CrackMacMacBook screen black but the keyboard lights up? Six fixes, in order
If the keyboard lights up, the Mac is on and only the picture is missing. Most of the time the cause is brightness, a Mac that didn't wake properly, or a display setting, and it takes a minute to fix. If none of the six steps below bring the picture back, the display or its cable has failed, and the external monitor test in step 4 will tell you so.
Try these in order
- Turn the brightness up. Press Brightness Up, the F2 key, five or six times. It sounds too simple. It's also the most common cause, because a stray press or a light sensor can take the screen to zero.
- Wake it properly. Close the lid, wait ten seconds and open it again. Then press a key and click the trackpad. Macs sometimes wake the keyboard and leave the display asleep.
- Force a restart. Hold the power button, the Touch ID key on newer models, for about ten seconds until everything goes dark. Wait a few seconds and press it again.
- Connect an external monitor. Plug in any monitor or TV and press Command-Brightness Down to mirror. A picture there means macOS is working and the problem is the built-in display. Help with cables is in connecting a MacBook to a monitor or TV.
- Start in safe mode, with the monitor connected. On Apple silicon, shut down, press and hold the power button until the startup options appear, select your disk, then hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode. On an Intel Mac, hold Shift as it starts. If the built-in screen works in safe mode, an app or a login item is the culprit.
- On an Intel Mac, reset NVRAM. Shut down, then turn it on and immediately hold Option, Command, P and R for about 20 seconds. Apple silicon Macs reset this on their own when they restart.
Still black? Check the hardware
In a dark room, shine a phone torch at the screen at an angle. A faint image of the desktop means the panel is fine and the backlight isn't lighting it. That fault is sometimes in the display cable rather than the panel, which can make the repair cheaper.
Open and close the lid slowly while watching the screen. On some 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models, the display goes black once the lid opens past about halfway. A display cable that was a little too short wore out with use. Apple's free repair program for the 2016 13-inch model has ended, but independent shops still fix it by replacing the cable.
Recent liquid spills, a knock, or a bulge under the trackpad are reasons to stop experimenting and get it checked.
If the damage runs along one edge, CrackMac can keep windows, menus and the pointer off it. There's a free 30-minute trial.
What a repair costs
If the external monitor works and the built-in screen doesn't, you're looking at a display or cable repair. Prices for each route are in MacBook screen replacement cost, and if the screen is cracked as well, read cracked and black.
Quick answers
Why is my MacBook screen black when the keyboard is lit?
The Mac is running but nothing reaches the display. Brightness set to zero, a failed wake from sleep and display settings are the usual causes. If a restart and an external monitor test don't help, the display, its backlight or its cable has failed.
How do I get the picture back on my MacBook?
Press Brightness Up a few times, close and reopen the lid, then hold the power button for ten seconds to force a restart. If the screen stays black, connect a monitor to see whether macOS itself is working.
Only part of the picture came back?
If the screen returns with a dead band along one edge, the Mac is still worth using. CrackMac paints the band black and keeps windows, menus and the pointer on the working glass, so the damaged part stops getting in the way.
- Works on macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
- Free for 30 minutes of use, then a one-time price. No subscription.
- A refund within 7 days, no questions asked.