Youre using your Windows gadget and then decide to take a break.

So, you put the gear into the sleep or hibernate mode.

But now, the unit is suddenly stuck, and your screen is blank!

A person using a computer that has a blank screen

No matter which button you press, nothing happens.

And even when you click your mouse, the screen wont turn on.

What Is the Difference Between the “Hibernate” and “Sleep” Modes?

An illustration of a question and an idea

Mohamed_hassan/Pixabay

The sleep and hibernate modes are power-saving features.

Youd usually use either option when youre away from your gear.

The sleep mode uses little power and usually wakes your rig faster.

Using a PC that has an external storage device plugged in

During sleep mode, most PC components (except the RAM) are turned off.

Meanwhile, the hibernate mode uses less power than the sleep option.

When this mode is active, all PC components (including the RAM) are turned off.

Computer screen showing settings

So, its almost similar to shutting down your gear, except that it restarts the system faster.

So, which option should you use between these two modes?

It depends on how long youll be taking a break from using your equipment.

Checking the Allow this device to wake the computer box for keyboard settings

For example, use the sleep option if you just want to take a quick break.

Disconnect External Devices and cycle your PC

Are there any external devices connected to your rig?

If so, then they might be the reason you’re encountering the issue at hand.

Checking the Allow this device to wake the computer box for mouse settings

The quickest solution is to remove the external devices and then reboot your PC.

Even if no external devices are connected, try restarting your rig and see if that helps.

In some instances, you’re able to wake the unit with a single mouse click.

Clicking the Restore default settings for this plan option

However, this depends on how youve configured the mouse and keyboard configs.

If these controls arent configured properly, then you might encounter issues when waking your rig.

So, restoring the default power prefs could help.

5 battery symbols

Here are the steps you should probably follow:

4.

Perform a Power Cycle on Your machine

Performing a power cycle on your Windows machine might also help.

During the power cycle process, your unit will reset and eliminate system issues.

Using a Windows laptop on a brown desk

So, this could also tackle the “blank screen” issue.

Because you’re likely dealing with a power issue, it’s best to trigger the Power troubleshooter first.

So, you could tackle the issue by running the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.

Running the Power troubleshooter

Restart or Reinstall the Battery Drivers

The blank screen issue might also be brought on by corrupted battery drivers.

So, you could tackle the problem by either restarting or reinstalling these drivers.

In case your unit gets stuck in one of these modes, apply any of the fixes weve covered.

Running the Power Troubleshooter via the Control Panel

And if your rig shuts down instead of going to sleep, there are solutions for that too.

Running the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Restarting the battery drivers