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Black square on the top left of screen on surface pro, Windows 11
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(252.8, 56.00000000000001%, 34%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EEM%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Evan Miller
0
Reputation points
there is a black square on the top left of my screen, it only appears after i sleep and reopen my surface, however it does not appear if there is a unsaved file, or anything that triggers the confirm screen when you restart. The box also appears when I rotate the screen at any time.
Surface | Surface Pro | Display and screen
2 answers
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![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(92.8, 23%, 18%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ESS%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
S.Sengupta 29,426 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator2026-03-02T00:59:52.2433333+00:00 -
Q&A Assist2026-03-01T01:12:31.76+00:00 AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn moreThe described black square after sleep/rotation is a display/screen issue on Surface. Use the standard Surface and Windows display troubleshooting steps:
- Reset the graphics/display output
- Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + Shift + B to reset the graphics driver. The screen should briefly flicker or a beep may be heard.
- Press Windows logo key + P, tap P once, then press Enter to cycle display modes (PC screen only / Duplicate / Extend) in case Windows is rendering to a phantom display.
- Try waking and restarting correctly
- When the black square appears after sleep, press Ctrl + Alt + Del and see if the security screen appears. If it does, sign out and sign back in to see if the artifact disappears.
- If it persists, perform a forced restart: hold the power button for about 20 seconds until the Surface turns off and restarts, then release the button when the Windows logo appears.
- Check for general Surface screen/display issues
- Use the Surface screen troubleshooting entry point and follow the path that best matches the symptom (e.g., distorted or other display issues) from Get help with Surface screen issues.
- If the issue continues
- If the black square consistently reappears after sleep or rotation even after graphics reset and forced restart, treat it as a persistent display issue and follow the guidance under Surface won’t turn on or start and Troubleshooting blank screens in Windows to rule out broader graphics/firmware problems.
- If none of those steps resolve it, service may be required, as persistent artifacts can indicate a deeper hardware or driver problem.
References:
- Reset the graphics/display output