How to fix displayport no signal

Occasionally, on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC for some users, you may encounter issues like Generic PnP Monitor not detected, External monitor not detected, Stretched Screen display problem, 144Hz option not showing up in Display options. In this post, we provide the solutions to the issue where your monitor has no signal when your devices are connected via DisplayPort.

What is DisplayPort?

Essentially, a DisplayPort is a digital display interface primarily used to connect a video source to a display device (mostly monitors). It also carries other forms of data such as audio, USB etc. This port is widely used for connecting CPU’s to monitors for high-end graphics. For better display, PC users can connect computer to a monitor with a DisplayPort cable.

DisplayPort No signal

If you are faced with the DisplayPort No signal issue on your Windows 11/10 PC, you can try our recommended solutions below in no particular order and see if that helps to resolve the issue on your device.

1. Restart and reconnect devices
2. Check DisplayPort connection
3. Update display driver
4. Test connection with another cable or device

Let’s take a look at the description of the process involved concerning each of the listed solutions.

1] Restart and reconnect devices

You can begin troubleshooting to resolve the DisplayPort No signal issue on your Windows 11/10 PC by restarting and reconnecting your devices. You can restart PC with the DisplayPort cable attached and display device turned on.

Restarting and reconnecting the display device is known to have worked for some affected PC users. Simply powering off the monitor and turning it back on doesn’t fix the issue in hand because there are several capacitors that needs to be discharged completely before reconnecting your PC.

Do the following:

• Shutdown your computer.
• Next, unplug your PC power cable from the switch.
• Next, turn off your monitor and unplug its power cable from the main switch.
• Disconnect the DisplayPort and wait for a couple of minutes.
• Connect the computer and monitor back and connect the DisplayPort to the monitor accordingly.
• Now, boot the computer.
• Finally, power the display device back on.

The issue should be resolved now; if not, try the next solution.

2] Check DisplayPort connection

You are likely to encounter the issue in hand due to improper connection between the devices. In this case, to resolve the issue, you have to ensure that the connector has been plugged into the port correctly and is firmly attached and not wobbling or loose. You can unplug an re-plug the DisplayPort connection, and make sure to push the connector all through in such a way it doesn’t easily pull out when tugged on.

3] Update display driver

The issue in view may arise due to faulty and incompatible graphics driver on your system. To rule out this possibility, you can update your graphics adapter driver.

You can manually update drivers via Device Manager if you have already downloaded the .inf or .sys file for the driver, or update driver via Command Prompt. You can as well get the driver updates on the Optional Updates section under Windows Update or you may also download the latest version of the driver from the manufacturer’s website.

However, if the latest drivers are installed, you can rollback the driver or download and install an earlier version of the driver – in some case, this is known to resolve display issues.

If both updating and/or rolling back the driver didn’t work, you can uninstall the graphics driver using Command Prompt or use Display Driver Uninstaller. After the uninstall procedure, restart your PC – on boot, Windows will scan for hardware changes and automatically reinstall the generic driver for the graphics adapter which in some cases is sufficient enough for the display to function without issues.

4] Test connection with another cable or device

It’s likely you’re dealing with hardware or component issue. In this case, you can test your DisplayPort connection with another DisplayPort cable or even with another computer or monitor. Also, check to make sure the issue isn’t from the cable or from the ports. In addition, run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter and see if that helps.

If the issue is with your Windows 11/10 PC or the display device, you can have your devices repaired by a PC hardware technician, or if under warranty, you can contact the manufacturers of your devices for replacement or further assistance.

Related post: Fix Acer monitor no signal issue

Why is DisplayPort not working?

Depending on the following scenario: if DisplayPort is not selectable, make sure the DisplayPort cable has been properly connected to both devices (PC and monitor). If the DisplayPort option is selectable but no signal appears on screen, you can unplug the cable and plug it back in and force the monitor re-detect the connection.

How do I know if my DisplayPort is active or passive?

Active DisplayPort adapters have a chip (semiconductor) to boost the performance of that device. If there is no chip, the adapter is considered passive. Basically, if the adapter includes a little box that houses the conversation chip, then it is considered active.

DisplayPort is a digital display interface primarily used to connect a video source to a display device (mostly monitors). It also carries other forms of data such as audio, USB etc. This port is widely used for connecting CPU’s to monitors for high-end graphics.

Many users face the problem where their DisplayPort doesn’t show any significant output to the monitor. There can be cases where HDMI works perfectly but DisplayPort doesn’t. This can be due to a number of reasons but most of them all trace back to hardware problems.

Solution 1: Restarting and Reconnecting Device

The most effective workaround which works in almost all cases is restarting and reconnecting the display device (the monitor). Simply powering off the monitor and turning it back on doesn’t solve the problem as apparently there are several capacitors which need to be discharged completely before you try connecting your PC again. You need to power it off using the mains switch.

1. Shutdown your computer properly and then unplug its power cable from the switch.
2. Now turn off your monitor and unplug its power cable from the main switch.
3. Disconnect the DisplayPort and wait for a couple of minutes.
4. Connect the computer and monitor back and connect the Displayport to the monitor accordingly.
5. Now start the computer again and power the devices back on. Hopefully, the problem will be solved.

Note: You can also turn the monitor back on manually after connecting its power supply so it doesn’t automatically.

Solution 2: Checking DisplayPort connection

There have been several cases where the no signal issue arises from the DisplayPort not connected properly. You might have connected it perfectly in your view but sometimes the pins are not plugged inside properly. Inserting the pins incorrectly might be the cause why the DisplayPort is giving you the issue.

You should unplug and re-plug the display port properly and make sure that you push the connection firmly until you feel the pins locking into position. You can also try solution 1 again after performing solution 2.

Note: It was also seen that third-part DisplayPorts required solution 1 to be carried out again and again until the signal came back on. It is no big deal and happens with people all around the world. The third-party adapters are not ‘perfectly’ made for the hardware you are using; hence, they require a jumpstart for them to work.

Solution 3: Updating Graphics Driver

Another reason why the cable fails to deliver any output is that your graphics driver isn’t updated to the latest build or isn’t compatible with your computer. You should head over to your manufacturer’s website and download the latest graphics drivers for your computer. Then you should attempt to install the driver manually as automatic isn’t that much reliable.

1. Right-click on Windows key and select Device Manager from the list of options available.

Another way to launch the device manager is by pressing Windows + R to launch the Run application and typing “devmgmt.msc”.

1. Right-click on the adapter and select “Update Driver”.

1. Now a new window will pop up asking you to whether update the driver manually or automatically. Select “Browse my computer for driver software”.

1. Now browse through the folders to where you downloaded the drivers. Select it and Windows will install the required drivers. Restart your computer and check if the problem got solved.

Solution 4: Testing with another Cable

If all the above solutions don’t work, we can try testing the computer with another cable. It might be possible that the cable which you are using is defective or one or more of its pins are broken. You should clearly inspect both the cable and the adapter for any dust settled and clean if necessary. If the cable still doesn’t work, you should try using another cable and check if it works as expected. Feel free to implement solution 1 when you are trying to connect the new cable to your computer.

Note: In some cases, it was seen the problem arose because of incorrect refresh rates of the monitor and the GPU on your computer. Try changing the resolution of your GPU as well as refresh rates. Experiment around until you are completely sure that the problem isn’t arising because of this.