How to Troubleshoot Display or Video Issues on a Dell Monitor

It is essential to verify if the problem is inherent with the monitor, video card (GPU) or video settings on your PC. A straightforward way to identify this is to connect the PC to a known-good external monitor or TV and ensure that the display (S-video, VGA, DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort) cables are firmly connected to the video ports on the PC and the monitor.

To learn more about connecting your Dell PC to a monitor or TV, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article, "How do I Connect a Monitor or TV to a PC?"

If the issue persists on the other monitor it may be due to the video card (GPU) or video settings and not the monitor, proceed to the step Verify display or video issue in Windows Safe Mode. Else proceed to the next step.

Performance issues may occur if there is any type of damage that is caused to the display cables or the LCD screen. LCD screen may show symptoms like LCD screen stops working, work intermittently, color mismatch, flickering, display horizontal or vertical lines, etc. if there is damage to the display cables or the LCD screen.

If you do notice a physical damage, contact Dell Technical Support to learn more about repair options that are available in your region. If there is no damage, proceed to the next step.

Dell monitors provide a self-test feature check (SFTC) and a built-in self test (BIST) diagnostic tool that helps determine if the screen abnormality you are experiencing is an inherent problem with the Dell monitor or with the video card (GPU) and PC settings.

When you notice screen abnormalities like flickering, distortion, clarity issues, fuzzy or blurry image, horizontal or vertical lines, color fade etc., it is always a good practice to isolate the monitor by running a diagnostic check on the Dell monitor.

To learn more about running a diagnostic check on your Dell monitor, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article, "How do I Run Diagnostics on a Dell Monitor?"

Note: Self test feature check (SFTC) helps check if the Dell monitor is functioning normally as a stand-alone device. To check for screen abnormalities like flickering, distortion, clarity issues, fuzzy or blurry image, horizontal or vertical lines, color fade etc.

Note: Built-in self test (BIST) can be run only when the video cable(s) is unplugged and the Dell monitor is in self-test mode.

To reset a Dell monitor to factory default settings, follow these instructions:

1. Press Button 3 on the monitor to enter the On-Screen Display (OSD) Menu.
2. Press Button 1 or Button 2 to highlight Others option in the menu and press Button 3 to select.
3. Press Button 1 or Button 2 to highlight Factory Reset option in the menu and press Button 3 to select.
4. Press Button 3 to confirm the reset action.

Note: Reset instructions for your Dell monitor may vary slightly, refer to the User Guide at the Dell Manuals website.

Windows Safe Mode allows us to identify if the issue is related to the operating system, video settings, device drivers or a third-party software. To learn more about how to boot your Dell PC into Safe Mode, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article below based on the operating system installed on your PC:

• Microsoft Windows 10
• Microsoft Windows 8 or 8.1
• Microsoft Windows 7

If the issue persists in Safe Mode, proceed to the next step. Else, proceed to Perform a Windows System Restore.

Starting Windows 10 in Safe Mode (Official Dell Tech Support) on YouTube - (1:16) English Only

Dell recommends updating the device drivers and BIOS as part of your scheduled update cycle. These device drivers and BIOS updates may contain feature enhancements or changes that help keep your system software current and compatible with other system modules (hardware and software) as well as increased stability.

It is essential to update the following device drivers for optimal video performance and to resolve common video issues:

• BIOS
• Chipset driver
• Video Card (GPU) driver
• Monitor driver

To learn more about downloading and installing a device driver on a Dell PC, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article, "How do I update the device drivers on a Dell PC?"

Windows updates can support your Windows operating system in many ways. Windows updates can solve specific problems, provide protection from malicious attacks, or even add new features to the operating system.

How to run Windows Updates on Microsoft Windows 10?

1. Right-click Start and click Settings.
2. In the Settings panel, click Update and Security.
3. In the left panel, select Windows Update.
4. On the right panel, click Check for updates.
5. Restart the PC after downloading and installing the updates.

Display settings like brightness, refresh rate, resolution, and power management may affect the performance of your Dell monitor. Changing the display settings can help resolve several types of video issues.

To learn more about changing the brightness, refresh rate and resolution on a Dell PC, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article, "How do I Change Common Video Settings in Microsoft Windows?"

If you find that the Dell touch-capable monitor is unresponsive to touch or touch works intermittently, you can try some common troubleshooting steps to help fix the issue.

To learn more about touchscreen troubleshooting, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article, "Troubleshooting Touchscreen Issues on a Dell PC."

Note: Before you begin troubleshooting touchscreen issues, ensure to verify that your Dell monitor has touchscreen functionality.

Note: Connecting the USB upstream cable from your Dell touch-capable monitor to a working USB port on the PC is essential for touch functionality to work.

Troubleshooting Touch Issues in Windows 10 - (1:45) English Only

Stress Test can thoroughly diagnose the video card (GPU) on your PC and report any potential hardware problem. Running a stress test on your PC can verify if the hardware components are stable and thus reliable.

How to run a Stress Test?

1. Click Start, and open Dell SupportAssist.
2. In Dell SupportAssist, click Hardware Checkup.
3. Click Stress (15 minutes) to begin the Stress Test.

Dell SupportAssist Diagnostic Tests (Official Dell Tech Support) on YouTube - (1:30) English Only

System Restore is a built-in Windows tool that is designed to protect and repair the operating system. When something goes wrong with your PC, System Restore should be used before restoring the PC to factory defaults.

Select the Operating System installed on your PC to find more information about how to perform System Restore:

• Microsoft Windows 10
• Microsoft Windows 8 or 8.1
• Microsoft Windows 7
• Microsoft Windows Vista
• Microsoft Windows XP

If the diagnostic tests on the Dell monitor and video card (GPU) passed, it is most definitely an issue that is related to software installed on your PC. If the above troubleshooting steps did not resolve the issue, you could try to restore your PC to factory defaults as a last resort.

Dell PCs are built with a small amount of hard disk space that is reserved for reinstalling your operating system. This method is the easiest way to restore your PC to factory condition. The restoration process deletes all user data from the PC, so be sure to back up all your files before starting this process.

Select the Operating System installed on your PC to find more information about how to restore your PC to factory defaults:

• Microsoft Windows 10
• Microsoft Windows 8 or 8.1
• Microsoft Windows 7

Perform a Reset in Windows 10 - (1:36) English Only