Get Rid of that Black Spot on Your Laptop Screen

PDF download Download Article
Learn how dead pixels are caused and how to fix it
PDF download Download Article

Are there dark areas, black spots, lines, or shadows on your laptop screen? From dead pixels to faulty LED panels to physical damage, there are many reasons why there might be black spots on your screen. This wikiHow article lists various ways to diagnose and fix shadows on your laptop screen.

What Causes Black Spots on Your Laptop Screen

Hardware issues and physical damage are top of the list of reasons why your laptop screen has black spots, vertical lines, or shadows. If the issue is too complicated to fix, bring your laptop to a repair professional.

Section 1 of 2:

Common Causes

PDF download Download Article
  1. No matter what you do, you cannot revive dead pixels.
  2. Physical damage can also be caused by excessive heat and moisture.
    Advertisement
  3. If you're using an external display, having the correct display settings will vastly improve the graphics on your screen.
  4. It's a long shot, but outdated graphics cards might not display a page or a certain screen correctly.
    5. Advertisement
Section 2 of 2:

Top Fixes

PDF download Download Article
  1. Some laptops have a case that you can remove so you can fix and clean the insides. If this applies to you, open your laptop by unscrewing the edges, and look for damaged wires or loose connections inside your laptop. Take note of the outside appearance as well: look for dents or bowing that indicate damage.
    • 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 black spots, lines, and shadows. You might be able to fix it yourself if you're confident, but if the components are too badly damaged, you'll need to buy a new laptop.
    • Some laptops have faulty LCD panels, so replacing them with the same make and model could result in the same dark spots, lines, and shadows appearing on the screen.
  2. Incorrect settings can create spots, shadows, and lines. Find the screen settings for your laptop (every brand is different) and optimize the contrast, brightness, resolution, etc.
    • For Windows laptops, right-click on an empty spot on your desktop and click Display Settings > Display . [1]
    • On a MacBook, click the Apple logo and select System Settings > Displays . [2]
  3. Out-of-date graphics drivers can cause black spots, shadows, and lines on your screen.
    • To update your graphics driver , you can run a system update (which is the only way for Macs ), open the software that works with your graphics driver (like NVIDIA GeForce Experience for NVIDIA GPUs), or you can right-click on the driver in Device Manager and update that way.
  4. In this case, your laptop will go through diagnostics on its own. This is a fantastic tool that helps you figure out what's the source of the problem: hardware vs software.
    • For Dell laptops, run the LCD Built-in Self-Test. Turn off your laptop, disconnect any peripherals and make sure it's plugged into the charger. Press and hold the D key on your keyboard as you turn on the laptop. Release the key when you see colors on your screen. 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. [3]
      • If you can, it's a hardware issue that Dell Technical Support should be able to help with.
      • If you don't see the black spots, shadows, or lines during this test, continue troubleshooting for software issues.
    • For HP laptops, run HP PC Hardware Diagnostics as an administrator, then click Device Check > Video and follow any 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 black spots, vertical lines, or shadows on your screen.
      • If you see black spots, shadows, or vertical lines, there might be physical damage to the hardware. In that case, get in touch with HP Tech Support for more help.
      • If you don't see any anomalies, continue troubleshooting for software problems.
    • Some Lenovo laptops have a self-test that you can use. To run it, 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 black spots, vertical lines, or shadows on your screen [4]
      • In case you do see dead pixels, lines, or shadows, get in touch with Lenovo PC Support for more 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 key 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 didn't work), then release the key when you see a progress bar. [5]
      • 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 black spots, shadows, or lines on your screen. If you see any of those codes, contact Apple for more hardware help.
  5. Many times, they will be able to help more specifically if these troubleshooting steps didn't work. If your laptop is still under warranty and displaying black spots, lines, or shadows, you might be able to get a free replacement or repair!
    6. 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

      How to
      Make Any Picture Your Computer or Phone's Wallpaper
      2 Simple Ways to Get Animated Desktop Wallpapers
      How to
      Check Your Screen Resolution on PC, Mac, & Chromebook
      Simple Ways to Set Up Dual Monitors on Your Computer
      Rotating Your Screen on Windows, Chromebook, iOS, & More
      6 Quick Ways to Change the Screen Resolution on a PC
      5 Easy Ways to Fix Your Acer Screen If It's Flickering
      How to
      Fix a Rotated Screen
      How to
      Change Your Cursor
      How to
      Connect a Gaming Console to a Computer Monitor
      How to
      Rotate a Computer Screen: A Step-by-Step Guide
      How to
      Repair a Scratched or Finger Printed Monitor Screen
      Is High Dynamic Range Worth It for Your Console or PC?
      How to
      Fix a Dimmed Screen: 8 Simple Solutions
      Advertisement

      References

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

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 940 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement