CrackMacBlack spot or dark spots on a MacBook screen: what they are and what to do
A black spot, dark blotch or black dot on a MacBook display is usually pressure damage inside the panel, from something pressing on the screen or sitting on the keyboard when the lid closed. It can't be fixed with software. It may stay the same size or slowly spread.
Not ready to pay for a repair? If the damage sits along an edge, you can block off the broken part and keep using the rest.
Map the spots with the free dead pixel test or the full screen test.
What kind of spot is it?
| What you see | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Dark blotch, often with a rainbow or ink-like edge | Pressure damage to the LCD layer |
| Black area spreading from a small starburst | Internal crack |
| One tiny black dot, always the same | A dead pixel. See dead vs stuck pixels |
| Blurry, smudge-like patches, not black | Wear to the anti-reflective coating on some older Retina models |
| Brighter or cloudy patches near the edges | Backlight bleed, normal to a degree on LCDs |
Take a screenshot to be sure
Press Command-Shift-3 and look at the screenshot on your phone. If the spot isn't in the screenshot, it's in the hardware. If it is, the spot is part of an image or app, not your screen.
White or bright spots
Bright patches are a different problem. Small, round, slightly brighter spots usually mean pressure has shifted the layers that spread the backlight evenly, so light gathers in one place. They show up best on white or grey backgrounds. Like dark pressure marks, they don't go away on their own, but they rarely spread and many people stop noticing them. Here's more on pressure marks and backlight bleed.
Will it spread?
Pressure damage and cracks often grow, especially with more pressure, flexing or heat. Mark the edge of the spot with a photo today and compare in a week. Tips for slowing it are in will a cracked screen get worse.
Your options
- Small and in a corner: many people live with it for years.
- Growing, or in the middle: repair is the real fix. See replacement costs.
- Along an edge and in the way: block that strip off so windows, menus and the pointer stay on the good part.
If the damage runs along one edge, CrackMac can keep windows, menus and the pointer off it. There's a free 30-minute trial.
Quick answers
Why is there a black spot on my MacBook screen?
Most often it's pressure damage: something pressed on the screen, or was on the keyboard when the lid closed, and damaged the liquid crystal layer. It usually appears as a dark blotch, sometimes with a rainbow edge.
Will a black spot on a MacBook screen spread?
It can. Pressure damage and internal cracks often grow over days or weeks, especially with more pressure or heat. A single dead pixel, by contrast, stays the same.
Damage along an edge?
CrackMac keeps windows, the menu bar and the pointer on the part of the screen that still works, and paints the dead strip black. You draw the line once, on a picture of your screen, and it stays out of your way after that.
- Works on macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
- Free for 30 minutes of use, then a one-time price. No subscription.
- A refund within 7 days, no questions asked.