How to Find and Repair Stuck or Dead Pixels on an LCD Monitor
By Timothy Tibbetts |
Stuck or dead pixels can be a real nuisance. The good news is that plenty of free apps can help you identify problem pixels and unstick them if possible. Here's how.
Let's first take a look at the difference between a stuck pixel and a dead pixel.
Stuck Pixel
A stuck pixel is almost always a color other than black or white. If you see a colored pixel, the odds are it is stuck, which can often be fixed.
Dead Pixel
A dead pixel, as you can probably guess, is almost always black and white. White is known as a hot pixel. Dead pixels never change color. If you have a dead pixel, the monitor needs to be repaired or replaced.
You can easily identify your problem with a handful of freeware apps. Let's take a look at some of these programs separated by test & repair and test only. Almost all of these freeware apps do the same thing, so don't worry too much about which to try.
1: Apps That Test & Repair
Dan's Dead Pixel Fixer - 4-star rated. Not updated since 2007, but it still works right up to Windows 10 and is the most downloaded pixel tester on MajorGeeks. Dan's is portable and can test and repair stuck pixels.
UDPixel - 5-star rated. Not updated since 2007, but it still works right up to Windows 10. UDPixel can scan for and try to repair stuck pixels. It is small, has an easy-to-use GUI but requires installation, and Microsoft.Net.
2: Apps That Test Only
Dead Pixel Tester - 5-stars. It's not the prettiest of the group and has not been updated since 2009, but it's is portable and easy to use.
IsMyLcdOK - 4-star rated. Looks similar to PowerShell or Command Prompt and can only test, not repair.
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Let's first take a look at the difference between a stuck pixel and a dead pixel.
Stuck Pixel
A stuck pixel is almost always a color other than black or white. If you see a colored pixel, the odds are it is stuck, which can often be fixed.
Dead Pixel
A dead pixel, as you can probably guess, is almost always black and white. White is known as a hot pixel. Dead pixels never change color. If you have a dead pixel, the monitor needs to be repaired or replaced.
You can easily identify your problem with a handful of freeware apps. Let's take a look at some of these programs separated by test & repair and test only. Almost all of these freeware apps do the same thing, so don't worry too much about which to try.
1: Apps That Test & Repair
Dan's Dead Pixel Fixer - 4-star rated. Not updated since 2007, but it still works right up to Windows 10 and is the most downloaded pixel tester on MajorGeeks. Dan's is portable and can test and repair stuck pixels.
UDPixel - 5-star rated. Not updated since 2007, but it still works right up to Windows 10. UDPixel can scan for and try to repair stuck pixels. It is small, has an easy-to-use GUI but requires installation, and Microsoft.Net.
2: Apps That Test Only
Dead Pixel Tester - 5-stars. It's not the prettiest of the group and has not been updated since 2009, but it's is portable and easy to use.
IsMyLcdOK - 4-star rated. Looks similar to PowerShell or Command Prompt and can only test, not repair.
comments powered by Disqus