Black screen of death - 2 external monitors work and camera works, but imac does not detect (recognize) it's own screen

Question

Black screen of death - 2 external monitors work and camera works, but imac does not detect (recognize) it's own screen

I can't get rid of the blank screen of death. I'm thinking there is a chance that the display settings are messed up since I've been using an external monitor.

Here is what I know:

1) The imac's own screen is blank/black

2) 1 and/or 2 external monitors work fine

3) When I tried "detect," it would not find itself (the native screen)

4) The mac logo does not light up

5) For what it's worth, the camera does work (not sure if that helps troubleshoot)

I've tried the multiple options found online with pushing option/shift/command/power and power / r/p and whatever. None of those combinations that apparently "reset" things did not work.

Help? Is there a high level of confidence there that I need to open it up and play with plug/unplug some cable that powers the monitor? That's a last resort for me because I would need to order the tools online and I worry I would void or create problems of getting help from an Apple store on this.

HELP! Thanks in advance.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jan 24, 2021 2:14 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jan 26, 2021 7:01 PM in response to raina_b22

Basically those steps just tell me to contact Apple Support, which is not helpful because Apple will just try to charge me an exuberant amount of money to fix this. I would ask that you please read my first post about the problem and everything that I tried already to fix this.

It seems that the mac works fine, and it's just somehow stuck on sending the video output to my external display instead of showing up on the mac itself. Is there a way to reset the display settings?

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Intel processor

Press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds.
Press and release the power button, then immediately press and hold Command (⌘)-R until you see an Apple logo or other image.
If you still see a blank screen after about 20 seconds, contact Apple Support.

OKAY, SO THIS DOESN'T HELP - IT JUST INSTRUCTS ME TO CONTACT APPLE SUPPORT.

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Answer 2

Chris_C1

Community Specialist

Jan 26, 2021 8:31 AM in response to BlankScreenofDeath

Hello,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities!

If we understand your post correctly, your external monitors have black screens and you want to know how to fix this. We're happy to help!

Below is an article that will provide how to use external monitors with your Mac.

Use external monitors with your Mac

Also, try the steps provided in this article as well: Get help with video issues on external displays connected to your Mac

Let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

Take care!

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Answer 3

raina_b22

Community Specialist

Jan 26, 2021 4:12 PM in response to BlankScreenofDeath

Hello,

Thanks for responding back to us and providing us with more information about the issue your having.

Try the steps provided in the article below for help with your Mac screen being blank.

If your Mac starts up to a blank screen

Thanks!

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Answer 4

Jan 26, 2021 8:45 AM in response to Chris_C1

You 100% misunderstood the problem. My imac has a black screen of death. My monitors work fine. The imac screen does not work. The article you posted is not helpful. How do I get the screen of my imac working again?

Reply

Answer 5

bailier

Community Specialist

Jan 28, 2021 4:32 PM in response to BlankScreenofDeath

Hello,

Thanks for getting back to us and letting us the steps in the articles we provided didn't successfully help.

To answer your question, there is no way to reset the display. At this point, we recommend contacting Apple Support directly for further help with this issue.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

Take care!

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Black screen of death - 2 external monitors work and camera works, but imac does not detect (recognize) it's own screen

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