Quickly reset your graphics driver

Updated: 07/31/2022 by Computer Hope
Computer monitor with a blank screen.

Device drivers are critical as they allow your computer's hardware to interact with the operating system. Sometimes, if your graphics driver encounters errors, you may notice distortions on your monitor, or the screen can go black altogether. These instances can make it hard to troubleshoot the problem through the GUI (graphical user interface) with your mouse. Use the Windows keyboard shortcut to fix the problem.

To quickly reset your graphics driver in Windows, press Windows key+Ctrl+Shift+B. A beep will sound, the screen will flicker, and, if successful, the display returns to normal.

Tip

After resetting your graphics driver and settings, we recommend updating the graphics driver to make sure the latest version is installed. See: How to install and update a computer driver.