What Does A Dead Pixel Look Like? (And Can It Be Fixed?)

Nothing can be more frustrating than binge-watching the latest Netflix series on your PC and suddenly finding some specks of black right in the middle of the screen. They may be tiny, but they can be quite the distraction and easily ruin the scene for you. More often than not, those dots are dead pixels, also called dark pixels.

A dead pixel is a small black square on the screen that stays unlit even after all the neighboring squares have already changed color. It can show up anywhere on the display, with the center being arguably the worst location. If the dead pixel is too prominent to be ignored, you can use it as a good excuse to buy a new computer monitor.

But what if you're on a budget? Or perhaps the dead pixel is an inconspicuous spot where you don't even notice it? Can you try to fix it yourself instead?

Not every malfunctioning pixel on your screen is a dead pixel. Sometimes, they can just be stuck. Compared to a dead pixel, which is off at all times, a stuck pixel (other times known as a bright pixel) is the complete opposite — it's always on. It can look like a white, red, green, or blue dot and stay that way as the rest of the screen changes.

Stuck pixels happen because of a glitching transistor that doesn't update the pixel's color as expected. It's pretty easy to fix a stuck pixel most of the time. Meanwhile, a dead pixel is either because of a manufacturing error or physical damage to the device that then causes a power issue or dead transistor. In that case, trying to restore the pixel doesn't always have a happy outcome.

Luckily, a single dead pixel wouldn't usually make your device completely unusable. For the most part, you won't even see any difference in functionality — that is, until the dead pixel starts multiplying. By then, you'll have a smaller screen real estate to work with, and if you have a touchscreen, it might start being unresponsive as well.

To know exactly whether your screen is beyond repair or not, you should first figure out what exact pixel anomaly you're dealing with.

A dead pixel will look different from a stuck one on your screen, so it should be easy to know which is which. On any solid-colored background except for black, a dead pixel will stand out as the only dark dot on the screen. On the flip side, a stuck pixel will be most visible on a black background, usually appearing as any of the RGB colors or white.

This means to check your screen for a dead or stuck pixel, all you really need to do is display a solid colored background. You can easily find plenty of websites and apps online for that, one of which is testmyscreen.com. It's accessible from any device with a browser, like your phone, computer, or smart TV. If your device doesn't have or support any browsers, try looking for pixel test/screen check apps on the Play Store or App Store instead.

Before doing any tests, though, make sure to clean your screen. Otherwise, you might mistake some dust and dirt for dead/stuck pixels. First, power down your device. Then, apply some distilled water on a microfiber cloth (it shouldn't be dripping wet!) and gently wipe it across the screen. Dry the screen before turning it back on. From here, you can start testing. Follow these steps:

1. Go to testmyscreen.com.
2. Click on the hamburger menu in the upper left corner.
3. Select Solid Colors from the options. The site should automatically display a white background in full screen.
4. Carefully check the screen for any black spots.
5. Press anywhere on the screen to change the color to black.
6. Look for any white or colored dots.
7. Continue changing the colors until you find the faulty pixel.

It's worth pointing out, though, that if there's only one faulty pixel, it might be harder to find it on wide displays.

You can't always revive a dead pixel, but there are some users who have successfully done so. Here are some fixes you can try:

1. Reboot the device. Wait for 30 seconds to a few minutes before switching it on.
2. Lightly flick on the dead pixel a couple of times over.
3. If you're not a fan of flicking your screen, grab a soft cloth and delicately press or massage the area with the dead pixel while the device is off.
4. Try pixel-fixing software like PixelHealer or JScreenFix. What they do is quickly flash the affected spot with alternating red, green, and blue colors to somehow restore the pixel. Simply move the repair window over the dead pixel and start flashing. Keep it there for a couple of minutes and repeat if necessary.

Some smart TVs like LG and Samsung also feature a pixel cleaning/refresher tool. It was originally developed to prevent burn-in on OLED screens, but it might help fix dead pixels, too. For LG, you can find the Pixel Cleaning option under All Settings > General > OLED Care > OLED Panel Care. For Samsung, go to Settings > All Settings > General & Privacy > Panel Care > Pixel Refresh.

If none of these solutions work, your only choice is to have the screen replaced. Contact your nearest service center on how to proceed.