How to Fix Dead or Stuck Pixels on Your Screen
Having to use a laptop screen or a desktop monitor with dead or stuck pixels is a bummer for users, especially those who enjoy gaming a lot or work as a graphic designer/illustrator or a video editor.
You may wonder what causes the pixels to get dead, hot or stuck and how you can manage to fix it all by yourself. Well, that’s why we’re writing this article to inform you everything about dead or stuck pixels and the techniques you can implement to resolve the problem.
What are stuck, hot or dead pixels?
The quality of a computer display is determined by the pixels and sub pixels which are responsible for creating images on the monitor. The mechanism of how dead, hot or stuck pixels may emerge on your screen depends on the transistor that supplies voltage to the pixels and the sub pixels (RGB) red, green and blue colored filters. When this transistor breaks, the supply gets cut off and a particular pixel or sub pixel gets damaged. So, as a result, your screen would either show dead, stuck or hot pixels.
The difference between the stuck, hot and dead pixels:
The colour difference between the three categories would help you identify which one of them you are dealing with. The stuck pixel would usually show a single colour like red/green/blue or a mixture of two colours, indicating that one or two of its sub pixels are still active. The dead one would show a dark dot, indicating that all its sub pixels are turned off/dead. On the other hand, the hot pixel would be a white-colored dot that has all the sub pixels turned on simultaneously all the time.
The identification of a stuck pixel is easier because it’s a coloured dot; however, in the case of a dead pixel, you would need a white background to see it clearly. Also, you must ensure that you don’t confuse a dirty spot with a dead pixel. The hot pixel will be increasingly visible on a dark background because it’s white in colour. That’s how you can figure out what type of pixels you are dealing with and what steps you can take to fix them.
How to fix dead/stuck/hot pixels?
So, when the question, “how to get rid of dead pixels?” pop up in your brain, you might get hit with an unfortunate answer. Yes, it is what you’re anticipating by now. There’s no way to remove dead pixel. However, if the pixel is not really dead but just hot or stuck, there’s hope that you can fix it.
For dead pixels, you can contact a professional PC repair expert to take care of the problem. Because most times, the manufacturer also doesn’t exchange the monitor or laptop if there’s one dead pixel due to it being acceptable. So, you can’t do anything about it regardless if you just bought the device. Either you ignore the defect and use the device, sell it to someone who doesn’t mind the problem or repair it through the third-party experts’ help, these are all your options.
Coming back to the stuck pixels, let’s see what methods are useful in fixing those as they are pretty fixable.
Method 1: Keep the computer off for a day
When it comes to stuck pixels, they can get fixed on their own too. So, if you’re lucky, your laptop screen’s stuck pixels may get revived after you leave it turned off for at least a full day.
Now, if you’re someone who can’t spend a day without using the laptop, this method might not appeal to you. But, even with a hectic work routine, you should consider turning the laptop off for a two-three hours to avoid the spread of more stuck pixels.
On the other hand, anyone who can manage to keep the computer shut for long may give this trick a try. This way if the reason for stuck pixels was the overuse of the device, the problem may fix itself when you give it a rest for one or two days.
Method 2: Use pressure technique:
This method is risky but you can give it a shot in case the stuck pixel bothers you a little too much and you can’t leave it alone. Also note that proceeding with this method could void the device’s warranty.
- Clean the screen of your PC/laptop to avoid confusing dirty spots with damaged pixels.
- Ensure your PC/laptop is turned on.
- Stream a video with a black background or open a black image because the backlight needs to be on during the application of this method. So, you’ll be able to spot the pixel and apply pressure on it.
- You can use a pointed tool like a pencil or pen. However, wrap it with a cloth and gently put pressure on the pixel you’re looking to fix. You may use your finger but that too should be covered in a cloth.
- The pressure method could go both ways. It could either fix the pixel or further damage the screen. So, you may try this at your own risk.
Method 3: Use a software:
There are many paid and unpaid pixel fixing application programs available online. Although this method isn’t 100% foolproof, it may still work and give positive results. You can try using one of these free software and see if the stuck pixels get unstuck. These software are mostly easy to use, so you can quickly get accustomed with the system after reading the manual. Jscreenfix is one of the many reputable sites that help with repairing the stuck pixels.
Final Thoughts:
Indeed, users who rely heavily on the resolution and graphics of their monitor and laptop screens can find the issue of dead or stuck pixels quite problematic. However, with the methods mentioned above, you can try to get rid of this issue. And to avoid dealing with this complication again, you may take precautions like turning on screensavers or putting the laptop on a sleep mode when not using it.