How to check for dead pixels
Run the test
Wipe the screen with a soft, dry cloth, then press Start test. The display fills with white. Look over the whole screen slowly, section by section, from your normal viewing distance and then a little closer.
Click, tap or press Space to move to black, red, green and blue, and back to white. Press ← to return to the previous color.
Read what you see
Each pixel is made of red, green and blue parts. A dead pixel gives no light, so it looks like a black dot on white and on the bright colors.
A stuck pixel has one or more parts that stay on, so it shows as a red, green, blue or other colored dot, most clearly on black.
A speck that moves when you wipe the screen, or that you can see from an angle as sitting on top of the glass, is dust rather than a pixel.
Found one? What next
Note where it is and which colors show it, and take a close-up photo for a return or warranty claim.
A colored dot is a stuck pixel: try the fixer below. A dot that stays black is a dead pixel, which software cannot repair. No website can guarantee to fix either.
When to test
- As soon as a new monitor, laptop, TV or phone arrives, while returns are easy.
- Before buying a used device, on the seller's screen.
- When you notice a dot that doesn't move with the picture.
For a single solid color, use the white screen or black screen.