Stuck Pixel Fixer
Flash colours over a stuck pixel and give it a chance to recover.
Read this before starting
This tool works by flashing colours quickly. Rapid flashing can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy, and the risk is highest with fast, full screen flashing.
If you or anyone who can see the screen is sensitive to flashing light, do not run it. Keep the patch small rather than full screen, use the slowest speed that works, and stop if you feel unwell.
Running for 0:00. Most pixels that respond do so within 10 to 20 minutes.
What pixel fixer does
A stuck pixel is one whose subpixel is jammed in a fixed state, so it shows as a coloured dot that never changes. Rapidly cycling colours over that spot exercises the subpixel and can sometimes free it. This runs that cycle, either over a small patch you drag onto the fault or across the whole screen. It works on stuck pixels only: a dead pixel receives no power at all and no software can bring it back.
How to use it
- Read the flashing warning and confirm, since this tool cannot start without that.
- Find the stuck pixel first, using the dead pixel test if you have not already located it.
- Drag the patch over the affected spot, or switch to whole screen if you would rather.
- Press Start and leave it running for 10 to 20 minutes. Longer sometimes works where shorter did not.
- Stop, then check against a black and a white screen to see whether the dot has gone.
About pixel fixer
Please read this before you run it
This tool flashes colours quickly, and rapid flashing can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. The risk is greatest with fast flashing over a large bright area, which is why this page will not start until you confirm, defaults to a small patch rather than the whole screen, starts at the slower end of the range, and caps the top speed. If you or anyone who can see the screen is sensitive to flashing light, do not use it. Stop immediately if you feel unwell. If your system is set to reduce motion, the fastest option is disabled here.
Why flashing sometimes works
In an LCD, each subpixel is a liquid crystal cell that twists to let light through, and a stuck one is a cell that is no longer responding to the voltage it is given, often because it has settled into a state it will not leave. Driving it through rapid full swings between colours forces repeated large voltage changes across that cell, and that is sometimes enough to shift it back into normal operation. It is a nudge rather than a repair, which is why it works on some panels and not others, and why nobody can tell you in advance which you have.
How long to leave it, and when to stop
Most pixels that respond do so within ten to twenty minutes. It is worth a second attempt of an hour or more before giving up, since some reports describe recovery only after a long run, but the returns fall away quickly after that. If several hours across a couple of sessions produce nothing, the pixel is very unlikely to recover, and at that point the useful question is your warranty rather than another cycle.
The pressure method, and why it is a last resort
A widely repeated remedy is to switch the screen on, put a soft cloth over the stuck pixel and apply gentle pressure. It occasionally works for the same reason flashing does, by disturbing a cell that has settled. It also risks permanent damage: modern panels are thin, pressure can spread the fault into a patch of dead pixels, and on an OLED it can leave a mark that never clears. If you try it at all, try it after flashing has failed, use very light pressure, and accept that you may make things worse.
What this cannot do
It cannot fix a dead pixel, which receives no power and stays black on every colour, and it cannot fix burn-in, which is permanent uneven wear of OLED emitters rather than a stuck state. If the dot is black on a white screen it is dead, and if what you are seeing is a faint ghost of an interface rather than a single dot, that is retention or burn-in and the burn-in test is the right page.
Questions
Is a pixel fixer safe to watch?
The tool itself does nothing to your screen beyond displaying colours. The safety concern is you: rapid flashing can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. This page warns before starting, defaults to a small patch rather than full screen, and caps the maximum speed. Do not use it if you are sensitive to flashing light.
How long should I run a stuck pixel fixer?
Ten to twenty minutes is enough for most pixels that are going to respond. One longer attempt of an hour or more is worth trying before giving up. Beyond a few hours across two sessions, recovery is very unlikely.
Can this fix a dead pixel?
No. A dead pixel receives no power and stays black on every colour, including white. Nothing in software can restore it. This only helps a stuck pixel, which is lit in one fixed colour.
Does it damage the screen?
Displaying colours, even rapidly, does not harm an LCD. On an OLED, leaving any static bright image for many hours contributes to wear, but a cycling pattern is the opposite of static, so a normal run is not a concern.
Will it work on a phone or a TV?
On a phone, yes, through the browser. For a TV without a browser, open this page on a laptop and connect over HDMI. The same caution about flashing applies, and a TV fills much more of your field of view.
Nothing happened. What now?
Check whether it is actually stuck or dead using the dead pixel test. If it is stuck and has not moved after a couple of long runs, check the manufacturer's dead pixel policy, and if you are inside a return window use that instead, since returns are far easier than warranty claims.
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