Here are a couple of troubleshooting steps you can take to reclaim your screen space and fill that empty black space.

The first thing you should do to fix the black border problem in Windows 10 is to make sure you’re using the recommended display resolution. This fix usually works when you notice the black borders are on the sides of your screen.

To check your display resolution, right-click any blank space on your desktop and select Display settings. Scroll down to Display resolution and see if you’re using the recommended screen resolution. If not, expand the dropdown and choose the option Windows recommends.

For about 15 seconds, you’ll be able to see a preview of what the display resolution will look like. If the change got rid of the black borders, click on Keep Changes. Otherwise, click on Revert and try the other display resolutions to see if they will fix the issue.

2. Update Display Drivers

Sometimes, updating the drivers for your display adapter can fix the problem. To do that, right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager. Under Display adapters, expand the list, right-click the device you wish to update, and then select Update driver.

To make the process easier, select Search automatically for drivers. That way, Windows will find and install the best available drivers for your display adapter.

After updating the graphics drivers for the display adapters, you should do the same for the monitor.

3. Rollback Display Drivers

If you notice that the black borders have appeared after updating your display drivers, rolling them back to the previous version can fix the issue. To roll back the driver for the display adapter, for instance, head to Device Manager and double-click on the device. Select the Driver tab and then click on Roll Back Driver.

4. Perform a Clean Boot

If any of the above tweaks didn’t work, it could be that there is a recently-installed app that is causing the black borders to appear. To isolate the problematic app, you’ll need to perform a clean boot.

Press the Windows Key, enter MSConfig in the Search bar, and select the System Configuration app in the search results. In the General tab and under Selective startup, uncheck Load startup items.

Next, head to the Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox, and then click on Disable all. Then, click on Apply and then on OK.

A message will pop up asking you to restart your computer if you want to apply the changes. Click on Restart.

Windows will now enter a clean boot state, and you can check to see if the black borders are gone. If they are, then one of the apps is the culprit. Start enabling your startup apps one by one to see if any of them cause the black borders to reappear.

5. Time to Reset Windows 10

If all the above troubleshooting steps don’t eliminate the problem, the last thing you should do is reset Windows 10. Please follow our guide on the different ways to return Windows to factory settings.

No More Black Border Around Your Screen in Windows 10

Having black borders around your monitor diminishes your Windows 10 user experience. Unless the black empty spaces are part of your monitor, the troubleshooting steps outlined above should help you eliminate them in most scenarios. That way, you can enjoy your screen in its full glory.