Stuck Pixel Fixer

How to use it

The fixer opens on a black field with a gray square. Nothing flashes until you press Start.

1. 1

   Find the pixel first. The Dead Pixel Test shows full-screen colors so you can see exactly where it is. A stuck pixel stays lit in one color and shows best on black.

2. 2

   Place the square. Drag the gray square over the pixel, or move it with the arrow keys (hold Shift for bigger steps). Choose the smallest size that covers it: 40, 70 or 100 pixels.

3. 3

   Press Start flashing and look away. The square cycles red, green, blue, white and black. You do not need to watch it, and it is better not to.

4. 4

   Stop and check. Any key, click or tap stops it, and it stops by itself after 10 minutes. Then look at the pixel on a plain color again.

The limits it keeps

The flashing never fills the screen: the square is at most 100 × 100 pixels, and smaller on a small or zoomed-in window, well under the area the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines treat as a general flash. The colors change no more than eight times a second, under the limit of 10 it was designed to. It stops the moment you press a key, click, tap, switch tabs or leave the window, and it never starts by itself. Photosensitivity & Safety explains these limits and why they exist.

What it can and cannot do

A stuck pixel is lit when it should not be; a dead pixel stays dark. This tool is meant for the first kind only, and it cannot fix a dead pixel. Even on a stuck pixel nothing guarantees a result, and makers disagree: in its guidelines for its own displays, Dell strongly advises against pixel-fixing software and says a stuck pixel stays stuck until the monitor is replaced, while Lenovo's glossary says stuck pixels can sometimes be corrected with software. How to Fix a Stuck Pixel covers what makers say, why pressing on the screen is not recommended, and when to stop trying.

If the pixel is still there, check the return and warranty terms before the window closes. Dead Pixel Warranty Policies quotes what several makers publish, and Dead Pixel vs Stuck Pixel explains the difference in more detail.