Stuck pixel on your monitor? How to tell and fix it

By GigaScreens Team · Updated 2026-10-17

Run the stuck pixel fixer Not sure what the dot is yet? Find it first with the dead pixel test.

One bright green dot, and suddenly it’s the only thing on the screen you can see. The good news: a stuck pixel is sometimes fixable. A dead one isn’t. So the first two minutes go to working out which you have.

Is it a stuck pixel, a dead pixel or just dust?

Look at the dot on a black screen, then on white. That one check sorts most cases.

Dell’s display pixel guidelines use the same split: a bright pixel has its subpixels stuck on, a dark pixel has them stuck off. Dell is blunt about the second kind. A dead pixel “cannot be fixed,” and the only cure is a new panel.

A stuck pixel is a light switch jammed on. A dead pixel has no bulb.

How do I check for a stuck pixel?

1. Wipe the screen with a dry, lint-free cloth. Dell suggests this first, since dust passes for a pixel more often than you’d think.
2. Open the dead pixel test and go full screen. Step through black, white, red, green and blue.
3. Note the dot’s color on each screen and where it sits. A green dot that shows on black and stays green is a stuck green subpixel.
4. Take a screenshot. If the dot is in the screenshot, it’s coming from the computer, and no panel fix will touch it.

Monitors without a computer attached can check themselves too. Dell’s guide describes unplugging the video cable so the monitor shows its “no signal” box on black, then looking for bright dots. Many monitors also have a built-in self test in the menu; your manual has the exact steps.

How to fix a stuck pixel with a pixel fixer

Photosensitivity warning: pixel fixers flash rapidly changing colors. Skip this step if you or anyone in the room is sensitive to flashing light. Start it, then look away.

1. Open the stuck pixel fixer. It’s click-to-start, so nothing flashes until you press the button.
2. Move the flashing square over the dot and make it a little bigger than the pixel. Use full screen for dots near the edge.
3. Let it run for 10 to 20 minutes. Expected result: the dot looks normal on the black screen when you check again.
4. Still lit? Run one or two more sessions with the square exactly over it.
5. Stop there. JScreenFix, the long-running browser fixer, says on its own page that if a pixel isn’t fixed after an hour, it probably can’t be fixed that way.

Pixel fixers work on some stuck pixels and never on dead ones. Nobody can promise which yours is until you try, and no maker guarantees the method. Dell goes further and advises against pixel-fixing software on its displays, saying it isn’t supported and may not work. If you own a Dell covered by Premium Panel Exchange (see below), go straight to the warranty instead.

Does the pressure or “massage” method work?

Plenty of older guides tell you to press on the dot through a cloth while the screen powers on. We don’t recommend it. Dell’s guidelines warn that applying pressure “can crack the screen or damage internal components” and that DIY fixes may void the warranty.

Same goes for tapping, heat and cold. You’d be trading one stuck subpixel for a chance at a cracked panel or a pressure mark across a whole patch of the screen. Bad trade, especially on OLED and phone screens.

Stuck pixel on a phone, laptop, TV or OLED

The fixer runs in any modern browser, so the method is the same everywhere: confirm on black, cover the dot, run it, check.

• Phones and iPads: open the fixer in the browser, rotate if the dot sits near an edge, and keep the screen awake while it runs.
• Laptops: same as a monitor. Dell laptops have a built-in LCD test (press F12 at the Dell logo, then Diagnostics), per Dell’s guide.
• TVs: use the TV’s own browser if it has one, or run the fixer on a laptop connected over HDMI and set the TV to that input.

On any OLED screen, a dot that slowly appears where a static image sat is more likely burn-in or retention than a stuck pixel. That’s a different fix, covered in our OLED burn-in vs image retention guide.

Still there? Return window and pixel policy

On a new screen, the return window beats any fix. A retailer return usually needs no argument about how many pixels count as a defect. Check your receipt date before spending an evening on home remedies.

After that, it’s the maker’s pixel policy. Dell’s is a good example of how specific these get:

• Monitors with Premium Panel Exchange (UltraSharp U and UP, most P, S 2020 and newer, G series and Alienware, with a few listed exceptions): zero bright pixels allowed. One bright pixel or bright subpixel during the warranty gets the display replaced.
• Standard Dell monitors without it: up to 5 bright pixels or subpixels allowed, depending on the series.
• Dell laptops at 1600 x 900 or higher: zero bright pixels allowed.

Other brands publish their own tables, and they differ by model and region. Search the maker’s site for “pixel policy” plus your model number, then count your dots with the dead pixel test before you open a ticket.

Frequently asked questions

Related fixes

• Stuck pixel fixer (free tool)
• Dead pixel test
• OLED burn-in vs image retention
• Backlight bleed vs IPS glow
• All screen fix guides

Sources

• Dell: Display pixel guidelines and Premium Panel Exchange, checked 2026-10-17.
• JScreenFix: Stuck pixel repair, checked 2026-10-17.