10 Ways to Fix White Screen of Death in Windows 11/10

In Summary

The white screen of death is a common issue that people experience on their Windows PC.
When it happens, your screen becomes totally white out and sometimes unresponsive. Also, software glitches are mostly the cause of this issue on a computer.
Fortunately, there are several working solutions you can use to fix the issue, and we are going to discuss them in this article.

One of the most common problems with Windows PCs is the “white screen of death,” where the screen goes completely white, and you can’t access anything. This problem is more similar to the black and blue screen of death issues that are also common on Windows PCs, but no error messages are displayed.

However, the white screen of death is usually caused by hardware problems with the GPU or the screen, as well as things like outdated or corrupted display drivers, faulty OS installations, and memory problems.

Fortunately, you can use several tested solutions if your Windows PC screen suddenly turns white, and we will discuss them in this article.

Table of Contents

Common Causes of White Screen Death in Windows

A general hardware failure can also be the reason for the white screen issue, but in most cases, we could relate the problem to the GPU hardware failure. Also, this problem occurs when your GPU/display driver is outdated or corrupted.

Another factor that leads to this problem is when your computer uses a lot of RAM due to the applications running on it. In such situations, you need to force the shutdown of your computer or restart the Windows processes to update all the applications.

Faulty OS installation, an outdated Windows OS, or a malware attack are other causes that often lead to this problem. Considering all these possible factors, we’ve compiled a list of the best solutions that you can use to fix the problem when your Windows PC screen turns white, and we’ll discuss them below.

Hardware failure
Corrupt or outdated display driver
Malware attack
Faulty OS installation
Outdated or corrupt Windows

How to Fix White Screen of Death in Windows 11/10

With the solutions that we will discuss below, you can fix the white screen problem in Windows 11/10 computers.

Method 1: Restart the computer

Restarting your computer can help fix this issue, as memory hogging due to applications running on the computer can be the cause. Moreover, restarting your device usually solves most of the problems and can also be helpful in this situation. However, how can you restart your computer if you only see a white screen? Just follow the steps below:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del simultaneously on your keyboard.

2. On the page that appears, tap the power menu in the right corner of the button.

3. Select Restart and wait for your PC to shut down and come up again.

Method 2: Force shut your PC

If the soft restart did not fix the problems, you should try to force the computer to shut down. In this case, you should force shut down the computer by holding down the power button for 15 to 20 seconds and allowing the computer to shut down completely. After a certain amount of time, you should turn the computer back on. This method has already helped many users fix this problem, so it is definitely worth trying.

Method 3: End and restart Windows Explorer

In most cases, inconsistencies in programs or services on your computer are responsible for the white screen problem. You may be able to update any applications or services running on your computer that are the cause of the white screen by quitting and restarting Windows Explorer. Follow these steps to restart Windows Explorer:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard and tap on Task Manager on the resulting page.

2. When the Task Manager opens, navigate to Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select End task.

3. Then, in the upper left corner of the Task Manager window, click File and select Run New Task.

4. In the box that appears, type explorer.exe and press Enter.

Method 4: Remove external devices

We cannot rule out the possibility that the problem is caused by peripheral devices connected to your computer, so you should unplug all connected devices and restart your computer. If the PC boots without problems, the error may be with one of the peripherals.

Method 5: Boot the computer into Safe Mode

Another method you can use to find out and fix the white screen of death issue is to boot into Safe Mode to find the responsible program or process. Here you can learn how to boot into safe mode:

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run command.

2. Type msconfig in the box and press Enter.

3. In the System Configuration window, switch to the Boot option.

4. Check the box for Safe boot followed by Network, then click OK.

Now restart your computer to enter Safe Mode.

Method 6: Perform System Repair

If you still encounter this after trying the solutions above on startup, you can simply perform a System Repair. However, in this case, you need to start your computer in Advanced Startup options to access system repair. To do that, follow the steps below:

1. Force shutdown your computer three to four times consecutively to show the Choose an option page.

2. Select Troubleshoot, and you will be taken to the Advanced option page,

3. Now, tap on System Repair and select Shut down after the process finishes.

Your computer should boot into a working condition when it comes up.

Method 7: Use System File Checker

The white screen problem may also be caused by corrupted or missing system files on your computer, which can be corrected using the System File Checker utility. However, since you are not able to open the command prompt that is used to run the System File Checker, you need to start your PC with the advanced startup option to access CMD.

1. Force shutdown your computer three to four times to enter the Choose an option page.

2. Select Troubleshoot and tap on Command Prompt.

3. Now type sfc/scannow and press Enter.

Then, restart your computer.

Method 8: Uninstall Windows updates on your PC

The problem may be due to your latest Windows update. In this case, you should uninstall the Windows update using the following steps:

1. Open the Advanced options page using the steps above and tap Uninstall Updates.

2. Select the Uninstall latest quality update and wait for your computer to restart.

Method 9: Reset BIOS settings

Due to hardware changes or errors, the white screen of death may occur. In this case, you should reset the settings of BIOS on your computer. The steps to do this depend on the manufacturer of your PC motherboard. Therefore, you should visit the manufacturer’s website or refer to the board’s manual on how to reset the settings of BIOS.

Method 10: Update Graphics Driver

If possible, you should try updating your graphics driver, as this is one of the best ways to fix the white screen of death issue. To do this:

1. Right-click on the Start menu and select Device Manager.

2. Navigate to the Display adapters option and double-click it.

3. Right-click on your display driver and tap Uninstall driver.

After that, you should restart your computer, and the issue should be fixed by then.

Final Thoughts

The white screen of death is a very frustrating issue that occurs on Windows PCs.However, with the help of the solutions described above, you should be able to fix the problem effortlessly. You should know that the problem occurs for various reasons, so you might’ve to try several solutions before you can fix it.

FAQs about White Screen of Death Issue on Windows

Can the white screen of death be fixed on Windows PC?

Yes, you can fix the white screen of death issue on a Windows PC. If the problem occurs, simply restart the computer or update the Windows services. In some cases, the problem may be caused by an outdated display driver. In this case, you need to update the display driver on your computer.

Why is my PC showing a white screen?

If your computer suddenly displays a white screen, it may be because your computer is freezing due to high memory usage. In some cases, the problem may also be due to corrupted or outdated drivers or the installation of OS. However, in this article, we've discussed various troubleshooting methods that you can use to fix the problem.

Can force shutting my computer fix the white screen of death?

We have already mentioned that the programs that are currently running on your computer could be the cause of the white screen of death issue. Since you may not be able to access your screen, one of the best solutions is to force shut down the computer experiencing the problem. This will stop all programs on the computer, and you'll be able to restart it with a reboot.

How do I force shut my Windows computer?

Some Windows problems may require you to force shut down your Windows PC. In this case, you simply need to hold down your computer's power button for about 15 to 20 seconds to shut down PC.

Can malware cause the white screen of death on Windows PCs?

Malware attacks corrupt various types of programs on your computer, including software and applications. The "white screen of death" problem may occur on your computer if the virus has corrupted the display driver or part of Windows, or a virus attack may result in a white screen of death on a Windows computer.