8 ways to Fix Black screen with cursor windows 10 (after login)

Encountering a black screen with only a cursor after logging into Windows 10? This issue prevents you from accessing your desktop or using your computer effectively. It can be caused by various factors, including driver issues (outdated or incompatible display drivers), system file corruption, or problematic startup processes. Here are several methods to troubleshoot and fix the black screen with cursor problem on Windows 10/11.

Check for External Device Interference

Sometimes, external devices connected to your computer can cause conflicts that result in a black screen after login. Let’s first disconnect external devices and restart Windows to check if this helps.

• Unplug all USB devices, external hard drives, printers, and other peripherals.
• Press and hold the power button to force a shutdown, then power it back on.
• See if the issue persists after removing external devices. If the problem is resolved, one of the devices may be causing the conflict that need to be addressed.

Use Task Manager to Restart Windows Explorer

The black screen with a cursor also can occur if the Windows Explorer process (which controls the desktop and taskbar) glitches or fails to start properly. Restarting Windows Explorer via Task Manager can often resolve this issue.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
• If Task Manager opens with limited details, click More details at the bottom.
• Scroll down in the Processes tab to find Windows Explorer.
• Right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart.
• If you don’t see Windows Explorer, click on File > Run new task, type explorer.exe, and press Enter.

After restarting Windows Explorer, your desktop and taskbar should reappear. If they do, the issue may have been a temporary glitch.

Boot into Safe Mode

Safe Mode starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and services, which can help you diagnose the root cause of the problem.

First, you need to Access Advanced Boot options using installation media, or 

• Press and hold the power button to shut down your computer.
• Turn it on, and as soon as you see the Windows logo, press and hold the power button again to force another shutdown.
• Repeat this process until you see the Preparing Automatic Repair screen.
• When the Automatic Repair screen appears, click Advanced options.
• Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

• After restarting, press F4 to boot into Safe Mode F5 to enable internet access.

• If you can log in without seeing a black screen in Safe Mode, the issue may be related to a driver, startup program, or service.
• From Safe Mode, you can uninstall recently installed software, update drivers, or run a system file check.

Update or Roll Back Graphics Drivers

A faulty or incompatible graphics driver commonly causes the black screen issue. Updating or rolling back the driver might resolve the problem.

• Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start button and selecting it from the menu.
• Expand the Display adapters section.
• Right-click your graphics card and select Update driver.
• Choose Search automatically for drivers and follow the on-screen instructions.

Roll Back Graphics Drivers:

• If the problem started after a recent driver update, you might want to roll back to the previous version.
• In Device Manager, right-click your graphics card and select Properties.
• Go to the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver.

After updating or rolling back the driver, restart your computer normally and check if the black screen issue is resolved.

Disable Fast Startup

Fast Startup can sometimes cause the black screen with a cursor issue due to conflicts with certain drivers or processes.

• Type Control Panel in the Windows search bar and open it.
• Go to Power Options and click on choose what the power buttons do from the left pane.
• Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
• Uncheck the box for Turn on fast startup (recommended).
• Click Save Changes.

After disabling Fast Startup, restart your computer to see if the issue persists.

Check for Malware or Viruses

Malware or viruses can sometimes cause system instability, including the black screen with cursor issues. Running a malware scan might help identify and remove any threats.

• If you can access Safe Mode, use your antivirus software or Windows Security to perform a full system scan.
• Remove any detected threats.

After cleaning up any malware, restart your computer to see if the issue is resolved.

Create a New User Account

If the black screen issue is specific to your user account, it might be due to a corrupt user profile. Creating a new user account can help determine if this is the cause.

• Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
• Click File > Run new task.
• Type control and press Enter to open the Control Panel.
• Navigate to User Accounts > Manage another account > Add a new user in PC settings.
• In the Settings window, click on Add someone else to this PC under the Family & other users section.
• Follow the prompts to create a new user account (you can create a local account without needing a Microsoft account).

Now log off from safe mode, restart Windows and try to log in with a new user account. Check user profile is loaded completely without any black screen stuck.

Run SFC and DISM command

Corrupt system files can lead to issues like a black screen with only a cursor after login. The System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool (DISM) are built-in Windows tools that can help repair these files.

• • Open Task Manager using Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
  • Click on File > Run new task.
  • Type cmd, check Create this task with administrative privileges, and press Enter.
  • In the Command Prompt, type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
  • Wait for the scan to complete. If it finds and repairs corrupt files, restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved.

If SFC scan results, Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix them Run the DISM command which repairs the System image and allows SFC to complete its job.