Dead Pixel Test Online
Find dead, stuck, and bright pixels on any monitor, laptop, TV, or phone. Cycle through 12 pure fullscreen colors and scan every inch of your panel — free, in your browser, no download.
Current color
White 1/12
Click to start the dead pixel test
Fullscreen · use ← → arrows, Space, or swipe to cycle colors
Tip: set screen brightness to maximum and test in a dim room for the best results.
How to Test for Dead Pixels
A complete dead pixel scan takes about three minutes. Follow these steps to check every type of defective pixel.
1. Prepare your screen
Set brightness to 100%, turn off night light / blue-light filters and HDR, and dim the room. Defective pixels are easiest to spot at full brightness.
2. Cycle every color
Click the test above to go fullscreen, then use the arrow keys, Space, or swipe to step through all 12 solid colors. Stay on each for at least 5 seconds.
3. Scan and document
Slowly scan the whole panel — especially edges and corners. Photograph any dots you find (with the color visible) as evidence for a return or warranty claim.
What Are Dead Pixels? Bright, Dead, and Stuck Explained
Not every dot is the same. Knowing which type you have tells you whether it can be fixed.
Bright pixel (stuck on)
A pixel permanently lit, glowing white or colored on a dark background. Usually a sub-pixel stuck in the "on" state. Sometimes recoverable with a pixel-repair tool that flashes colors rapidly.
Dead pixel (always black)
A pixel that stays black on every background — easiest to see on white. This is usually hardware-level damage to the transistor or OLED emitter and generally can't be repaired with software.
Stuck pixel (one color)
A pixel frozen at a single color (red, green, blue, or a mix) regardless of the image. Unlike a dead pixel, its sub-pixels still respond and have a real chance of recovery through rapid color cycling.
What Causes Dead Pixels
- Manufacturing defects. Microscopic damage to TFT transistors or OLED layers during production leaves pixels defective from the factory.
- Physical pressure. Compression in shipping, aggressive cleaning, or a knock can misalign liquid crystals or damage OLED material.
- Electrostatic damage. Electrostatic discharge in dry air can destroy a drive transistor, permanently killing a pixel.
- Natural aging. After long use, drive circuits or emissive materials degrade — especially in areas shown at high brightness.
Dead Pixel Standards: When Can You Return a Screen?
ISO 13406-2 Class II
The common industry baseline: up to 2 bright + 2 dark + 5 stuck pixels per million-pixel panel.
Apple
Zero tolerance — any visible dead pixel typically qualifies for replacement.
Dell Premium Panel
Zero bright-pixel tolerance; 1–5 dark pixels allowed depending on model.
Your consumer rights
Even when a brand says a few pixels are "acceptable," local return windows and consumer-protection law often override that — test immediately on arrival.
Dead Pixels vs. OLED Burn-In
A dead pixel is a single, fixed abnormal dot — a hardware defect in one pixel. Burn-in is uneven aging across a large area of an OLED, showing up as a faint ghost image or color-shifted region. Solid-color tests reveal both, but their causes and fixes are completely different. If your "dot" is actually a faint static shape, see our OLED burn-in guide or run the OLED test.
Dead Pixel Test FAQ
Can dead pixels be repaired?
Bright and stuck pixels sometimes recover using a rapid color-flashing repair tool (run it for 30–60 minutes). Fully dead pixels — the ones that stay black on white — are hardware damage and generally can't be fixed with software; they need panel replacement.
Why do you need 12 different colors?
Each pixel is made of red, green, and blue sub-pixels. Black and white alone only catch completely dead pixels. Adding the RGB primaries and their complements (cyan, magenta, yellow) reveals individual stuck sub-pixels, and the grey tones expose uneven brightness.
Can I return a new screen with dead pixels?
It depends on the brand. Apple and Dell's premium lines usually have zero tolerance; most others follow ISO 13406-2 Class II. Test the moment your screen arrives and claim within the return window — consumer-protection rules often apply even when the brand policy says otherwise.
Does this dead pixel test work on phones and laptops?
Yes. The tool supports fullscreen and works on phones, tablets, laptops, monitors, and TVs. On mobile, swipe left or right to cycle colors.
How many dead pixels are acceptable?
Strictly speaking, any bright pixel is unacceptable because it's so visible. One or two dark pixels at the very edge may be tolerable. If defects exceed the brand's policy or bother you in normal use, exchange within the return window.
100% private. This test renders pure colors in your browser only — no camera, no sensors, no uploads. Everything is released the moment you close the page.
~3 min
Full scan
12
Pure colors
0
Data uploaded