A laptop with a broken screen is still a complete computer. The display is one replaceable part, and everything else — processor, storage, keyboard, Wi-Fi — keeps working. This is the stopgap while you decide about repair.
Step 1 — Connect a monitor
- Plug an HDMI, DisplayPort or USB-C cable into a monitor or TV.
- Wake the machine and wait up to thirty seconds. Windows usually mirrors the display automatically.
- If nothing appears, press Win+P then Enter — that selects Duplicate from the projection menu even though you cannot see the menu.
- Still nothing: press the laptop's external-display key (often Fn+F4, Fn+F5 or Fn+F8, depending on the brand).
Step 2 — Make it comfortable as a desktop
- Settings → System → Power → set When I close the lid to Do nothing. Now you can close the broken screen and the machine keeps running.
- Settings → Display → set the external monitor as the main display, so the taskbar and windows appear where you can see them.
- Add a USB or Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. A closed laptop with an external keyboard, mouse and monitor is a perfectly serviceable desktop.
- Set the built-in display to "Show only on 2" so the laptop stops wasting resources drawing to a panel nobody can see.
Step 3 — If the screen is not just cracked but dead
If you get no output at all, the machine may not be POSTing. Try a hard reset first: unplug, hold power for 30 seconds, reconnect, power on. Then listen for fans and drive activity. Fans plus no output usually means the panel or its cable, and an external monitor should still work.
If the external monitor gives nothing and the machine is unresponsive, the fault is not the screen — work through the black-screen guide instead.
Step 4 — Recovering files from a machine you cannot see
Even with no working display at all, your data is intact:
- Pull the drive. Most laptops have an accessible M.2 or SATA drive under the bottom panel. Put it in a USB enclosure and read it from another computer. Fastest and most reliable.
- Boot from a live USB on a working machine with the drive connected externally.
- Remote access if the laptop still boots blind: enable Remote Desktop beforehand if you can, or use a remote tool on your local network.
If the drive is encrypted with BitLocker, you will need the recovery key from your Microsoft account before it will mount anywhere else. Retrieve it before you remove the drive.
Step 5 — Decide within a fortnight
Working around a broken screen is a good stopgap and a bad long-term plan. A laptop with a closed lid under load can run hot, and a damaged panel can worsen and, on some models, damage the hinge or the frame. Set a deadline: either price the replacement panel or accept the external-monitor setup permanently.
What not to do
- Do not use a cracked touchscreen as a trackpad. The digitiser can register phantom touches and open or delete things on its own.
- Do not press the panel flat to "make it display". That spreads ink damage.
- Do not run it with the lid closed on a soft surface — the vents are usually at the hinge.