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Best Windows Programs for Fixing Dead or Stuck Pixels

by Arjun krishnalal

If you’re gaming or watching shows on your computer, there’s nothing quite as annoying as a dead or stuck pixel. Dead pixels are something you’re just going to have to put up with: the LCD just doesn’t have the ability to change color anymore and it’ll show up as black. What’s more annoying (but potentially fixable) is stuck pixels. These are pixels that are temporarily frozen, displaying just one color. This is a big problem, especially in dark scenes where a bright green stuck pixel sticks out like a sore thumb.

Thankfully, there are ways to identify and fix stuck pixels and possibly fix them. There are a bunch of online tools and windows Programs that change the color rapidly so that the signals are, in a way, forced to the pixel, so after 3-5 hours, the pixel becomes unstuck, and functions normally.

We’ll be going through them right here in this list. Read on to find out more.

Windows Programs to Find and Fix Stuck Pixels

1. JSScreenfix

Who it’s for: Users who want a super-convenient, online dead pixel fixer

JSScreenfix is somewhat low in terms of features but its main advantage is being incredibly convenient. It’s an online tool, so it requires no installation, whatsoever. You simply visit the site and open up the Javascript/HTML5 applet and that’s it. Compared to some of the other options in this list, it doesn’t allow you to customize your pixel fixing solution or target individual pixels. However, its approach is arguably just as workable: You get a medium-sized square onscreen which shows a random, high-frequency noise pattern cycling all pixels within through red, green, and blue. All you need to do is get your stuck pixel into the square and leave your browser open with JSScreenfix running for some time. If you’re lucky, you might notice results in as little as 10 minutes. The best thing to do, though would be to leave JSScreenfix on overnight and then check it out the next morning.

Pros:

  • Very convenient since its a web-based tool

Cons:

  • No customization features

Visit this link to use it

2. Rizonesoft Pixel Repair

Who it’s for: Power users who want a deep and customizable pixel repair suite

Rizonesoft Pixel Repair is the exact opposite of JSScreenfix: Where the latter puts an emphasis on ease of use and convenience over flexibility, Rizonesoft Pixel Repair is all about giving you as many options as possible when you’re trying to fix a stuck pixel. It turns your entire display one solid color–if there are any stuck pixels, they would show. We found that the black screen option helped to find stuck pixels the quickest. Once you’ve found the stuck pixel, Rizonesoft Pixel Repair then lets you select from a range of flash patterns. You can select the colors that are to be flashed–these range from a simple Red Green Blue arrangement to more complex flash patterns. You also get to pick the duration of the flash pattern. By default, you get a flash pattern window that’s slightly smaller than the one offered by JSScreenfix. But you can press F11 to fullscreen it. Just be careful with the higher settings: It’ll cause your entire display to flash madly and this can be a safety hazard if you have issues with seizures.

Pros:

  • Fine grained user control of flash sequences, timings, and colors

Cons:

  • It can be daunting for casual users

Download it here

3. Pixel Doctor

Who it’s for: Users who want templating and easy-to-use multi-step “treatments” for dead or stuck pixels

Pixel Doctor, as the name suggests, wants to take care of stuck pixels all by itself, minimizing your involvement. This is a good idea if you’re a user who isn’t immediately familiar with how to troubleshoot problems: If you’re having trouble identifying stuck pixels or getting the right flash pattern, Pixel Doctor makes things easy. It has two main modes: Cycle mode and single mode. In cycle mode, the entire screen flashes colors. You can set the flash speed, though the default is just fine. Single mode allows you to flash specific parts of the screen. While both modes give you the opportunity to configure and customize, Pixel Doctor ensures that the out-of-the-box experience is great. With Rizonesoft, for instance, the default flash speed isn’t that great and the default color cycle only goes through Red, Green, and Blue. With Pixel Doctor, if you’re not too worried about a bright flashing screen, it’s as easy as just selecting Cycle mode and coming back to the room in a few hours to check if it worked.

Pros:

  • Offers easy, out-of-the-box functionality for casual users
  • Two main modes offer flexibility compared to JSScreenfix

Cons:

  • None

Download it here

4. UDPixel

Who it’s for: Users looking for the most reliable dead pixel fixer

We personally recommend UDPixel. It’s the solution I used successfully to keep dead pixels under control on my imported Korean monitor. When buying off-brand monitors from Korea, dead pixels are almost an inevitability: almost every panel, even those marked “Pixel Perfect” can have at least one dead pixel. My panel originally had two bright green stuck pixels. The first one was particularly annoying because it was located almost in the middle of the screen. After using UDPixel, both stuck pixels became significantly less bright. The one towards the center also changed colors to a dull red, which is much harder to notice during gameplay. UDPixel gives users the most fine-grained control out of all the solutions so far. You can set the flashing area to as small as 1×1 pixel, allowing you to target just the stuck pixel and not any others. You get to control flashing speed, too. While it can take some skill to align your mouse pointer precisely with the stuck pixel, doing so will let you focus on doing other, productive things on your computer instead of having to dedicate it to stuck or dead pixel fixing.

Pros:

  • Lets you flash individual pixels
  • Great amount of user customization

Cons:

  • None

Download it here

5. LCD Tech

Who it’s for: Users who want a whole monitor test suite that also includes dead pixel identification

LCD Tech isn’t a dead pixel fixing utility per se. It’s actually an entire online suite of tests and reference material for LCD monitors in general. One of its features is the dead pixel checker. This is simple tool that does the same thing as Rizonesoft’s stuck pixel locator option: It paints the entire screen a single color, letting you find any stuck or dead pixels simply because of how they would stand out. You only get four color options here, black, green, blue, and red, and the tool cycles through these if you left click. This is the least functional options in this list for dead pixel fixing, but we’re including it here because it also allows you to test a whole range of additional issues with your LCD monitor. The color-shift test can help you identify if you have a TN panel or older VA panel. If you have an older monitor, this can help you identify whether color shifting is an issue you need checked up or just an inherent flaw. The dynamic range tester is also handy because it can give you a quick look at how well your display can handle high-contrast. Scoring poorly here can also tell you that your out-of-the-box monitor calibration needs improvement.

Pros:

  • Has a wide range of LCD tests, including testing for stuck pixels

Cons:

  • It only lets you identify stuck pixels–it has no built-in solution for fixing them

Visit the site here

Each of these solutions for fixing stuck pixels has its own advantages and drawbacks. I personally recommend UDPixel, though. It’s the solution I’ve used the most and it’s helped in making dead pixels significantly less noticeable on my own display. If ease of use is your main concern, though, JSScreenfix is the most straightforward option, since its a simple online tool. The tradeoff here, though, is that it doesn’t really let you customize things at all. Rizonesoft is for power users who want to have the most control over their stuck pixel fixing attempt. It lets you set flash patterns, speed, color, and how much screen real estate you’re going to allocate. The disadvantage is also this, though–it’s the least easy to use solution here and it’ll need some time on your end to configure it just right. Lastly, while LCD tech is of limited utility for fixing the dead or stuck pixels it finds, it’s great if you want an overall checkup of your monitor’s health, including dead and stuck pixels. If your monitor’s free of stuck pixels, that still doesn’t mean it’s performing as best as possible. You’ll want to check out our list of the free monitor calibration tools here to find out how to calibrate your own monitor for maximum color accuracy.

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