Dead Pixel vs Stuck Pixel (and Hot Pixels): How to Tell and What to Do

Dead, stuck and hot pixels at a glance

Every pixel on an LCD or OLED screen is made of three subpixels: one red, one green and one blue. White means all three are lit, black means all three are off, and every other color is a mix. A pixel fault is simply one or more of those subpixels refusing to change.

Why pixels die or get stuck

On an LCD, each subpixel is switched by its own tiny transistor. Apple's support note on pixel anomalies explains that when one of those transistors does not work perfectly, the subpixel stays off (dark) or on (bright). With millions of subpixels on a modern screen, Apple says a low number of such transistors is possible. Dell's guidelines add that bright pixels get stuck in the on position during manufacturing, which is one more reason to test a new screen the day it arrives.

That difference is why the two behave differently:

• Dead (dark): the subpixel gets no drive at all, so no picture you send can light it. Dell's guidance is blunt: a dead pixel cannot be fixed, and the only solution is a new display panel.
• Stuck (bright): the subpixel is getting a signal but not changing state. That is the only kind a pixel fixer can hope to shift, and even then only sometimes.

Not every dot is a pixel at all. Apple points out that many "pixel anomalies" are really a bit of foreign material trapped in the display or sitting on the glass. Those spots are usually irregular in shape and show up most on a white background. Dust on the surface wipes off with a lint free cloth; material inside the display does not, and needs a service check.

How to check your screen in two minutes

1. Clean the screen. Wipe it gently with a dry microfiber or lint free cloth, so dust cannot fool you.
2. Set things up. Browser zoom at 100%, room lights a little lower, screen brightness up.
3. Open the dead pixel test in full screen. Step through black, white, red, green, blue and the other colors with a click, a tap or the arrow keys.
4. Scan slowly on each color. Go row by row, including edges and corners. On black look for bright dots; on white look for dark dots; on red, green and blue look for dots that do not match. This is the same routine Dell describes for its own monitors and laptops.
5. Mark what you find. Turn on marking and click each dot. The mark stays as you change colors and the panel lists its position in screen pixels from the top left, which is handy to quote to a seller.
6. Look closer. Your phone camera zoomed in on the dot, or a magnifying glass, shows which subpixel is at fault far better than the eye. A software magnifier cannot help, because it enlarges the picture, not the physical pixel.
7. Rule out the picture. Take a screenshot and look at it on another device. If the dot is in the screenshot, it is in the content, not in your screen.

Checking more than pixels? The full screen test adds uniformity, backlight bleed, banding and sharpness patterns. If you see a whole line of pixels rather than a dot, that is a different fault: see lines on screen.

Hot pixel: two different meanings

"Hot pixel" is used for two unrelated things, and search results mix them up.

• On a screen, a hot pixel is a pixel stuck fully on: a white dot that stays lit, easiest to see on black. It is the "bright pixel" of most warranty policies, and it is treated like a stuck pixel.
• In a camera, a hot pixel is a spot on the image sensor that records a bright dot in your photos, most often in long exposures. It is in the image file, so it shows on every screen you view the photo on, and no screen tool can touch it. Some cameras can map such pixels out: the OM SYSTEM OM-5 manual, for example, suggests running its Pixel Mapping function when unknown bright dots appear in pictures, and repeating it a few times if needed. Check your camera's manual for its version.

Quick test: if the dot stays in the same place on the screen whatever you display, it is the screen. If it moves with the photo when you pan or zoom, it is in the photo.

Can dead pixels be fixed?

No. A dead pixel or dead subpixel is not receiving the drive it needs to light, so no image, video, app or website can switch it on. Dell's support article states it directly: a dead pixel cannot be fixed, and the only solution is replacing the display panel. That includes the "dead pixel fix" videos and pages you will find online: they flash colors, which can only affect a pixel that is lit but stuck.

What you can do with a dead pixel:

• New device: return or exchange it within the seller's return window. That is usually the simplest route and does not depend on pixel policy thresholds.
• Under warranty: count the faults and compare them with the maker's pixel policy (see below).
• Out of warranty: a panel replacement is the only real fix. On a laptop or phone that is often a whole display assembly, so weigh the cost against how much the dot bothers you. One dark dot is often invisible at normal viewing distance.

How to fix a stuck pixel: what works and what does not

If you want to try a fixer, do it the careful way:

1. Find and mark the pixel with the dead pixel test. Confirm it is a colored or white dot that stays on, not a black one.
2. Open the pixel fixer, pick Flashing box, set a timer and start it. You will see a flashing light warning first.
3. In full screen, drag the box so it sits right over the pixel. Then look away or leave the room while it runs.
4. After 10 to 20 minutes, check the pixel on black. If nothing changed, try a few more sessions with the box exactly over the pixel.
5. If it is still stuck, stop and treat it as a warranty matter.

Dead pixel warranty: how pixel policies work

No maker promises a perfect panel on every product. Each publishes, or keeps internally, a pixel policy: how many faults of each kind a screen may have before it counts as defective. The rules differ a lot between brands and even between product lines of one brand, so always check the policy for your exact model and region. Here is what four major makers say in their own support pages, as of September 2026:

The ISO pixel fault classes

You will often see a screen described as "ISO Class I" or "Class II". Those classes come from ISO 13406-2 (2001), which set how many faults a panel may have per million pixels. It was withdrawn and replaced by the ISO 9241-300 series (parts 302, 303, 305 and 307) in 2008; many manuals now cite ISO 9241-307. ISO sells the full text, so the limits quoted online almost always come from the older 13406-2 table. The classes were always guidelines, not rules makers must follow:

All figures are per million pixels, so a 4K screen (about 8.3 million pixels) could have roughly eight times as many and still meet the same class. In practice the maker's own policy decides your claim, not the ISO class, so use the table only to understand the wording.

How to make a warranty or return claim

1. Act early. Test a new screen on the day it arrives. A seller's return window is usually shorter than the warranty, and a return does not depend on pixel counts.
2. Count by type. Policies count bright and dark faults separately, and some count subpixels separately from whole pixels. Note each one as bright or dark, and colored (one subpixel) or white or black (whole pixel).
3. Record positions. Use the marks in the dead pixel test and note the coordinates, or describe the spot ("about 3 cm from the top left corner").
4. Take proof. Photograph each dot close up on the color where it shows best (black for bright dots, white for dark dots), plus one wider photo showing where it is on the screen. A short video while you switch colors shows it is not dust.
5. Check it is visible at normal distance. Dell, for one, only counts faults you can see with the naked eye at normal viewing distance. Say so in your claim if it is.
6. Contact the right party. Seller first for a new product; the maker's support for warranty; include model, serial number and purchase date.

Do dead pixels spread, and can you prevent them?

A single dead or stuck pixel does not usually spread. If new dots keep appearing over days or weeks, or you start to see whole lines, that points to a failing panel or connection rather than isolated pixel faults, and it is worth a warranty claim quickly.

There is little you can do to prevent manufacturing faults, but you can avoid causing damage:

• Do not press on the screen, and never with a pen or fingernail. Dell warns that pressure can crack the screen or damage internal components.
• Clean with a soft, dry or slightly damp microfiber cloth and light strokes.
• Carry laptops closed with nothing between keyboard and screen, and move monitors and TVs by the frame, not the panel.
• On OLED screens, what builds up over time is uneven wear rather than dead pixels. That is burn-in, a different problem covered in image retention vs burn-in.