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

    Categories: Power

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.

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!

View Comments (92)

  • 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

  • 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.

    • 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.

  • 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?

  • 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?

    • 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 drove 3 hours to the nearest apple repair place, which is how I found out about the issue. I can pay $600 for repair or $1000 for new air5. Nice options, Apple. A defect is a defect no matter when the issue with it arises. If I hear them tell me one more time to do a forced restart I’ll scream. When the screen is black you can’t do anything.

  • 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?

    • 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

  • 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

  • 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 years old. I don't think it's able to be fixed.

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

  • 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!

  • Hi. So my iPad came back 3 days ago from a Apple Certified Repair Centre for the 3rd time in 6 months. And the same thing just happened again. I was working on procreate. Set it down and went to get a cup of tea. I come back and the screen is dark. There is sound still, and if I see the laptop under strong light, I can make out that the Home Screen and various text boxes and icons. Its driving me nuts. Last time the iPad was at the repair centre for over 2 weeks. I have tried all the steps mentioned here. still no love. Help. Really frustrated and lost.

  • My Apple Ipad Mini, i have follow the instructions Black Screen to hold the power button but it didn't work, the power is on but it cant display, but maybe its USB cable.....

  • When I turn my iPad on it goes to a lighted black screen. I have to turn it on and off several time before I can get to log in screen. Tried hard rest and other solution on internet. It did not fix the problem. Any suggestion.?

    • I have this exact same problem. Have to keep pressing the on/off button to eventually get it on but sometimes it takes hours... did you manage to find a fix?

  • I went to the Apple website and held down the power and home button note that the backlight was still on until I was holding down those buttons, then it won't come back on. Just go to the Apple store?

  • Hi,
    I have an ipad pro 12.9 2021 (m1) and I seem to have sort of similar problem, although it's quite intermittent.
    Sometimes the screen goes black but the ipad is still working. I can hear the sounds and there is some backlighting but the screen is black.
    Sometimes a hard reset fixes it immediately, sometimes it takes a few attempts (when doing a hard reset I can barely see the shape of the apple logo that appears on boot) and it seems to turn on and work fine but screen still black. Few attempts would eventually fix the issue but it comes back every few days. Definitely not the battery as today when it happened and recovered, I was on 60%.
    I tried updating to newest os, resetting to factory settings, recovery with a laptop but eventually issue comes back.
    Does it seem like a hardware or software issue? The ipad is under warranty so likely going back to apple soon, but its really annoying to pay a 1000 pounds for a device and have issues like these.
    Thanks for advice

  • My iPad blacks out when I am using it to do my school work and I have tried all the processes written above👆🏼 but non of them work .🤔🤔

  • Hi. My iPad has stopped livestreaming a church service that worked nicely for two years. Now all I get is a black screen and no audio either. I tried the hard reset without success. Any ideas?

    Thank you, and God bless.

    • Which app are you trying to stream the service through? If you are trying to stream through an app, I suggest checking for an app update. If that doesn't work, try deleting and reinstalling the app — that could potentially fix a deeper software problem within the app.

  • My iPad (7th gen) just went black a few weeks ago, in those few weeks I have tried anything I can do excluding the things that require a Mac since I do not own one. I have done all I can yet it shows no signs of turning on, I do not have AppleCare+ on it since it was a gift.. though I am not sure what else to do.

  • My iPad Pro (3rd gen) went black last week. When connecting to an external screen I got image, and the touch screen worked as well. But my iPad did not show anything. After some calls with Apple support I concluded it had to be hardware so I bought a new iPad pro (2020 gen). Repair costs were too high. I restored a backup to my new iPad and after 30 minutes of watching Netflix my screen went black again?? So the exact same problem on the new iPad?? It does not make any sense. Restoring it and even DFU did not help either. Any ideas?

    • It's possible that your backup carried over a deep software problem that crashed your iPad and made the screen black. The only way I can think of to test that is to DFU restore your iPad again and start using it without restoring from the backup. But if you haven't already, you may want to first try Resetting All Settings on your iPad to see if you can resolve a potential software issue.

      If the problem persists, bring your new iPad into Apple and ask for a replacement. While it's not common, it is possible you received a defective iPad.

  • My sons iPad went black. I took it in the apple and they said everything was working with software so it must be display/hardware issues. I don’t have apple care as this is already a replacement. However I went outside in bright Sun and could see everything but had to log in to restore everything!! By then the sun wasn’t bright enough to see!! Do you think it’s just a problem with the display being turned down or is it shot??

    • Check out our article "How To Make The iPhone Display Darker" (the steps are the same for iPad) and see if any of those settings are on. Zoom or Reduce White Point could, theoretically, be making your iPad's display darker than normal. If those settings are already off, there could certainly be an issue with the display that needs to be repaired.

  • my ipad wont turn on. i can hear the charging sound go off but the screen is still black. it had a black screen then it turned on again after a few days of js putting it away, and now it wont turn on at all but i can hear my notifications and everything else

    • One of two things is happening:

      1. Your iPad screen has crashed on a black screen. If this is the case, a hard reset (second step in this article) will fix the problem.
      2. There's a hardware issue with the display specifically and your iPad needs to be repaired. Visit Apple's support website to get help.

  • My iPad went black when playing a Zynga game. I charged it up for a couple of hours they tried to restart. The white/Apple screen appeared briefly and the a screen appeared indicating I should charge the iPad. I guess I just don’t have enough charge yet.

  • Hi, I’m facing black screen issue. I tried all the methods like rebooting, restoring to factory setting via itunes almost everything but still nothing on the screen I can hear notifications and charging sound. And I want to mention there was no accident whatsoever. What should I do??

      • Thank you for the suggestion, this actually happened the second time with me, the first time when it had happened was fixed by basic troubleshooting I had put my ipad connected to charger for 2 hours and then restarted it and after 4 restart the screen was back on as if nothing had happened but now this happened second time I thought the same way or methods you shared. I will contact the them again for a proper diagnose and get it fixed. Although I know feel I was ripped off by Apple. ??

  • My iPad screen had been black for 24 hours now. Im curious if i had a virus or something else. i tried everything except the dfu repare but i dont want to lose my data please help me! the ipad is the only device i have other than my school chromebook

    • Pretty unlikely your iPad has a virus. Try contacting your iPad to your computer to see if it'll show up in Finder or iTunes. If it does, back it up immediately. Unfortunately, it sounds like you're going to have to DFU restore your iPad, or there's a hardware problem.

  • My iPad screen has gone black. As you say, when I was playing a game. So I tried to hard reset it, but it always shows the Apple logo twice and goes black again. So, it didn't hard reset properly. Also, my iPad screen worked for less than 5 seconds. So what should I do? ?

  • My iPad screen won’t turn on, no response whatsoever. I tried holding onto the buttons to restart for more than 3 minutes still nothing.

  • i have an iPad generation 7 and it went completely black. I was able to reset it but then it went black again and won't turn on at all. Any suggestions?

  • My iPad is completely black. It won't restart or anything, and it has not been damaged. Also, I have held down the home button and the top button for ages longer than a couple of minutes but nothing has happened. Please help me.

    • I recommend trying to perform a hard reset on your iPad!

      If your iPad has a Home button, press and hold the Power button and Home button until the Apple logo appears on your screen. Once you see the Apple logo, let go of both buttons and your iPad should turn back on.

      If you have an iPad with Face ID, press and release the volume up button, then press and release the volume down button. Finally, press and hold the top button until the Apple logo shows up. Once the Apple logo appears, your iPad should boot up on its own.

      I hope this helps!

      • Hi… the problem isn’t that my screen isn’t turning on. It’s turning on, it’s just not showing me anything. Like when I press the turn on button, it lights up. The screen is responsive but nothing is showing.

        • Hi Fusion, during my time at Apple, that issue would often be the result of some sort of damage to the display, or a display replacement gone wrong. It might be worth making a Genius Bar appointment and seeing what they can do to help.

  • Hi, My IPad screen has gone black, no response what’s so ever I tried holding onto the buttons to restart for30 seconds still nothing, no damges on the IPad

    • Hi Alexis! Believe it or not, a hard reset can take even longer than 30 seconds to initiate sometimes! The first thing I'd recommend is to try holding the buttons for a full minute or so to see if that solves the problem. If that doesn't work, please let us know. Best of luck!

  • Hi, I was playing a game then suddenly my ipad buffered and its stuck in the single frame and I can't use it i've done this method already but nothing seems to happen (Ipad 6th gen)

  • Hi, I just went into settings to adjust my brightness and must have accidentally pressed something as my screens turned black. On pressing the home button, the login screen appears, you can login but it takes you back to the black screen? Help?

    • The first thing I'd recommend trying is to go into a dark room and try to adjust your brightness setting from there. You may have accidentally changed a setting that's made your screen appear darker than you'd expect. If that doesn't work, try a hard reset — press and hold the power button and home button together for 30 seconds, or until the Apple logo appears on the screen, then let go.

  • uhm actually i have an problem... Am charging normally my iPad and it suddenly glitched and i tried to open it. Its been 30 minutes opening my iPad mini and its going to black and i will see the apple logo and it will go back to black after 3sec and after 3min or 10 i will see the apple logo again. well am searching this issue.. can you help me to solve it? because i tried many times and many tips like press the home button and the power button for 15sec or 25-30 but it still the same. pls help me because its my father's iPad and am scared if he will be angry to me... pls help me... i need your help plsss!!! T-T

    • Check out our article about what to do when your iPad is stuck on the Apple logo. If you can't get it fixed, just explain everything to him and be honest. Technology is always replaceable ?

  • my ipad blacked out and is not turning on at all, when i push the button to turn off your ipad and home button you can hear it takes a picture and same as my notifications but it isn't turning on.

    • Make sure you hold the buttons for 20-30 seconds. You might be surprised at how long it takes before the hard reset occurs. If that doesn't work, consider doing a DFU restore.

  • I’m scared all my data will disappear, is there any other way? It doesn’t anything about being Brocken, it just won’t turn on

  • I have an iPad that just 1/3 of the screen is black but you can still use the buttons in the background. Any suggestions. Teri

  • this is the 5 time black screen with my iPad and I fixed it after 3-4 months but I could not finish it in one day

  • It's my Apple Air iPad , I tried the hard fix, not working.
    It's only a little over a year old, I paid almost $800 for it. I'm so freaking out.
    Please can you help me?

  • It's my Apple Air iPad , I tried the hard fix, not working.
    It's only a little over a year old, I paid almost $800 for it. I'm so freaking out.
    Please can you help me?)

  • My ipad turns black suddenly without, i have connect it to itunes and its shows that the restore has been completed and ipad is ready to use but it still black screen

  • my screen is black.i connected it to itunes and said restore and update. i do it.but when extracting file is over,an error apear (error 4013) . my itunes is updated to last version and I do everything.but its not work .help please

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David Lynch: 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.