Screen Goes Black When Alt Tab? Causes and 7 Proven Fixes

Why Does My Screen Go Black When I Press Alt + Tab

A black screen after pressing Alt + Tab usually happens because Windows needs to switch the display mode between applications, but something interrupts this process. Common causes include graphics driver problems, incompatible display settings, fullscreen application conflicts, and Windows display feature issues.

• Incompatible screen display settings: If there is any program incompatible with current display settings, you may experience a black screen after pressing Alt + Tab.
• Problematic computer drivers: Outdated or corrupted graphics drivers are the common cause of this issue as those drivers control the communications between the operating system and software applications.  
• Game mode: Game mode is a feature to improve screen performance for a better game experience. However, this feature may also cause some troubles. For instance, the monitor keeps going black when pressing Alt + Tab.
• Fullscreen mode conflicts: Some games and applications use fullscreen mode, which uses different display settings from the Windows desktop. When pressing Alt + Tab, Windows may struggle to switch between these display modes, resulting in a temporary or persistent black screen.
• Malware attacks: Possibly, your computer is attacked by malicious software or viruses, reflecting as a black screen. Pressing the Alt + Tab key combination is not the real cause.

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How to Fix Black Screen After Pressing Alt + Tab

The following fixes can help restore normal display switching and resolve the Alt + Tab black screen problem.

Try these solutions one by one. If the black screen prevents Windows from starting normally, move to the data recovery section to protect important files.

Fix 1. Perform Basic Solutions

Carry out some simple and basic solutions to see if the Alt-Tabbing black screen issue can be resolved. Sometimes, such an issue is triggered by the glitches of the operating system or the interference of external devices. Here are the easy checks.

• Restart the computer. If the appearance of the black screen after pressing Alt + Tab happens due to temporary issues, restarting the operating system can automatically fix those bugs. Thus, after the computer reboots, press Alt + Tab again to check.
• Remove connected external devices. Sometimes, the connected external devices can affect the normal performance of the computer due to their virus-affected disks, damaged device adapters, or other reasons. Therefore, remove those devices and retry the Alt + Tab key combination.
• Uninstall problematic programs. If the black screen after pressing Alt + Tab happens after installing a new program or always when a certain program opens, it is probably caused by this problematic application. You can uninstall this program to see if the problem is resolved.
• Check the monitor cable connection. If the monitor cable is loose or damaged, your computer screen may suddenly turn black. On this occasion, the black screen is not caused by Alt-Tabbing.

If the problem still exists after the above checks, move on to the solutions below.

Fix 2. Upgrade the Graphics Driver

An outdated or corrupted graphics driver is also a possible cause of the issue that the screen goes black when pressing Alt + Tab. If you haven’t upgraded your graphics driver in time, you can go to the Device Manager to check.

Step 1. Right-click on the Windows icon and choose Device Manager from the menu.

Step 2. Select Display adapters to find your graphics driver.

Step 3. If there is a symbol that informs you to upgrade or reinstall the driver, you can right-click on the driver and choose Update driver from the context menu.

Step 4. Choose Search automatically for drivers in the following window.

Optionally, choose Uninstall device to uninstall the driver and restart your computer to reinstall it automatically. Afterward, you can press Alt + Tab to see if your screen goes black again.

Fix 3. Change the Monitor’s Refresh Rate

The refresh rate of your monitor is the frequency of your computer image refreshing per second. Most game players set a high refresh rate on their monitors for a better game experience. However, when the monitor’s refresh rate doesn’t match your hardware configuration, there may be kinds of issues, including the black screen after pressing Alt + Tab. Here is how to adjust the monitor refresh rate on your computer.

Step 1. Press Win + I to open Windows Settings.

Step 2. Head to System > Display, then choose Advanced display settings on the right pane.

Step 3. Select Display adapter properties for Display 1.

Step 4. In the following window, change to the Monitor tab to choose a desired refresh rate from the dropdown menu of Screen refresh rate. You are suggested to set the screen refresh rate to 60 Hz. If the problem still occurs, you can lower the refresh rate.

Step 5. Click Apply to save your settings.

Fix 4. Adjust the Graphics Settings

If you have modified the graphics settings for higher performance, ascertain whether the black screen issue is being triggered by ineligible computer components, such as a low-end GPU. In this case, you can adjust the graphics settings to try to resolve the problem.

Step 1. Press Win + I to open the Windows Settings window.

Step 2. Navigate to System > Display, then scroll down to find and select Graphics settings.

Step 3. Browse the application list to find the problematic program. If you can’t find the target program, click Browse to locate it and choose Add to confirm.

Step 4. Select the target program and click Options.

Step 5. In the prompt window, you can choose Let Windows decide or Power saving based on your case. Click Save to make your change take effect.

Fix 5. Disable the Fullscreen Optimization

Some programs may not be compatible with the Fullscreen Optimizations setting; thus, your screen goes black when pressing Alt + Tab. If you have enabled this feature, turn it off to see if this helps to resolve the issue.

Step 1. Right-click on the icon of the problematic program and choose Properties.

Step 2. Change to the Compatibility tab and tick the Disable fullscreen optimizations option.

Step 3. Click Apply to save your change.

Fix 6. Disable Game Mode

Most game players will enable the Game Mode to optimize the computer performance for a better game experience. However, the game mode may bring compatibility issues with the operating system, leading to the black screen issue when you want to switch programs by pressing Alt + Tab.

Step 1. Press Win + I to open Windows Settings.

Step 2. Go to Gaming > Game Mode and toggle to switch of Game Mode to Off.

Fix 7. Run an Antivirus Software

Running a full virus scan is necessary to check if your computer is infected by malicious software and to detect any underlying viruses. I advise you to use the Windows built-in antivirus utility in this case.

Step 1. Type Virus & threat protection into the Windows search bar and hit Enter to open the window quickly.

Step 2. Choose Scan options. In the following window, select Full scan and click Scan now to start the process.

Recover Files When a Black Screen Prevents Windows From Booting

If the black screen issue after pressing Alt + Tab prevents Windows from starting normally, you may need to access important files before reinstalling Windows or performing advanced repairs.

In this situation, a bootable data recovery tool can help recover files from an inaccessible computer.

About MiniTool Power Data Recovery

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a Windows data recovery tool designed to recover files from various data loss situations, including mistaken deletion, partition loss, device failure, virus attacks, and more. It supports recovering files from internal hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and other storage devices that can be detected by Windows.

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Unlike traditional file recovery methods, the bootable edition allows you to create a recovery drive and access files even when Windows cannot start properly.

Step 1. Create a Bootable Disk

Before starting, prepare a working computer and a blank USB drive with 4GB – 64GB of available space.

Install MiniTool Power Data Recovery Bootable on the working computer. Then open the software and use the Bootable Media Builder feature to create a bootable USB drive.

Step 2. Boot the Black Screen Computer from the USB Drive

Connect the created bootable USB drive to the computer affected by the Alt + Tab black screen issue.

Enter the BIOS or UEFI settings and change the boot order to start the computer from the bootable USB drive.

After the computer boots from the recovery media, MiniTool Power Data Recovery will launch automatically.

Step 3. Scan the Drive and Rescue Files

Select the partition where you want to recover data from and click Scan to start the scan process.

After scanning, files are assorted into three folders generally by their paths. You can locate the wanted files according to the file structure.

The Filter feature allows you to narrow down the file list by setting the filter criteria based on your requirements.

If you want to recover a certain type of file, shift to the Type tab next to the Path tab, where files are classified by their types and file formats specifically.

You can also type the file name into the search box (both the complete and partial names are acceptable.) and press Enter to do a quick filter.

Finally, select the files you want to recover and click the Save button. Choose a removable drive to save the recovered files.

This is how to recover data from an unbootable computer using MiniTool Power Data Recovery. However, no one can guarantee 100% successful data recovery. To safeguard your data, you are advised to back up files on a regular basis.

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Final Words

Here are 7 methods for you to fix the black screen after pressing Alt + Tab. Additionally, if you are unable to boot up the computer properly after the black screen, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is an ideal assistant to rescue data from the dead computer.

If you have any problem using MiniTool Power Data Recovery, please feel free to ask us via [email protected].

Screen Turns Black When Alt Tabbing FAQ