CrackMacCrackMac / Free tools / Dead pixel test
Dead pixel test for Mac and any screen
A free full-screen dead pixel test. It fills your screen with solid colours so dead pixels show as black dots and stuck pixels as bright ones. If you find a stuck pixel, the fixer below flashes colours over it to try to revive it.
- Clean the screen first, so a speck of dust doesn't fool you.
- Click Start. The test fills the whole screen with black.
- Click, or press Space or the arrow keys, to step through black, white, red, green, blue and grey. Escape stops.
- Look slowly across each colour, edges and corners included.
Finished. Found a coloured dot? Try the stuck pixel fixer below. Found a black line, band or patch rather than single dots? That's panel damage, and here's what it means.
What you're looking for
| On this colour | A dot that looks like | Means |
|---|---|---|
| White or grey | Black | A dead pixel. It gets no power. |
| Black | Red, green, blue or white | A stuck pixel. One or more of its parts stays on. |
| Red, green or blue | Dark | A pixel with one colour missing. |
Stuck pixel fixer
This flashes red, green, blue, black and white very quickly inside a small square. Drag the square over the stuck pixel and leave it for 10 to 20 minutes. It sometimes revives a stuck pixel. It can't bring back a dead one.
Warning: the square flashes rapidly. Don't use it if you're sensitive to flashing lights, and don't watch it while it runs.
What your results mean
- One or two dead or stuck pixels. Common and usually not worth repairing. More on dead and stuck pixels.
- A cluster of dead pixels or a black spot that grows. Usually pressure damage. See black spots on a MacBook screen.
- Lines, or a black band along an edge. The panel or its cable is damaged. See one side of the screen black.
- Thinking about a repair? The repair cost calculator shows Apple's own prices for your model.
Questions
How do I test for dead pixels on a MacBook?
Open a full-screen solid colour and look slowly across the whole screen. Dead pixels show as black dots on white, stuck pixels as bright or coloured dots on black. This page cycles through black, white, red, green, blue and grey for you.
What is the difference between a dead pixel and a stuck pixel?
A dead pixel stays black on every colour because it gets no power. A stuck pixel stays lit in one colour, often red, green or blue. Stuck pixels sometimes recover. Dead pixels almost never do.
Can a stuck pixel be fixed?
Sometimes. Rapidly flashing colours over the pixel for 10 to 20 minutes can revive a stuck one, and the fixer on this page does that. It doesn't work on dead pixels, and it doesn't fix lines or black areas, which are damage to the panel.
How many dead pixels are acceptable on a MacBook?
Apple doesn't publish a number. A single dead or stuck pixel is usually treated as normal. Several close together, or one near the centre on a new Mac, are worth raising with Apple while you're under warranty.
Found more than a few pixels?
If the test shows a dead or garbled strip along one edge rather than single dots, the rest of the screen still works. CrackMac blacks out the damaged strip and keeps windows, the menu bar and the pointer on the part that works.
- 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.