Does your Nintendo Switch turn on but show a black screen with sound, won’t wake up from Sleep mode, flickers, or that it does not turn on at all? In this article, you’ll find a number of methods to fix the dreaded black screen issue.
The black screen of death can be a very frustrating issue and there are various reasons for this problem, such as a drained battery, damaged screen, or a broken charging adapter. This problem has plagued a lot of Nintendo Switch users and if you are one of them, then you should avoid panicking as there are ways to fix it.
Fortunately, this issue can be fixed. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the Nintendo Switch black screen of death fixes that you could try to resolve the problem.
Table of Contents
Why is my Nintendo Switch screen black?
There are many reasons why your Nintendo Switch is not turning on or intermittently displays a black screen. It could be because the battery is empty, there is a software glitch, the power adapter is broken and not charging the console, or the screen is damaged.
1. Drained battery
This is the most common reason for the issue. If you switch on your console and a battery icon appears before the screen turns black or off, then it means that the battery is dead and that you have to recharge it.
Simply plug in your Nintendo Switch to the charger and give it a few hours for it to fully recharge.
2. Broken charging adapter or dock
If you have plugged in your console to the charger and after several hours, you still see the drained battery indicator when switching on Nintendo Switch, then it is an indication that your charging adapter or dock may be broken or that the power socket is nonfunctional.
3. Damaged screen
In some cases, a damaged screen may be the reason for the black screen issue on Nintendo Switch. If you recently dropped your console, then the screen could have gotten damaged.
4. Hardware issues
If none of the above is the case, then the issue could be due to a hardware problem that is preventing your Nintendo Switch from turning on and displaying the screen properly.
How to fix the black screen in Nintendo Switch?
To fix the black screen issue in Nintendo Switch, you can hard reset the console, reset the charging adapter, try a new charging adapter, or perform a soft reset.
1. Hard reset
Hard resetting your Nintendo Switch will force it to reboot and will not erase any data from the device. This could help fix the issue and allow your console to switch on and display the screen normally.
- Press and hold the Power button at the top of the Nintendo Switch for about 20 seconds to force a reboot.
- Now press the Power button again to turn on the console.
(Image source: Nintendo)
2. Reset the charging adapter
(Image source: Nintendo life)
Another reason for the issue could be due to a faulty charging adapter which is preventing your console from getting fully recharged. When your console battery is drained, it will display a black screen when you attempt to switch it on.
Reset the adapter by unplugging it from the console as well as the power socket. Leave it unplugged for about 30 seconds before plugging it back into the power socket and your Nintendo Switch.
Now check if your console gets recharged.
3. Switch to a different charging adapter or dock
If your charging adapter or the charging dock is broken or damaged, your Nintendo Switch will not recharge. In some cases, the power socket might be faulty. Therefore, a blank screen is displayed on Nintendo Switch if the battery has died.
In such cases, you should first try to plug in the charger to a different power socket to check if the charger works. If it’s still not working, then it could be due to a broken charging dock or adapter.
Try using a different charging adapter that is functional to check if your Nintendo Switch gets recharged and turns on.
4. Perform a soft reset
The black screen issue could be due to a software glitch. As such, you should try doing a soft reset to fix the issue. Doing so will restore factory settings but won’t wipe any data from your console.
- Press and hold the Power button at the top of your console for about 10-15 seconds until it turns off.
- Next, press and hold the Power button and both the volume buttons together for a few seconds until the recovery menu appears.
- From the menu, choose Restore factory settings without deleting save data. Follow the on-screen instructions to begin the process.
- Once the process is completed, press the Power button again to switch on your Nintendo Switch. Hopefully, it should turn on without showing a blank or black screen.
5. Get it repaired
If none of the above solutions works, it is time to get your console inspected by Nintendo.
There could be a hardware fault in your Nintendo Switch that is preventing it from turning on and displaying the screen, such as a broken screen. As such, contact Nintendo or take it to their nearest store to get it inspected.
If any hardware issues are found, you should instruct them to get it repaired in order to get it back to functioning again.
Conclusion
The black screen of death on Nintendo Switch can be very intimidating and many users immediately go into panic mode. When this happens, it’s important to stay calm and perform various troubleshooting procedures, such as forcing a reboot, checking the A/C charging adapters or dock, and performing a soft reset.
In the worst-case scenario, if the issue is not resolved, you should contact Nintendo to get it repaired.
