Windows resets a hung graphics driver on its own, through Timeout Detection and Recovery. When the GPU cannot finish or give up a task within two seconds, Windows has the driver reset the GPU and brings the desktop back.
It allows five of those recoveries in 60 seconds and bug-checks on the sixth; a reset that fails is stop code 0x116. For a blank or black screen, Microsoft documents Windows key+Ctrl+Shift+B. For a driver that keeps failing, Device Manager can roll it back or uninstall it so Windows reinstalls it.
- Windows key+Ctrl+Shift+B is Microsoft’s shortcut for a blank or black screen
- TDR resets the GPU on its own after a two second timeout
- More than five recoveries in 60 seconds ends in a bug check
- A failed reset is stop code 0x116, VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE
- Roll Back Driver undoes an update; Uninstall device forces a reinstall
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What Windows doesWhat Windows already does before you touch anything
Before working out how to reset graphics driver behavior by hand, the most useful thing to know is that Windows has a built-in way of resetting the graphics card, and it is usually what just happened to your computer.
TDR detects a GPU that looks frozen. Microsoft describes Timeout Detection and Recovery as a feature that detects when the graphics card takes longer than expected to complete an operation, and then resets the graphics card to prevent the entire system from becoming unresponsive.
The reason it exists is in the same document: a computer that appears frozen is often a graphics card busy with intensive graphics work, and users wait a few seconds and then reboot a computer that would have recovered.
Two seconds is the line. The GPU scheduler, part of the DirectX graphics kernel in Dxgkrnl.sys, notices when a task runs longer than permitted and tries to preempt it.
The wait on that preempt is the actual TDR timeout, and Microsoft gives the default as two seconds. If the GPU cannot finish or preempt the task in that time, Windows treats it as frozen.
The reset is the driver's job. Windows calls the display driver's reset function, and the driver must reinitialize itself and reset the graphics card while it stops touching the hardware. Windows then restores the desktop. From the user's side this is the screen going black or flickering for a moment and coming back.
There is a limit, and it is deliberate. By default Windows bug-checks the computer on the sixth GPU hang when five or more hangs and recoveries happen within one minute. Microsoft exposes those numbers as TdrLimitCount, default 5, and TdrLimitTime, default 60 seconds.
A computer that recovers once is working as designed. A computer that recovers five times a minute has a problem that resetting the graphics driver over and over is hiding.
A reset that fails is a blue screen. Microsoft's bug check reference defines VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE, 0x116, as an attempt to reset the display driver and recover from a timeout that has failed. That stop code on a blue screen is Windows telling you it tried the reset and could not complete it.
The shortcutThe shortcut, and what it is actually for
Windows key+Ctrl+Shift+B. Microsoft's keyboard shortcut reference lists it with a plain description: wake PC from a blank or black screen, or wake up the device when the screen is blank or black. Press the four keys together and release them; the screen may go dark for a moment and come back.
Use it for the symptom it names. It is the right first try for a display that has gone blank while the machine is clearly still running, for example after waking from sleep or after a monitor is connected or disconnected.
Do not expect it to fix a bad driver. Many guides call this shortcut a graphics driver restart. Microsoft's own description is narrower, and a driver with a bug in it is still the same driver after the shortcut. If the black screen comes back, the next step is the driver itself.
It needs Windows to be responsive. If the keyboard does nothing at all, including Caps Lock, the problem is not the display, and the shortcut has nothing to talk to.
Device ManagerRolling back or reinstalling the driver in Device Manager
When the problem started after an update, or keeps coming back, the fix is in Device Manager, and Microsoft's own steps are short.
Roll back a driver that just changed. Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager, expand Display adapters, right-click the graphics card and select Properties, then select the Driver tab, and select Roll Back Driver. Microsoft's steps then ask you to choose a reason, confirm, and restart the device if prompted.
Uninstall to force a clean reinstall. In the same place, right-click the display adapter, select Uninstall device, click Uninstall to confirm, and restart the computer. Microsoft states that after the restart Windows attempts to reinstall the driver for the device. If it does not, the same support page walks through updating the driver automatically or manually.
Get the drivers from the right place. On a laptop, check the laptop manufacturer's support page for its graphics drivers before installing a generic package from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, and on a desktop with a separate graphics card, use the card vendor's current release. Either way, write down the version you replaced so you can return to it.
Save work first. Microsoft's reinstall instructions begin by telling you to save all work and close all apps, because the procedure ends in a restart.
Not the driverWhen the driver is not the problem
A graphics driver gets blamed for most display problems, and a reset only fixes the ones that really are the driver.
Repeated recoveries under load point at hardware or heat. TDR exists precisely because a graphics card busy with heavy work can stop responding in time.
A graphics card that recovers only during games or rendering, and never at the desktop, is a candidate for overheating, an unstable overclock or insufficient power, and a clean driver does not change any of those.
A black screen with a working pointer can be the shell rather than the GPU. Signing out, or restarting Windows Explorer from Task Manager, is a quick way to tell, and it does not touch the driver.
Monitors and cables fail too. A display that goes black and returns when the cable is reseated, or that behaves on a different port, has told you where the problem is.
Corrupted system files can take the driver down with them. If crashes continue across driver versions, repairing Windows itself with the DISM command and SFC is a reasonable step before replacing hardware.
PitfallsWhere people go wrong
Reinstalling the driver after one flicker. A single recovery is TDR doing its job. Five in a minute is a problem; one is a working system.
Raising TdrDelay in the registry settings to make the crashes stop. Microsoft's page on the TDR registry keys says they are for testing or debugging purposes only during driver development, and states plainly that end users shouldn't manipulate them.
Increasing the timeout makes Windows wait longer before recovering from a GPU that is stuck, which hides the symptom and does nothing about the cause.
Treating the shortcut as a repair. Windows key+Ctrl+Shift+B wakes a blank display. It does not replace a broken driver, and a driver bug that returns after it is still a driver bug.
Rolling back a driver and letting Windows update it again. A rollback solves today's crash and the next update may reinstall the same version of the graphics drivers. On a managed machine, that is a decision for patch management, where driver updates can be paused or excluded deliberately.
Ignoring the stop code. A blue screen that says VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE is specific. It says resetting the graphics driver failed, and it points at the display drivers and the graphics card rather than at the rest of the computer.
Chasing the driver when the screen is the problem. Try another cable and another port before reinstalling anything.
ComparisonFour ways a graphics driver gets reset
| Criterion | Win+Ctrl+Shift+B | Roll Back Driver | Uninstall device | Automatic TDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who starts it | You | You | You | Windows |
| Needs a restart | No | Sometimes | Yes | No |
| Changes the driver version | No | Yes, to the previous one | Reinstalls on restart | No |
| Fixes a blank or black screen | Often | Only if the update caused it | Only if the driver is corrupt | Often, on its own |
| Fixes a buggy driver | No | Yes, if the old one worked | Only if the files were damaged | No |
| Risk to open work | None | Low | Save first | None |
| Documented by Microsoft for | Waking a blank display | Undoing a driver change | Reinstalling a device driver | Recovering a frozen GPU |
The last row is the one to read first: each method is documented for a different problem, and picking the one that matches the symptom saves most of the effort.
FAQFrequently asked questions
How do I reset my graphics driver?
For a blank or black screen, press Windows key+Ctrl+Shift+B, which Microsoft documents as waking the PC from a blank or black screen. For a driver that keeps failing, right-click the Start menu, select Device Manager, expand Display adapters, and either roll back the driver or uninstall the device and restart the computer so Windows reinstalls it.
What does Windows key+Ctrl+Shift+B do?
Microsoft's keyboard shortcut list describes it as waking the PC from a blank or black screen. It is the right first step when the display has gone blank but Windows is still running.
What does "display driver stopped responding and has recovered" mean?
It is Timeout Detection and Recovery. The GPU did not finish or preempt a task within the timeout, two seconds by default, so Windows had the driver reset the GPU and restored the desktop.
Is it bad if Windows recovers the graphics driver?
Once is normal. By default Windows allows five recoveries within 60 seconds and bug-checks on the sixth, so frequent recoveries are a sign of an underlying problem rather than a fix.
What is VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE?
Bug check 0x116. Microsoft defines it as an attempt to reset the display driver and recover from a timeout that failed. It points at the display driver or the GPU.
Will resetting the graphics driver close my programs?
The shortcut and an automatic recovery do not restart Windows. Uninstalling the driver and restarting do interrupt work, which is why Microsoft's reinstall steps start with saving it and closing apps.
How do I roll back a graphics driver?
Device Manager, Display adapters, right-click the device, Properties, Driver tab, Roll Back Driver, then choose a reason and confirm.
Does uninstalling the graphics driver delete it permanently?
Microsoft states that after the restart Windows attempts to reinstall the driver for the device. If it does not, you can update the driver automatically or install it manually.
Should I change TdrDelay in the registry?
No. Microsoft says the TDR registry keys are for testing or debugging during driver development and that end users shouldn't manipulate them. Raising the timeout only makes Windows wait longer before recovering a stuck GPU.
Why does my screen go black only while gaming?
Heavy graphics card work is exactly the situation TDR was built for. If recoveries happen only under load, check temperature, any overclock in the NVIDIA or AMD settings, and the power supply before replacing the driver.
Can a monitor or cable cause the same symptom?
Yes. A black screen that returns when a cable is reseated or behaves on another port is a connection problem, and no driver reset will change it.
What if none of these work?
Check the stop code if there is one, try the previous driver version and the manufacturer's driver, repair Windows system files, and test the graphics hardware in another machine if you can.
What does Win Ctrl Shift B do?
Pressing Win, Ctrl, Shift and B together tells Windows to restart the graphics driver. The screen goes black for a second and there is usually a short beep. Open applications stay open. Use it when the display freezes or flickers while the rest of the computer still responds.
Keep readingRelated concepts
Read next · Operations The Blue Screen Is a Decision, and It Leaves Evidence How to read the stop code when a graphics reset fails and the machine goes down. Open this next13 min- Windows administration · 11 min The DISM Command, and What Each Repair Switch Actually Does Repairing Windows system files when crashes survive every driver version.
- Operations · 13 min Patch Management, and Why the Hard Part Is Not the Patching Where driver updates on managed machines are paused, excluded or approved.
- Windows administration · 10 min How to Update Drivers in Windows 11 and 10, and When to Leave Them Alone When a driver update is worth doing, where Windows hides the optional ones, and how to roll one back.