Recently, a handful of users have reported that their screen suddenly goes black or turns off when they plug in the charger on their Windows 11 laptop. This issue can be vexing especially when you are attempting to run against the clock to complete your project or carry out a specific task with precision. There are several reasons why this screen blackout issue crops up including the wrongly configured power settings and software glitches. Fortunately, it’s easy to fix the screen that goes off when plugging in the charger on Windows 11 problem, thanks to these 18 reliable solutions. Keep reading to…
How to Fix Screen Goes Off When Plugging in the Charger on Windows 11 24H2
What gaslights the screen blackout problem on your Windows device? From the botched-up power plan settings to the malicious display driver to the misconfigured refresh rate, there are many reasons why this problem raises its head. Take a look at the following list:
- Power plan settings
- Adaptive brightness
- Display driver issues
- GPU power conflicts
- Refresh rate change
- Fast startup enabled
- Faulty charger/port
- Overheating protection
- USB-C power delivery
- BIOS/firmware issues
Now talking about the viable solutions, you can resolve this problem by tweaking the power settings, updating the software, and eliminating the conflicting elements.
1. Restart Your Windows Device
- If the screen issue is the byproduct of a temporary glitch, simply rebooting your device will let you take control of the issue. To do so, fire up the Start menu > Power icon > Restart to reboot your PC.
2. Get Rid of Adaptive Brightness
Windows 11 takes advantage of the adaptive brightness feature to adjust screen brightness depending on ambient lighting. At times, it tends to turn off the screen unexpectedly.
- To do so, open Settings > System > Display.
- Click Brightness & color and turn off the Change brightness automatically when lighting changes.
- If available, make sure to disable the Content adaptive brightness control (CABC) as well.
3. Power Plan Settings Issue
Windows 11 offers different display settings for battery and plugged-in modes. If the power plan is misconfigured, your screen might turn off when charging.
- On your PC, navigate to Settings > Click on the System tab > Power & battery.
- Under the Power mode section, ensure it is set to Balanced or Best performance instead of a custom plan that turns off the display.
- After that, click Screen and sleep and make sure the settings for On battery power and When plugged in are set correctly.
- Then, restart your PC and check if the frustrating problem is gone.
4. Screen Refresh Rate Changing When Plugged In
Be warned that certain Windows laptops are designed to adjust refresh rates between battery and charging mode automatically, which often leads to frustrating issues like screen flickering or out-of-the-blue blackouts.
- On your PC, dive into the Settings app on your Windows 11 device > System > Display.
- Choose Advanced display.
- Now, find out if the refresh rate changes when plugged in.
- After that, make sure to set it manually to a stable refresh rate (e.g., 60Hz or 120Hz).
5. Hardware Fault in the Charging Port or Charger
Beware of the fact that your faulty charger or charging port might be equally responsible for out-of-the-blue power fluctuations, resulting in a black screen.
- Hence, try using a different charger that matches your laptop’s voltage and wattage requirements.
- After that, inspect the charging port for dust, debris, or damage and test charging with another power outlet.
6. Overheating Triggering a Safety Shutdown
Does your laptop overheat while charging? If your answer is yes, it may turn off the screen to prevent damage.
- Therefore, make sure to properly clean the laptop’s vents and use a cooling pad.
- Besides, be sure to avoid using the laptop on soft surfaces that block airflow.
- Additionally, I’d also recommend you keep track of the temperatures using HWMonitor or Core Temp and keep them below 90°C.
7. USB-C Power Delivery Conflicts
Are you charging your device via USB-C? The power delivery issues might be gaslighting the screen blackouts.
- Therefore, switch to another different USB-C charger.
- Additionally, be sure to update the USB controller drivers in Device Manager.
8. External Display Configuration Issues
If you are using an external monitor, note that Windows may switch display modes when you plug in the charger.
- To check for external display configuration issues, press Win + P and select PC screen only.
- If an external monitor is connected, try unplugging and replugging it.
9. Faulty Battery or Power Circuit
Keep a close eye on the faulty battery or the power circuit as it can cause instability when switching power sources.
- Check battery health with the help of the Windows PowerShell:
powercfg /batteryreport - If the battery’s health is in poor condition, consider replacing it.
10. Update Your Display Driver
It’s worth pointing out that outdated or corrupted display drivers are well-known for invoking a number of dreading issues like flickering, black screens, or even unexpected shutdowns when charging.
- To do so, launch the Device Manager (Win + X > Device Manager) on your PC > Then, expand Display adapters, right-click your graphics card, and select Update driver.
- Choose Search automatically for drivers or download the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website and reboot your Windows 11 device.
11. Reinstall Your Display Driver
If your device’s screen still goes off when you connect it to a charging source, reinstall your display driver.
- Go to the Device Manager and expand the Display Adapters > Right-click on your graphics card > Uninstall device and reboot your PC.
12. GPU Power Management Conflicts
Note that some modern Windows laptops come with both an integrated GPU (iGPU) and a dedicated GPU (dGPU). Switching between them when plugging in the charger tends to trigger the black screen.
- On your Windows device, head over to NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software.
- Now, make sure to set power management to Maximum Performance while plugged in.
- In Device Manager, disable and re-enable the GPU to reset it and restart your Windows device.
13. Windows 11 Power Management Interrupting Display
Note that your system’s power-saving settings also cause the screen to turn off unexpectedly.
- Open the Control Panel on your computer > go to the Hardware and Sound section, and choose Power Options.
- Now, you need to click Change plan settings and Change advanced power settings.
- Then, be sure to expand Display > Turn off display after and set longer durations or Never for both battery and plugged-in modes.
- After that, restart your PC.
14. Fast Startup Causing Conflicts
Fast startup could be interfering with how Windows handles power transitions.
- Launch the Control Panel on your device > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do.
- Now, click Change settings that are currently unavailable > Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) and restart your PC.
15. Windows Updates
Should the problem still persist, it wouldn’t be wrong to blame the recent Windows updates which might be plagued with display bugs.
- To get it done, open the Settings app > Windows Update and check for the latest updates.
- If the issue started after an update, it would be apt to roll back to a previous version via Update history > Uninstall updates.
16. Run Malware Scan
It’s no secret that the malware also tends to cause a number of power-related display issues, run a full scan on your PC to identify and remove all threats.
- On your Windows device, press Windows + S, type Windows Security, and press Enter > Virus & Threat Protection > Then, choose to run a full scan to detect and flush out the hidden issues.
17. Eliminate the Corrupted Files Using SFC and DISM Scans
The screen blackouts might be the aftereffects of the corrupted files as well.
- On your computer, press Windows + S > type cmd, and click Run as administrator.
- Now, input the following command and press Enter > allow the scan to complete, and then restart your PC.
sfc /scannow
If SFC has managed to spot the issues but cannot fix them, run the following DISM commands one by one:
Check for System Health Issuess
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealthScan for Corruptions
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealthRepair System Image
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth18. BIOS or Firmware Issues
Wrongly configured BIOS settings or outdated firmware could also be a major reason why the screen of your device is misbehaving.
- To get it done, restart and enter BIOS (usually F2, F12, or Del).
- Then, you have to reset BIOS to default settings.
- Up next, check the manufacturer’s website for BIOS updates.
Wrapping up…
That’s pretty much it! Hopefully, the issue has been sorted out and your screen no longer turns off when you plug in a charger. It would be great to know your thoughts and the tips that have managed to restore the full functionality of the screen.
