How to Recover Windows PC from White Screen of Death

Windows 11 is an incredibly dynamic operating system that comes with a lot of fail-safe features and troubleshooting tools. It allows you to fix most minor problems related to the system within minutes without any outside help. But no matter how full-proof Microsoft’s current flagship operating system is, it can still crash and run into different issues. The white screen of death is one of those, and it’s among those you cannot afford to ignore. Thus, in this article, we will show you six easy ways to recover your Windows PC from the white screen of death. Let’s dig in.

1. Remove the Peripherals to Recover Windows PC from the White Screen of Death

Sometimes, your Windows PC might experience the white screen of death because of the faulty peripherals. If you have attached multiple peripherals to your computer, you need to identify which peripheral(s) is causing the error. Here’s how you can identify the faulty peripherals and recover your Windows PC from the white screen of death:

1. Disconnect every single peripheral from your Windows device. You need to remove the mouse and the keyword from your PC as well. 
2. Restart the computer. If the white screen of death error disappears, it confirms that one of the peripherals is responsible for the problem.
3. Connect the peripherals one by one to your computer and observe if the white screen error appears again.
4. If the white screen error appears after you plug in a specific peripheral, then you have finally found the faulty peripheral you’re looking for.
5. Remove the faulty peripheral from your computer and restart it again.

There it is. You have successfully identified the faulty peripheral and fixed the white screen error.

2. Restore a Windows Computer from the White Screen Problem via Force Restart

Windows 10 and 11 OS are designed to handle minor technical glitches without any external intervention. If your PC suffers from the white screen error due to minor problems in the system software, a simple force restart can fix the issue in most cases. Here’s what you need to do to perform a proper force restart:

1. Press the “Power” button on your PC and keep holding it until the indicator LEDs turn off.
2. Wait for 30 seconds.
3. Press the “Power” button again to turn on your PC. The white screen error should be fixed by now.

3. Update Graphics Drivers to Recover Windows PC from the White Screen of Death

If you don’t update the graphics drivers of your PC regularly, it might lead to a variety of display issues, including the white screen of death. Normally, the Windows OS updates the graphics drivers automatically at regular intervals. But if it fails to install the latest graphics driver updates for some reason, display problems are bound to occur. If you’re suffering from the white screen issue but are somehow still can access your PC, you must update your graphics drivers as soon as possible. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Right-click on the “Start” icon that is located in the taskbar. A new prompt with multiple options will show up.
2. Click on the “Device Manager” option.
3. After the “Device Manager” window opens, click on the “Display adapter” option to expand it. Check if you have any graphics driver listed under it.
4. Once you find the graphics driver, right-click on it and click on the “Update driver” option. If there is more than one graphics driver, implement this step for every single graphics driver manually.
5. Now, wait for the driver update to be finished. After that, restart your computer, so the driver update can take effect.

4. Update Windows OS to Eradicate White Screen

Every single Windows 11 update comes with new drivers, features, and security patches. As a result, if you don’t update your OS for a long time, you might have to deal with lots of software and security problems. The white screen of death is one. Thus, if you can somehow boot into the desktop (such as with Safe Mode below), you can update your PC to get rid of the white screen problem. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Press the “Windows + I” keys to open the “Settings” app window.
2. Now, click on the “Windows Update” option in the left panel.
3. Click on the “Check for updates” button and wait until your PC finds every single pending Windows update.
4. Wait for your PC to download the updates. Once the download is complete, restart your Windows device and wait for the updates to be installed.

The installation of the updates might take a few minutes. Once the installation is complete, your PC will reboot. And if the white screen issue occurred because of not updating your computer, the issue should be fixed once your PC reboots.

5. Uninstall the Recent Windows Updates

It’s important to update your Windows device regularly to make sure it runs smoothly. However, not all updates and patches are flawless. When you install an update that is full of terrible bugs, it might lead your PC to suffer from multiple problems, such as the white screen of death. If that issue shows up shortly after the installation of the latest software update, removing it will fix the problem. Follow these instructions:

1. Press the “Windows + I” keys to open the “Settings” app and click on the “Windows Update” option.
2. Next, click on the “Update history” option.
3. Scroll to the bottom and click on the “Uninstall updates” option. A new window will appear with a list of the most recent updates.
4. Finally, right-click on the recent updates that you want to remove and click on the “Uninstall” option.

With this, the recently installed update will be uninstalled from your device. Reboot your Windows 11 PC to apply the changes.

6. Boot Your Windows Computer into Safe Mode

Sometimes, installing a third-party application can cause the white screen of death error on your Windows 11 device. To clarify whether a third-party app is causing the issue, you need to boot your PC in safe mode. When you boot into your computer in safe mode, the third-party apps are disabled, and they don’t launch automatically. If your computer works fine, you can pinpoint the app that is responsible for the white screen error. Once you identify the app, you can uninstall it from your Windows device to solve the problem. Do the following to boot your computer into Safe mode:

1. Press the “Windows + R” keys to open the “Run” dialog box.
2. Now, type “msconfig” in the empty section of “Run,” and press the “Enter” key.
3. Once the “System Configuration” window shows up, click on the “Boot” tab.
4. Next, check the box beside “Safe boot” and select the “Network” option.
5. Click on the “Apply” button.
6. Restart your computer, and it will boot into Safe Mode.