How to fix windows 10 Blue screen ?

What Is a Blue Screen?

In case you're not sure what a blue screen problem even is, let's first review this important Windows term.

What's commonly called a "blue screen of death" in Windows 10, Windows 11, and other versions is technically known as a stop error or fatal system error. This occurs when the operating system crashes, meaning that it ran into some issue that prevented it from running safely. When this happens, Windows displays a blue screen with some information about the problem and then restarts.

Blue screens can happen for many reasons, which we'll dig into below. Common BSOD causes include bad drivers, problems with hardware, and operating system errors.

Newer versions of Windows, like Windows 10 and 11, are more stable than earlier versions, so you hopefully won't run into blue screens too often. You should also know that a blue screen occurring one time isn't necessarily an issue. Sometimes Windows will freak out with a BSOD, then work perfectly fine after you reboot.

This, you should only need to dig into the following blue screen error fixes if you continually hit a blue screen.

1. Note Your Windows Blue Screen Stop Code

Since there are so many kinds, it's tough to talk about how to resolve blue screen errors without knowing the specific error you're hitting. Thus, the best place to start with fixing blue screens is by noting the actual problem.

In Windows 10 and 11, a BSOD contains a sad face emoticon, along with a simple error message. Below this, you'll see a link to Microsoft's blue screen troubleshooting page (which hasn't been updated for modern versions), a QR code that leads to this page, and a Stop Code field.

The most important part is to note the stop code listed on the page, which will help you narrow your troubleshooting.

2. Review Recent Computer Changes

Many times, you'll start seeing blue screen errors after making a change to your system. Such changes can introduce problematic elements into an otherwise stable environment. Identifying what you changed will help your troubleshooting.

For example, if you just installed a new printer, try unplugging it from your computer to see if the blue screen persists. If you recently ran a Windows update, head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View Update History. (On Windows 11, this is under Settings > Windows Update > Update history).

On the next page with the list, click Uninstall updates and remove the most recent update to see if that solves the problem.

he same goes for software. If you started noticing the blue screens after installing a new program, try removing the app from Windows and see if that fixes your issues.

3. Check for Windows and Driver Updates

While bad updates can sometimes introduce issues, oftentimes Microsoft and third-party companies issue updates to fix problems like these. Visit Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update (on Windows 11, Settings > Windows Update) and apply any pending updates, just in case they hold the fix.

It's also important to check your drivers, since they can often be a source of Windows 10 blue screens. To do this, press Win + X (or right-click on the Start button) to open the power user menu. Then choose Device Manager to open that utility.

Here, check for yellow triangle icons on any entries, which indicate a problem with the driver. You should double-check any devices that appear with this, as you may need to reinstall the driver or remove the device.

You can right-click an entry and choose Update driver to check for updates, but this isn't always reliable.

Instead, you should visit the manufacturer's website and grab the latest drivers from there. Follow our guide to updating Windows drivers for help.

4. Run a System Restore

The System Restore feature in Windows allows you to return your system to a previous state. It's a handy troubleshooting tool, as it's simple to use and lets you see if your issue is software-based.

Type recovery into the Start menu and open the Recovery Control Panel entry that appears. Here, click Open System Restore to launch the tool. After clicking Next once, you'll see a list of restore points you can return to. Select one, then hit Scan for affected programs if you want to see what software will change.

Running a System Restore doesn't affect your files, but it will uninstall any drivers or software you've installed since the restore point was made. In addition, it will reinstall anything you removed since that time.

Confirm your system restore, then you can start the process. This will take a few moments, then you'll be back to your system like it was at the time. If you don't get blue screens after this, your problem was likely software-related.

5. Scan for Malware

Malware can damage your Windows system files and result in a blue screen. You should run a scan for infection to rule out anything like this.

We recommend using Malwarebytes to run a scan. This will look for all sorts of rogue software and remove it for you. If it finds anything, reboot after the cleaning and see if your blue screen errors go away.

6. Test Your Computer Hardware

If you haven't figured out why you're getting a blue screen of death, you should next check your computer's physical components. Sometimes a failing stick of RAM, or another bad component, can result in a blue screen.

Check Hard Drive SMART Status

Hard drives have a built in S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) feature. The idea is that the hard drive monitors itself and will notice if it starts to fail, providing you with some advance notice before the drive fails completely. This isn’t perfect, so your hard drive may fail even if SMART says everything is okay.

If you see any sort of “SMART error” message, your hard drive is failing. You can use SMART analysis tools to view the SMART health status information your hard drives are reporting.

Test Your RAM

RAM failure can result in a variety of problems. If the computer writes data to RAM and the RAM returns different data because it’s malfunctioning, you may see application crashes, blue screens, and file system corruption.

To test your memory and see if it’s working properly, use Windows’ built-in Memory Diagnostic tool. The Memory Diagnostic tool will write data to every sector of your RAM and read it back afterwards, ensuring that all your RAM is working properly.

Check Heat Levels

How hot is is inside your computer? Overheating can rsult in blue screens, crashes, and abrupt shut downs. Your computer may be overheating because you’re in a very hot location, it’s ventilated poorly, a fan has stopped inside your computer, or it’s full of dust.

Your computer monitors its own internal temperatures and you can access this information. It’s generally available in your computer’s BIOS, but you can also view it with system information utilities such as SpeedFan or Speccy. Check your computer’s recommended temperature level and ensure it’s within the appropriate range.

If your computer is overheating, you may see problems only when you’re doing something demanding, such as playing a game that stresses your CPU and graphics card. Be sure to keep an eye on how hot your computer gets when it performs these demanding tasks, not only when it’s idle.

Stress Test Your CPU

You can use a utility like Prime95 to stress test your CPU. Such a utility will fore your computer’s CPU to perform calculations without allowing it to rest, working it hard and generating heat. If your CPU is becoming too hot, you’ll start to see errors or system crashes.

Overclockers use Prime95 to stress test their overclock settings — if Prime95 experiences errors, they throttle back on their overclocks to ensure the CPU runs cooler and more stable. It’s a good way to check if your CPU is stable under load.

Stress Test Your Graphics Card

Your graphics card can also be stress tested. For example, if your graphics driver crashes while playing games, the games themselves crash, or you see odd graphical corruption, you can run a graphics benchmark utility like 3DMark. The benchmark will stress your graphics card and, if it’s overheating or failing under load, you’ll see graphical problems, crashes, or blue screens while running the benchmark.

If the benchmark seems to work fine but you have issues playing a certain game, it may just be a problem with that game.

Swap it Out

Not every hardware problem is easy to diagnose. If you have a bad motherboard or power supply, their problems may only manifest through occasional odd issues with other components. It’s hard to tell if these components are causing problems unless you replace them completely.

Ultimately, the best way to determine whether a component is faulty is to swap it out. For example, if you think your graphics card may be causing your computer to blue screen, pull the graphics card out of your computer and swap in a new graphics card. If everything is working well, it’s likely that your previous graphics card was bad.

This isn’t easy for people who don’t have boxes of components sitting around, but it’s the ideal way to troubleshoot. Troubleshooting is all about trial and error, and swapping components out allows you to pin down which component is actually causing the problem through a process of elimination.

This isn’t a complete guide to everything that could likely go wrong and how to identify it — someone could write a full textbook on identifying failing components and still not cover everything. But the tips above should give you some places to start dealing with the more common problems.

7. Run an SFC Scan

Windows includes a command line tool called SFC (System File Checker). Running it checks for damaged Windows system files and attempts to fix them. Doing so may solve your blue screen issue.

Again, press Win + X (or right-click on the Start button) to open the power user shortcut menu. Choose Command Prompt (Admin), Windows PowerShell (Admin), or Windows Terminal (Admin), then type the following:

sfc /scannow

Give this some time to run, and you'll see the results before long. If it found and applied any fixes, reboot and see if the blue screen issue stops.

8. Boot Into Safe Mode

Depending on the severity of your issue, you may be able to perform all the above troubleshooting steps while working in Windows as usual. However, if you have a major issue, the blue screen errors might prevent you from working normally. In that case, you'll need to boot into safe mode.

Safe mode allows you to load a basic Windows configuration with only the essentials that it needs to run. This prevents third-party apps from interfering with normal operations. If you can work in safe mode without hitting a blue screen, an installed app or service is likely causing the problem.

While in safe mode, you can run a malware scan, use System Restore, and otherwise troubleshoot as we've discussed.

9. Use Advanced Blue Screen Troubleshooting Tools

For deeper troubleshooting, you can utilize tools that interpret the information Windows dumps after it crashes to a blue screen. These are typically only for advanced users.

Follow our instructions on how to fix blue screen errors with WinDbg and BlueScreenView for help using a few of these tools.

10. Reinstall Windows

If all else fails, you'll need to reinstall Windows on your computer. At this point, you've ruled out drivers, hardware, malware, and software issues, so there must be some deeper underlying problem on your system.

Go to > Start > Setting > search ( Reset this PC )

Now You Know How to Solve Blue Screen Errors in Windows 10

Blue screen errors are frustrating to deal with, especially because they can block you from troubleshooting properly. But after walking through the above tips, you know what a blue screen error is and how to resolve it.

Going forward, it's smart to watch for signs that your computer is about to crash, so you can hopefully prevent these issues from happening in the first place.