My iPad Screen Is Black! Here’s The Real Fix.

You were playing a game or watching a show on your iPad when something suddenly went wrong. Its display has gone completely black and you can’t do anything now. In this article, I’ll show you what to do when your iPad screen is black so you can fix the problem for good!

Try Charging Your iPad

It’s possible your iPad screen is black because it’s out of battery life. Try plugging your iPad into a power source and see if the Apple logo appears on the screen. If the Apple logo doesn’t appear on the screen after a minute or two, move onto the next step!

Hard Reset Your iPad

A lot the time, your iPad screen goes black because of a software crash. In many cases, your iPad is still on and running in the background! A hard reset can temporarily fix the problem if your iPad is experiencing a software crash.

Simultaneously press and hold the power button and the Home button until the Apple logo appears on the center of the display. You may have to hold both buttons for 25–30 seconds!

If your iPad doesn’t have a Home button, quickly press and release the volume up button, then quickly press and release the volume down button, then press and hold the Top button until the Apple logo appears on the screen. You may have to hold the Top button for 25–30 seconds.

If your iPad turned back on, that’s great! But we’re not done yet. The software problem that made your iPad screen black hasn’t actually been fixed. If the problem continues to occur on your iPad, we highly recommend putting it into DFU mode and restoring. Before you do, back it up first!

How To Back Up Your iPad

A backup is a copy of all the data on your iPad. It’s a good idea to back up your iPad in case the problem it’s currently experiencing gets worse.

Backing Up Your iPad To Finder

When Apple introduced macOS Catalina, iTunes was replaced by Music, and device management and syncing were moved to Finder. Connect your iPad to your Mac using a charging cable.

Open Finder and click on your iPad under Locations on the left-hand side of Finder. Click the circle next to Back up all of the data on your iPad to this Mac, then click Back Up Now.

back up ipad using finder

Backing Up Your iPad To iTunes

If you have a Mac running macOS 10.14 or older, or if you own a PC, you’ll use iTunes to back up your iPad. Plug your iPad into your computer using a charging cable. Open iTunes and click on the iPad icon near the upper left-hand corner of the application.

Click the circle next to This computer, then click Back Up Now.

Put Your iPad In DFU Mode

A DFU restore is the deepest type of restore you can perform on your iPad. All of its code is erased and reloaded,  which will fix any deeply hidden software problem. We strongly recommend backing up your iPad before putting it in DFU mode! When you’re ready to go, check out our iPad DFU mode walkthrough!

iPad Screen Repair Options

There’s probably a hardware problem if your iPad display is still black. If you recently dropped your iPhone, or if it has been exposed to liquid, some cables may have become damaged or dislodged from the logic board.

Set up an appointment at your local Apple Store’s Genius Bar and see if they can fix it for you. As long as your iPad is covered by AppleCare+, you’ll probably be able to get an affordable repair.

It’s Black Magic! But Not Really…

Your iPad’s black screen problem has been fixed! If your iPad screen goes black again, you’ll know how to fix the problem. Leave any other questions you have about your iPad down below in the comments section!

About Author

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

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Rohan Srivastava
7 months ago

Hello,
I have an iPad AIR 3rd generation.
Pushing the power button displays proper screen sometimes but mostly it’s black screen.I have done force restart multiple times . Can you suggest me the root cause of the issue.. is it loose connection or an IC issue

Ed zamora
10 months ago

I have an ipad pro 2021. Today the screen turned black and you can hear a sound when it’s plugges in ,but that’s all .I’ve left it charging for hours too. I’ve tried a hard reset and nothing. I can’t afford to get it fixed. I’m so disappointed.

Dani
9 months ago
Reply to  Ed zamora

My daughter drained my ipad and then I left it charging for hours – I don’t see any charging icon and figured it is normal because it was so drained, but even after several hours it still won’t turn on and no hard resets work. I know that the charging cable works because I can still use it on other devices and just used it earlier today.

Maria Lourdes Vega
10 months ago

My experience is i dont see anything on the screen but if i take a screenshot the screenshot shows the screen for entering password. Then at some random moment i can see the screen. So what is the problem?

Bobbie
10 months ago

Followed every step and the iPad still goes back. Yes the battery is charged. I can’t even do the reboot by pressing the two buttons. If I press the button on the top several times sometimes it will start other times nothing so I put the iPad down for several hours and then it will start again.
what to do?

Ruth
9 months ago
Reply to  Bobbie

Mine does the same and I have found out there was a manufacturers defect when making the iPads during a certain time period. I purchased the air3 in sept 2019. The problem is apple is aware but the ‘black screen service program’ only went for 2 years with no recall or notice going out to those who bought the devices. If you didn’t have an issue until after the 2 year period you are out of luck for the. Repairing or replacing it. I spent 3-4 hours I’ll never get back trying to get them to do something. I even… Read more »

Jonathan
1 year ago

my baby brother dropped the ipad almost a year ago, it was a black screen and i can still hear the ipad still running. I tried hard reset it works but after seconds it goes black again. How can u fix this problen?

Sofia Martin
10 months ago
Reply to  Jonathan

OMG THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENDED TO ME EXEPT MY BABY SISTER IM SCARED TO TELL MY PARENTS BUT I REALLY TRIED EVERYTHING AND MY IPAD IS STILL BLACK WITH SIRI WORKING AND EVERYTHING

Michele
1 year ago

I just did what was shown and right at 25 seconds, my moms iPad came back on!! Thanks so much…this saved the day😁
Michelr

Nastia
1 year ago

I’ve messed with the settings for my iPad when I was a kid, so now I’m looking back at it at 17 years and my ipad is not fixable, it shows a black screen and it won’t go away, I tried to reset it but it didn’t work, it showed the screen for a second then went right back to the black screen, when I tap on things, a robot says what the button is and it acts like the real thing only I can’t see a thing because of the black screen. It has to be at least 10… Read more »

brendan
1 year ago

my ipad still is black what do i do now?

Barbara Clutterbuck
1 year ago

Thank you! IPad screen is back!! Don’t know how to back it up to my laptop though.
Barbara

Taylor
1 year ago

Tried everything you listed here. When connected to computer, iTunes recognizes there is an iPad connected, but when hit restore NOTHING happens. Any further ideas?

much appreciated!