Steam Deck Black Screen Fix / Fixed (For anyone that needs it)

[Spock]

Recently my Steam Deck sat without being played for a few weeks. I assume battery was completely dead. I charged it up, went to turn it on to play it, only to find the screen was completely black. No backlight, nothing. I scoured the internet looking for information and possible fixes. Tried everything I found with no luck. Got in touch with Steam Support and was able to get the issue resolved without sending my deck in for repair. Figured I'd share here for anyone else looking for possible solutions.

To be clear, the screen on the device was black, no backlight. But otherwise the device was fine. You could hear sound effects when you pressed buttons, the thumb/touch pads gave haptics feedback.. If I docked it or used an external monitor, I did get a picture on the external monitor/TV.

Since I cant really post the entire chat here, I'm going to leave out some of the more obvious fixes/suggestions such as making sure your power supply is plugged in all the way and things of that nature.
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Some things Steam Support had me try/rule out:

Make sure your charger is charging your device. Indicator LED should be a solid white when plugged in. Make sure you're only using the supplied charger, as the Steam Deck can act funky with others.

Try to reset the BIOS/Firmware: Shut down the device by holding the power button for 15 seconds. Press and hold the Volume down( - ) key + the "..." key and then press the power button once and let off. You should see the indicator LED start blinking to indicate it has started the process of resetting the BIOS. Put your deck down and wait for it to finish the process. Give it about 15 minutes.

Try entering the BIOS.. Shut down the device by holding the power button for 15 seconds. Then press and hold the Volume Up (+) key and press the power button. Keep holding the Volume up key til you hear a chime. If the screen comes on, just hit continue to boot your device.
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None of that worked for me, this is the response they gave that got mine back up and running:

Based on what is happening, we would like to rule out a potential issue that has been fixed in our new BIOS update.


To update to that BIOS you will need to opt into the 'Main' OS update channel:
1. Turn on Developer settings (steam button > settings > system > 'Enable Developer Mode')
2. Turn on 'Show Advanced update Channels' in developer settings (steam button > settings > developer settings)
3. Set Deck to 'Main' in OS Update Channel (steam button > settings > system)
4. Select Apply under 'Software Updates' above and then select the 'Restart' once it is done.
5. Once the Deck restarts and has loaded to the OS, unplug the external monitor to test if the Deck's internal screen is now displaying correctly.

Important:
While the system is applying the new update during restart, this process could take up to 15 minutes to complete. During that time you may see the LED blink a few times and the system appear to not respond or continue to have a black display, make sure to avoid interrupting the device in this state as it is repairing/updating the BIOS and firmware for the device.

If that did not work, please do the following with the Deck plugged into the external display:
1. Go to System in the settings (steam button > settings > system)
2. Scroll down on the System page until you see the 'BIOS Version' entry
3. Check that this version is F7A0121 or higher.


If the BIOS version is lower than that, reply back to this ticket to let us know the BIOS version you are seeing.


If the BIOS version is F7A0121 or higher, then try the following steps:
1. Fully shutdown the unit. To do so, hold down the power button for a full 15 seconds to shut the system off. The screen will shut off before the full 15 seconds has elapsed, do not release the power button until the full 15 seconds has elapsed (this is because the unit will may not be shutdown fully even though the display is off).
2. Unplug the external display/monitor from the Deck (so once the fix is done it will display to the Deck's internal screen instead)
3. Hold the volume (-) button and QAM (...) button down at the same time. Keep holding those two buttons while you tap the power button once. If done correctly and registered correctly by the system, you should hear the normal chime sound and see the power LED on top start blinking (this will let you know the process started). You can then let go of the volume (-) and QAM (..) button.
4. Allow for the unit to fully boot, this process may take up to 15 minutes again as it is repairing the firmware. If after this it does not work still, please plug your external display in again to check what is there. Let us know what you find in this case.

For me, after updating the BIOS I still had a black screen, I had to do that very last step of resetting the BIOS, thats when mine finally decided to come on.

Hope this helps!

[spudthedestroyer]

This works, thanks!

[Apathy83]

How can you update the bios if you can see anything from the black screen I’m having the same issue black screen no backlight but chimes when I turn it on and fan spins and haptics work on trackpads but that’s all I get and plugging it into an external display doesn’t show anything

[Mahjik]

Originally posted by Apathy83:

How can you update the bios if you can see anything from the black screen I’m having the same issue black screen no backlight but chimes when I turn it on and fan spins and haptics work on trackpads but that’s all I get and plugging it into an external display doesn’t show anything

The OP used an external monitor.

[Iamusbeejus]

I am having the same issue as @Apathy83. I

@Mahjik -- your reply to him, he already stated he was using an external display.

Same exact issue as OP. No backlight, fan comes on, I can feel the haptics, etc, black screen.

I charged my deck, then powered it on and connected USB-C to HDMI cable. I'm not sure how/why, but I've tried like 50 times, 2 of those times the display did come up -- I got to (3) vertical options but I don't remember what they are. The other time it was the green logo for Steam Deck.

I've never used a Steam Deck before. I actually was just gifted this from a relative.

[Spock]

Originally posted by Iamusbeejus:

I am having the same issue as @Apathy83. I

@Mahjik -- your reply to him, he already stated he was using an external display.

Same exact issue as OP. No backlight, fan comes on, I can feel the haptics, etc, black screen.

I charged my deck, then powered it on and connected USB-C to HDMI cable. I'm not sure how/why, but I've tried like 50 times, 2 of those times the display did come up -- I got to (3) vertical options but I don't remember what they are. The other time it was the green logo for Steam Deck.

I've never used a Steam Deck before. I actually was just gifted this from a relative.

If none of the fixes listed here work for you, I'd just contact Steam Support.

[teddylovexbears]

Ya I had the same problem but my version is lower F7A0120 what should I do

[Mosscrystal]

Oh my god. I have been struggling with this problem myself for months. I tried every solution online, even switched the screen for a new one and the problem persisted. I almost had given up but I gave it another search and found this post.

It worked! My Steam deck is back and running and I couldn't be happier

[pmunro1992]

Thanks

[Bito23]

First off I really want to thank you man. I followed everything you wrote to the tee. My bios was at The version ending in 0120. After updating I’m now at 0131. But like you that step didn’t fix it for me. If for anyone following this has the same issue and you followed this man’s step by step guide and it still doesn’t work, i came across this. I had trouble shutting it down completely by holding the power button. Even after holding it for 15 seconds it was just cycling through its in and off state. So what I did in my case since I was able to use an external monitor, I shut it down through the steam settings. (If you’re able to shut it down completely you may not have to do this step). I then disconnect it from my external display, what I did next was hold the volume down button and the (…) button. hold just those 2 buttons and you should hear a chime, I did and I also heard the fans kick on as well and saw the LEDs flash on the SD. I did not tap the power button this time, and I just let it be. I walked out for about an hour came back and saw my steam deck come back to life. I still can’t believe it. Thank you so much. Maybe trying this alternate step I will help someone else aswell. Cheers and good luck everyone!

[the]

Another “this worked for me too, thank you!” post.

I had to do the final - … power cycle to get the display back, but the internal screen is working again for the first time since March. I’ve tried other guides for updating, resetting to factory settings, etc. but this is the only process that has worked for me. Wish I’d found it sooner.

[cacromwell3113]

I had not turned mine on in about a month and now won't display. I get the chime when I press the power button, but no boot. I was able to plug it in and get it to come on( fan running, haptics working) but no display on the built in screen. I tried using a usb c to hdmi cable and it won't display on there either.

[kendallhecht]

i have been trying to fix my BSOD via all of these methods listed above, battery storage mode, allowing the unit to discharge overnight, you name it. currently resetting the bios via volume down + ... + power button. my current concern is, the power light has been blinking for over an hour now. any suggestions on how to proceed?

[tpmullan]

This fixed my brothers steam deck. He thought it was dead for good, but with the BIOS reset we were able to get it booting like nothing was ever wrong. Thank you so much for the post, this was extremely helpful.

[Jop_2]

Thank you for posting this! I had the same issue with a lower firmware and drained battery; black screen on the deck but I could still get picture through the dock.

I followed the steps to update my bios from F7A0121. I was real worried there for a couple days because I bought this year one and I’m definitely outside of the warranty.

Thank you again for posting, you saved my Steam Deck

[🙈🧬👨‍💻🥽Jerry ✡️ VRcia⛐🏁✈️🏓]

my oled steam deck is the only device i've ever owned where i have to baby sit it to ensure the battery is topped up or deal with random issues like this. it has happened to me twice. the first time holding a combo of buttons brought it back, the last time it didn't work so i let it sit plugged in, and it worked when i tried again the next day.

huge, huge, yuge screw up on valves part. this has been an issue since day 1 for the oled at least, there's no way it wasn't caught in testing. something as simple as a dead battery requiring intervention as described in the OP is insane.