How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on Your DSLR Camera Sensor A Step by Step Guide

How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on an LCD Monitor

Co-authored by:

Computer & Tech Specialist

This article was co-authored by

Luigi Oppido

and by wikiHow staff writer,

Jack Lloyd

. Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years. This article has been viewed 3,984,703 times.

Co-authors: 87

Updated: October 2, 2023

Views:3,984,703

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 3,984,703 times.

How to get rid of stuck/dead pixels on a Canon DSLR camera?

After I bought my new Canon EOS 40D and took some blue hour and night photos I found out that i have a bright white pixel near the center of the image. I found out that theRAW converter fixes this problem but JPG files are still an issue.This pixel is a stuck pixel, or sometimes it called dead pixel. Usually stuck pixel is bright, while dead pixel is black.

Of course I was not happy because i thought this means I have to send my brand new camera back for a replacement or repair. So I started to google this problem and deep in a forum I found something, something interesting: It seems Canon cameras has a self repair function that can be activated through the menu. All we have to do is to charge up the batteries and go to the menu and initiate a Manual Sensor Cleaning then wait about a half minute then turn off the camera.I made several tests and was not able to see the stuck pixel again on JPG images after this process so IT WORKS!

UPDATE: It seems this method works on some Nikon models too.

After I posted this solution to my blog I get several responses so this method works on

• Canon EOS 100D
• Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi
• Canon EOS 450D
• Canon EOS 500D
• Canon EOS 550D / EOS Rebel T2i
• Canon EOS 600D
• Canon EOS 700D / T5i
• Canon EOS 40D
• Canon EOS 50D
• Canon EOS 60D
• Canon EOS 70D
• Canon EOS 80D
• Canon EOS 7D, 7D Mark II
• Canon EOS 5D, 5D Mark II, 5D Mark III
• Canon EOS 5DS R
• Canon EOS 6D
• Canon EOS-M

If you have luck with this on other camera models leave a comment and I'll update this post.jordans for sale style

Stuck Pixel Fixing Guide (How to Diagnose, Fix & Prevent)

Can you fix a stuck pixel on your computer LCD monitor or laptop screen?

Yes, absolutely! This guide will show you how.

If youve ever wondered if stuck pixels are permanent or if dead pixels spread or go away, youll find all the answers right here.

(Spoiler alert: You can fix a stuck pixel, but you cant fix a dead pixel!)

Well also have a look at how stuck pixels happen in the first place and how to prevent them.

Time to fix your screen lets get stuck into the tutorial!

How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on an LCD Monitor

If you are dealing with pesky dead pixels on a monitor, heres how you fix them.

You may experience a stuck pixel on a new or used LCD screen. If your monitors warranty has expired, or the manufacturer wont replace the monitor because it considers one or two stuck pixels as acceptable, there are a few things that you can do.

Ill tell you about a few methods to fix stuck pixels in order of risk, although only rub or tap methods could actually cause damage.

Keep in mind that none of these methods is completely foolproof.

However, they should help out in most situations, and therefore you might want to give them a try before you spend your money calling a specialist or decide on getting your monitor replaced.

Method #1: Wait and see.

A dead pixels on monitors can be quite annoying. Fortunately, they resolve on their own quite often. This is obviously the safest method, but its not always effective. If you recently discovered a stuck pixel, you can try to turn off the monitor and unplug it for a day or two. When the damage is caused by overuse, this could help.

Other times stuck pixels get fixed on their own, or at least they can be less noticeable because they get less bright.

So, if its not too annoying for your work, you can try to wait it out and see if anything improves.

More often than not, you dont need a dead pixel fixer at all.

Method #2: Pixel fixing software

Heres how to fix dead pixels if youre tired of waiting it out.

There are many websites that offer a stuck pixel fixing service. They work more or less in the same way, by flashing pixels and hopefully un-stick the ones that are defective.

Youll find that many of them run with Flash, which is no longer available fortunately, heres one that you can still rely on JScreenFix.

JScreenFix is a free online service that can solve your problem of stuck pixels. You dont have to download anything, so its not invasive nor harmful.

Visit the website jscreenfix.com and scroll down to find the Launch JScreenFix button click on it. It will open a black screen with a square full of flickering pixels. The instructions pop up right there however, what youre meant to do is drag this square to the area where the stuck pixel is. Then, leave it for at least ten minutes.

If it doesnt fix your stuck pixel on the first try, you can do a few attempts leaving it for a little longer. Usually, this method gets the job done, but its not a 100% guarantee.

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*Safety note: If you have epilepsy, you should avoid using any of these stuck pixel fixer websites or software as they work with flashing erratic lights.

Method #3: Apply pressure

Any technique that implies applying pressure to fix a stuck pixel can potentially make more damage than good. Here youll find some precautions you should take to minimize these chances.

However, if you decide to do this, its at your own risk.

1. Turn on your computer screen or monitor as the pixel needs to be working for the pressure methods to stand a chance.
2. Determine if you have hot, stuck or dead pixels if you dont know the difference among these, read the next section first. Only if the pixel is stuck, youll have a chance at fixing it with a pressure method.
3. Open a black image as background in full-screen mode or use a black browser window such as this. Either way, dont just leave a blank signal. This again has to do with the fact that you need the pixel to have the backlight on. Make sure the screen is clean to avoid confusing dust with bad pixels.
4. Get a Stylus or Touch pen to put pressure on the monitor without damaging it. Otherwise, you can try using your finger wrapped with a microfiber cloth.
5. With whatever instrument you decide to use, gently press the area with the stuck pixel and rub it for a few seconds then remove pressure.
6. If its not working, you can try to apply just slightly more pressure. Be careful not to press too hard, or you can worsen the problem.
7. You can also try to combine methods and apply gentle pressure while youre running pixel fixing software.

Some people recommend a heat method where you use a hairdryer to warm the spot while youre putting pressure on the monitor to fix a stuck pixel. Others suggest using a hot water damp cloth to apply the heat directly.

However, you could end up with something worse than a stuck pixel. The pressure method already represents a small risk of damaging your monitor if you add heat, youre increasing that risk.

Dead Pixel vs Stuck Pixel Whats the Difference?

To understand the possible pixel problems that you can face and whether or not you can fix them you need to know that an LCD screen is made by pixels. Three sub-pixels form each pixel one is red, one is green, and one is blue (RGB).

When you have a pixel defect, it means that one or more of the subpixels arent working as theyre supposed to. Lets see how these can present.

Dead pixels show no light, and whats the absence of light? Dark. So, if you see a black pixel on your monitor, its a dead pixel. These are more noticeable when youre working with a white background. If you are asking Do dead pixels go away the answer is no, BUT what you might think is a dead pixel might just be stuck.

A stuck pixel is when one or two of the subpixels is always on. So, if you have a color dot it means that you have a stuck pixel. What causes stuck pixels can vary but the most common cause is faulty transistors. They are either stuck on the on or off phase.

The third option is that you see a white pixel these are known as hot pixels. That means that all three colors (red, green and blue) are always on this results in white light. These are more obvious on a dark background.

What Causes Dead or Stuck Pixels?

So, now you know what type of faulty pixels you can run into and how you can identify them. At this point, you might be wondering how do stuck pixels happen?

To understand how a hot, dead, and stuck pixel occurs, let me start by explaining how a monitor works.

LCD stands for liquid crystal display. These monitors are made with multiple layers. In the far back, they have the light source that illuminates the screen with white even light.

The reason why we dont see a fully white screen all the time is that theres also a layer with color filters. This layer has a red, green and blue filter per pixel (RGB) each of those would be a sub-pixel.

Depending on which one of these sub-pixels are visible at a given time, you see different color pixels.

To control which one of those pixels and sub-pixels are on and how bright they are, LCD monitors have other layers to block certain light.

Two of these blocking layers are polarizing filters the first one filters the light waves in one orientation and the second one in the opposite direction.

Then, the liquid crystals in between modify the orientation of the light to determine which one passes through the polarizing filter.

They can do this according to the amount of voltage. No voltage means that light can pass full voltage blocks the light. Everything in between allows a different amount of light to pass through.

I know it doesnt sound very easy, but you can see the explanation with diagrams in the YouTube video above if you need to.

Anyway, all this explanation is to tell you that stuck or dead pixels often happen because there is a broken transistor that fails to supply voltage to a certain pixel or sub-pixel.

Keep in mind that there are two types of LCD monitors: TN (Twisted Nematic) and IPS (In-Plane Switching). On TN monitors, the default without voltage is on. So, if the transistor is not supplying power, the pixel wont be dead (black) but hot (white). On IPS monitors, it works the other way around.

Most of the times, the damage in the transistor is a manufacturing defect. However, it can also happen because the monitor falls or it suffers physical damage.

All LCD displays are susceptible to this type of damage it can be a monitor, a laptop, a smartphone or a TV.

How do you Check for Dead Pixels?

Dead pixels on phones or monitors can be quite the bummer. As mentioned before, a dead pixel is a black spot on your computer and LCD screen. The easiest way to spot them is on a completely white screen.

So, you can use a dead pixel test. There are some free ones online such as the one from LCD Tech. You simply need to click on the Start Test button, and it will automatically enter full-screen mode in complete white.

There are dead pixel test apps for iOS and Android if you want to check your smartphone screen for dead or stuck pixels.

Make sure your monitor is clean to identify dead pixels better. Because the screen will be completely white, you can also use this to find stuck pixels. On the other hand, a hot pixel wont be visible for these, you would need a dark screen.

How to Prevent Stuck Pixels

Sometimes you can have bad luck and receive your new computer or monitor with an original pixel fault. In most cases, these are dead pixels, and therefore, theres nothing you can do except try and exchange your monitor with the manufacturer.

Stuck pixels can be prevented with the use of screensavers that constantly change the voltage that each pixel receives.

Also, turn off the display whenever youre not using it. You can get into the habit of manually putting it to sleep or turn it off when youre stepping away from it.

Otherwise, you can use automatic functions to put the monitor in standby mode after a certain period of inactivity.

Keep in mind that these are just good practices that can extend the life of your LCD screen. Unfortunately, there isnt a full-proof method to avoid getting stuck pixels.

FAQs about Stuck Pixels & Dead Pixels

Are stuck pixels permanent?

Stuck pixels are the most fixable problems you can have with your pixels. A stuck pixel can disappear on its own, or you can use other methods to try to fix it in this article, youll find some of them.

What causes dead pixels?

Dead pixels on screens can be caused by a lot of factors but the most common one is manufacturing defects or the electronics failing.

What does a dead pixel look like?

A dead pixel on monitors is easy to identify. They can be one or two dots that dont change color and appear stuck. They can either be white, black, or other color.

Is 1 dead pixel acceptable? (Is one dead pixel bad?)

It depends on the class of monitor that you have only class I monitors shouldnt have any dead pixels. For other classes, most manufacturers will consider one dead pixel as acceptable. This means that they probably wont replace your new monitor because of it.

Of course, if this acceptable to you, its a different matter. It often depends on the location of the dead pixel and the size of the monitor. If you find it unacceptable, you should still give it a shot at the guarantee and see if you can have it exchanged. Check the ISO 13406-2 to see the acceptable standards according to the type of monitor.

Will dead pixels spread?

Normally not. If you notice they are spreading call a specialist to determine what is the problem and whether it can be fixed.

Will dead pixels go away?

No, dead pixels wont go away on their own most of the times, theyre not even fixable. Before you give up, though, make sure the pixel is really dead and not stuck because stuck pixels can go away.

Can dead pixels be fixed?

In most cases, there is no dead pixel fix. Most modern screens and monitors are not designed to be easily serviceable. Your best bet might be to get yourself a new monitor.

Do dead pixels spread?

Dead pixels are normally isolated cases and dont usually spread. If they do spread, you need to call customer service for your device or replace your device entirely.

How big is a dead pixel?

It depends on the size of the monitor and the resolution. The higher the resolution the smaller the pixel.

How noticeable are dead pixels?

Dead pixels are more noticeable in light areas because they are black. Also, it depends on the size of the pixel, the size of the display and the resolution. Keep in mind that once you know its there, youll keep noticing it.

Final Words

In conclusion, having a hot, stuck or dead pixel in your LCD screen is very common in most consumer-level displays and monitors.

If your warranty is valid and you can get your device exchanged, thats the best way to do it. Otherwise, determine what type of pixel problem you have.

There are a few different methods to try to fix stuck pixels although none of them is certain. On the other hand, hot and dead pixels cant be fixed.

I hope you found this guide helpful. If you have any questions or want to share some tips on preventing, detecting, and fixing faulty pixels, please leave a comment.