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Hardware

Laptop screen is cracked or has a dead area

A cracked panel, a line of dead pixels or a bright patch is physical damage. The data is safe, the display is not — and the machine should not be pressed back into service.

Advanced1–2 hours at the bench6 steps

Read before you start

A cracked panel can leak liquid crystal — do not press it, and keep the machine off if the lid is bent or the image flickers. A shorted display can take the main board with it.

This guide is for you if

  • Cracks, black blotches or rainbow lines on the screen
  • A band of the image is missing or frozen
  • The picture works on an external monitor but not the laptop

Step by step

Work top to bottom

0 of 6 steps done

  1. Confirm what is broken

    Plug in an external monitor. A clean picture there means the panel or its cable is the fault; a bad picture on both means the graphics chip is involved.

    This one test decides the whole repair, so do it before anything else.

  2. Photograph the damage

    Take clear photos of the cracks, the lid and any impact point — useful for insurance, warranty and for us when quoting.

  3. Stop closing and opening the lid

    If the image changes as the lid moves, the display cable is pinching in the hinge. Every extra open-and-close can turn a cable job into a panel job.

  4. Back up now, while it still works

    A damaged panel often still shows a usable image, but it is not a stable state. Copy your files off today.

  5. Get a quote before agreeing to a panel

    A replacement panel is a real part with real cost, and quality varies. Ask for the part price separately from the labour.

    Bring the machine in with the charger so we can confirm the panel type before ordering.

  6. Do not press or clamp the crack

    Clamping a cracked panel to "hold it together" usually spreads the damage into the backlight and doubles the cost.