WhitestScreen

Black Screen Test

A free fullscreen black screen for spotting backlight bleed, IPS glow, and stuck pixels, with no download or sign-up.

By , WhitestScreen.com

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This black screen test helps you spot stuck pixels, check backlight bleed, and cut OLED power draw. Bright defects that hide against colorful content stand out clearly against pure black. It's free, works instantly in your browser, and there's nothing to download or sign up for.

Is it backlight bleed, or just IPS glow?

Almost every LCD panel shows some light leakage on a full black screen. The question is whether that's normal or a defect. Tilt your head left and right and watch the bright patch:

When you tilt your head, the bright patch...What it isWhat to do
Moves or fades with youIPS glowNothing. It's a normal characteristic of IPS panels, not a defect.
Stays in the same spotBacklight bleedIt's a manufacturing or assembly issue. Check your retailer's return policy if it bothers you.

How to use it

  1. Darken the room if you can, since light leakage is much easier to see in low ambient light.
  2. Tap Fullscreen and look across the whole panel, especially the edges and corners.
  3. Run the head-tilt check above on anything you spot.
  4. Switch to white or another color to check for the opposite defect: a dark dot on white is a dead pixel.

Saw something else?

A fixed dark or bright dot instead of a haze → Dead Pixel Test. A soft halo around a bright shape → Mini-LED Blooming Test.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between IPS glow and backlight bleed?
IPS glow shifts position as you change your viewing angle and is a normal characteristic of IPS panel technology. Backlight bleed stays fixed in the same spot no matter how you tilt your head, and is a manufacturing defect that may be worth an RMA.
Is some light leakage on a black screen normal?
Yes. Almost every LCD panel shows some light leakage on a full black screen. The question isn't whether you see any light at all. It's whether that light moves with your viewing angle (IPS glow, normal) or stays fixed (backlight bleed, a possible defect).
Can a black screen help with OLED burn-in?
Yes. On OLED and AMOLED displays, black pixels are switched off rather than dimmed, which uses less power and avoids stressing those pixels during a break from active use.

Not sure this is your actual problem? Start with the full screen defect triage guide →

Cedrick Reese built this black screen test. The stage is a solid #000000 background color set in your browser, the full black you need to judge backlight bleed and IPS glow by eye. The tool doesn't measure light leakage itself, which is why the section above explains how to tell the two apart. The color is a fixed value with no outside data behind it, so nothing here goes stale.

About the creator

WhitestScreen.com was founded by Cedrick Reese, a retired veteran and web developer who enjoys building free, user-friendly online tools that simplify everyday tasks. More about Cedrick Reese →