Ryan :

      Sorry to hear you are having problems since the macOS 11 Big_Sur update…
      Have you already upgraded to macOS 12 Monterey ?
      I’m interested to know if you are still encountering problems 😉

      Reply ↓

  12. It works in my case. I have 2 different external monitors with 2 scale rates. I use the fix for remedy 5. Thanks

    Reply ↓

  13. Nothing from this list seemed to work for me however I did find a solution. I am using an old Sceptre Monitor and the size of the screen is weird when transferred over but it doesn’t bother me. so what I did was:
    Apple [main menu bar top-left] –> System Preferences
    System Preferences window –> “Displays”
    I have a MacBook Pro 13 so I clicked on the display screen that was not showing with two fingers.
    Select Display Settings
    Resolution –> Default for Display
    and my screen came on so from my understanding the problem with mine was the sizing of my external screen.

    Reply ↓

    • @mimi :

      Thank you for the feedback !
      Great to hear you’ve found a solution to your problem.
      You are absolutely right that some (older) monitors have odd screen dimensions that aren’t recognised by macOS right away, which might result in a black screen.
      But in that case, you will get a black screen straight away first time you are trying to connect het monitor to your Mac…
      this post is about a screen that was connected and working and then suddenly gives a black screen… 😉

      enjoy !

      Reply ↓

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