How to Fix a Shadow on Your Laptop Screen

PDF download Download Article
Get rid of distracting shadows on your laptop’s screen with these easy solutions
PDF download Download Article

Are there dark areas or shadows on your laptop screen? Dead pixels, faulty LED panels, physical damage, and glitches can cause these dark shadows. This wikiHow article lists various ways to diagnose and fix shadows on your laptop screen.

Why You See Dark Shadows on Your Laptop Screen

Hardware issues and physical damage are the top reasons your laptop screen has vertical dark lines or shadows. To find the cause, check for physical damage to the screen, inspect inside the laptop (if possible) for faulty connections and hardware, run your laptop's built-in troubleshooters to identify problems, and update your graphics drivers.

Section 1 of 4:

Check for Physical Damage

PDF download Download Article
  1. For example, if you dropped your laptop, you may have bent the casing enough that it puts pressure on the backlighting of your screen, which causes shadows. If you're confident, you might be able to fix it yourself, but if the components are too badly damaged, you'll need to buy a new laptop.
    • Check around the edges of the screen to see if there are any dents or extra space between the screen and the case.
    • Inspect the screen from the side when the laptop is open to look for bowing or uneven surfaces.
    • If you're able to open your laptop without voiding your warranty, you can do so to check for damaged wires or loose connections inside.
    • Some laptops have faulty screens, so replacing them with the same make and model could result in the same vertical dark shadows on the screen.
    2. Advertisement
Section 2 of 4:

Run the Troubleshooters

PDF download Download Article
  1. These troubleshooters will walk through a series of steps to check for hardware and software problems that lead to issues like shadows on the screen.
  2. To run the LCD Built-in Self-Test, turn off your laptop, plug it in, and disconnect any peripherals. Press and hold the D key on your keyboard as you turn it back on, and release it when you see colors on your screen. Watch as your screen changes from black, white, green, red, and blue to see if any vertical lines or shadows appear on the screen. [1]
    • If you can still see shadows or lines, there is a hardware issue. It's best to contact Dell technical support .
    • If you can't replicate the problem in the troubleshooter, the issue is likely software related.
  3. Type hardware diagnostics into the search bar, right-click HP PC Hardware Diagnostics , and select Run as administrator . Once open, click Device Check > Video and follow the on-screen steps to start the test. Watch as your screen changes from black, white, green, red, and blue to see if you can see the vertical lines or shadows on your screen.
    • If you see shadows or vertical lines, there might be physical damage to the screen or graphics card. In that case, contact HP Tech Support for help.
    • If you don't see shadows or vertical lines, continue troubleshooting for software problems.
  4. To run the self-test, turn off the laptop, plug it into the charger, and press and hold FN + Left Ctrl + Power . Watch as your screen changes from black, white, green, red, and blue to see if you can see the vertical lines or shadows on your screen [2]
    • If you see lines or shadows, get in touch with Lenovo PC Support for help resolving the hardware issue.
    • If you don't see anything abnormal, continue troubleshooting for software fixes.
    • For MacBooks with Apple silicon processors, press and hold the Touch ID as your laptop starts up. When you see "Options," let go of the Touch ID and press and hold Cmd + D .
    • For MacBooks with Intel processors, press and hold the D key as your laptop starts up (try Opt + D if that doesn't work), then release it when you see a progress bar. [3]
    • You'll see reference codes if there are any hardware issues. Look out for VFD001, VFD002, VFD003, VFD004, VFD005, VFD006, VFD007 or ALS001 , which might be the cause for the shadows or lines on your screen. If you see any of those codes, contact Apple for hardware help.
    • If you don't see those codes or anything that refers to your sensors, video card, or screen, continue troubleshooting for software damage.
    6. Advertisement
Section 3 of 4:

Adjust Your Display Settings

PDF download Download Article
  1. Find the screen settings for your laptop (every brand is different) and optimize the contrast, brightness, resolution, etc.
    • For Windows laptops, right-click an empty spot on your desktop and go to Display Settings > Display . [4]
    • On a MacBook, click the Apple logo and select System Settings > Displays . [5]
Section 4 of 4:

Update Your Graphics Drivers

PDF download Download Article
  1. To update your graphics driver , run a system update (which is the only way for Macs). If you have a PC laptop with graphics driver software, open the software that works with your graphics driver (like NVIDIA GeForce Experience for NVIDIA GPUs) and look for the Update option, or you can right-click on the driver in Device Manager and update that way.
    2. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      11 Simple Ways to Fix a Dell Laptop with a Black Screen
      4 Easy Ways to Enter the BIOS on a Lenovo Laptop
      How to
      Reformat a Laptop
      10 Simple Ways Keep Your Laptop from Overheating
      How to
      Repair a Laptop Key
      How to
      Check the Temperature of Your Laptop
      What to Do If You’ve Spilled Water on Your Laptop
      10 Simple Ways to Fix a Lenovo Laptop with a Black Screen
      Simple Steps to Solve Screen Bleeding on Laptop
      How to
      Reset Any Toshiba Laptop: A Step-by-Step Guide
      How to
      Fix a Laptop Screen
      How to
      Take Good Care of Your Laptop Computer
      How to
      Reset a Dell Laptop: 2 Ways to Restore Your PC
      How to
      Repair Dell Laptop Keyboard Keys
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000134936/how-to-run-the-lcd-built-in-self-test-on-a-dell-laptop
      2. ↑ https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht514978-how-to-run-the-lcd-self-test-thinkpad
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102550
      4. ↑ https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000129416/change-video-settings-or-improve-text-in-windows-10
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/displays-settings-on-mac-mchlca6faa13/mac

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 14,437 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement