To check for backlight bleed, turn your screen brightness all the way up and the room lights down. On an OLED screen, black pixels are switched off completely.
About the Black Screen
This page is a plain black screen. Press Full screen and your whole display turns black — no buttons, no text, nothing else.
A black screen is the best way to see dust, fluff and streaks when you clean your screen. It also shows stuck pixels (bright dots that never change), and backlight bleed — pale light that leaks in at the edges of an LCD screen. And sometimes you simply want a screen to stay dark without turning it off.
It runs in your browser. Nothing is installed and nothing is sent anywhere.
Features
- Opens black — the page is already black, one click for full screen
- True full screen — nothing on top of the black
- Keep the screen on — the screen does not lock while it shows black
- Other colours — white, red, green, blue, yellow, pink or any colour you pick
- Hides the pointer — the mouse pointer and the hint fade away after 2 seconds
- Works everywhere — phone, tablet, laptop, monitor and smart TV browser
What people use a black screen for
- Clean the screen. Dust, fluff and dried drops show up as bright specks on black. Wipe with a dry microfibre cloth, then look again.
- Find stuck pixels. A stuck pixel stays red, green, blue or white even on black. On a perfect screen you see nothing at all.
- Check backlight bleed. On an LCD or LED monitor, look for pale clouds of light at the edges and corners. Some glow from the side is normal on IPS screens; look from straight in front.
- Keep a screen dark. Leave a presentation, a second monitor or a TV dark between uses, without the "no signal" box or the screen saver.
- OLED screens. On an OLED phone or TV, black pixels are switched off. The screen gives no light at all.
Dust, stuck pixels or backlight bleed?
| What you see on black | What it is | Can you fix it? |
|---|---|---|
| A tiny bright speck that moves when you wipe | dust or fluff on the glass | yes — wipe it off |
| A tiny dot of red, green, blue or white that never moves | a stuck pixel | sometimes — it can come back on its own |
| Pale clouds at the edges or corners | backlight bleed | no — it is how the screen was built |
| A grey glow that changes when you move your head | IPS glow | no — it is normal for IPS screens |
Good to know
- Turn the room lights down and wait a few seconds so your eyes get used to the dark. Faults are much easier to see.
- For the backlight test, turn the screen brightness up all the way. Bleed hides at low brightness.
- Keep the screen on works while the page is in full screen. If your browser cannot do it, turn off auto-lock in your device settings.
- To leave full screen, press Esc, double-click, or tap Exit at the top.
How to use it
- Press Full screen — the whole display turns black
- Look for bright specks (dust or stuck pixels) and pale edges (backlight bleed)
- Move the mouse or tap to see the Exit button again
- Tap a colour below the screen to change the colour, or press ← → in full screen
- Press Esc or double-click to leave full screen
Frequently asked questions
How do I make my screen completely black?
Press Full screen on this page. The whole display turns black, with no menus or text. Press Esc to go back.
Does a black screen save battery?
On an OLED screen (most new phones and some TVs and laptops), yes: black pixels are switched off and use almost no power. On an LCD screen the backlight stays on, so a black screen saves very little.
Is a black screen the same as turning the screen off?
No. The screen is still on and shows black. On an LCD screen the backlight is still lit. To save the most power, turn the screen off or let it sleep.
Why is my black screen not fully black?
On an LCD or LED screen, a little light always leaks through. That is normal. Pale clouds at the edges are backlight bleed. Only OLED screens show true black.
How do I check for stuck pixels?
Look at the black screen in a dark room. A stuck pixel is a tiny dot of red, green, blue or white that stays when everything else is black. The Screen Test also shows white, red, green and blue to catch every kind.
Is it free?
Yes. It is free, with no sign-up and no download.
Related tools
- White Screen — a plain white screen, as a light or to find dead pixels
- Screen Test — every test colour in a row, to find dead and stuck pixels
- Refresh Rate Test — check your screen's real speed in Hz
- Red Screen — a red night light that keeps your eyes used to the dark
