Stuck Pixel Test

What Is a Stuck Pixel?

Every pixel on your screen is made up of three sub-pixels — red, green, and blue. When one or more sub-pixels gets stuck in the “on” position, the pixel emits a fixed color regardless of what is on screen. A stuck red sub-pixel makes a tiny red dot that never changes. A pixel with all three sub-pixels stuck on appears as a white dot — often called a hot pixel.

Stuck pixels are different from dead pixels. A dead pixel has a permanently failed transistor that cannot turn on at all — it always appears black. A stuck pixel's transistor is physically intact but jammed in an active state. This distinction matters because stuck pixels can sometimes be fixed; dead pixels almost never can.

How to Test for Stuck Pixels

The key to finding stuck pixels is cycling through solid backgrounds and looking for dots that do not match the current color. A stuck red sub-pixel is invisible on a red background but obvious on blue or green. A stuck blue pixel hides on blue but appears clearly on white or yellow.

1. 1

   Go full screen

   Press the Full Screen button above or F11. Removing browser chrome ensures you test the edge pixels too.

2. 2

   Start with black

   Pure black reveals stuck pixels most clearly — they glow their color against the dark background. Any colored dot is a stuck pixel.

3. 3

   Cycle through every color

   Work through white, red, green, and blue. Each color can hide a different stuck sub-pixel while revealing others.

4. 4

   Note any dots that do not match

   A pixel showing the wrong color — a blue dot on a red screen, for example — is stuck on its sub-pixel. Photograph it against white for documentation.

Stuck Pixel vs Dead Pixel

Most people use “dead pixel” loosely to mean any defective pixel. The precise distinction is important because the fix options and warranty framing differ.

For a deeper explanation of the difference, read our full dead pixel vs stuck pixel guide.

Can Stuck Pixels Be Fixed?

Yes — stuck pixels often respond to rapid color cycling. The technique works by rapidly alternating the stuck sub-pixel between on and off states at high frequency, which can jostle the transistor back into normal operation. It does not always work, and it never works on truly dead pixels, but it is always worth trying before initiating a warranty claim.

OLED screens have lower fix rates than LCD because the organic layer is more susceptible to permanent failure. If color cycling does not help after two or three sessions, the pixel may be dead rather than stuck — check your warranty options via our dead pixel warranty guide.

Stuck Pixel FAQ