Broken screen help

Broken Screen Symptoms: Black Spots, Lines, Ghost Touch, and More

Use this page to figure out what your damaged screen is telling you. Start with what happened, what you see right now, or the urgent step that protects your data, proof, or ability to keep using the device.

Start here Run a screen test

Plain-English damage guidance
Built for real next-step decisions
Focused on backup, proof, and repair choices

Start here

Start with the clearest sign of damage

The fastest way to understand screen damage is to look at three things together: what happened, what the screen looks like now, and whether you still have safe access to the device.

That last part matters more than most people think. A screen can still light up and still be one step away from cutting off touch, hiding damage, or becoming much harder to work around.

If this sounds like your situation

What it usually means

Best place to start

Situation

You know what happened right before the screen changed

Meaning

Start with the cause if the problem began after pressure, liquid, heat, a drop, or a closed lid on an object.

Best place to start

Go to pressure, water, or heat damage

Situation

You can describe the symptom better than the cause

Meaning

Start with what you see if the clearest sign is black spots, lines, ghost touch, or a part of the screen no longer working.

Best place to start

Go to black spots, lines, ghost touch, or dead zones

Situation

You still need the device for data, work, or proof

Meaning

If the screen is getting worse, the smartest move may be backup, photos, or external display access before more testing.

Best place to start

Go to urgent next steps

Situation

The damage is spreading or becoming harder to use

Meaning

A screen that still turns on can still be unstable. Do not assume you can safely wait just because the display still lights up.

Best place to start

Back up or document it now

Choose your starting point

Most people start in one of these three places

You do not need the perfect label before you start. Most visitors either know what happened, know what they can see, or know they need to save access before the screen gets worse.

1. Start here

Start with what happened

If the screen changed after a squeeze, spill, heat exposure, or another clear event, that cause is often your best starting point.

Pressure damage
Water damage
Heat damage

2. Start here

Start with what you see

If you are looking at black spots, lines, random taps, or dead touch areas, use the symptom section first and match the closest pattern.

Black spots
Lines after pressure
Ghost touch
Touch dead zones

3. Start here

Start with what you need to save

If the damaged screen still holds something important, protect access first. Getting your files, photos, or evidence may matter more than naming the damage perfectly.

Back up your phone
Take damage photos
Use an external monitor

Common questions

Common questions before you pay for repair

Sometimes the real question is not the cause. It is whether the damage is deeper than the glass, whether repair is realistic, or whether replacement now makes more sense.

Is it just cracked glass, or is the screen underneath damaged too?

Start here if the glass is cracked but you are also seeing black spots, lines, flicker, touch problems, or dim areas.

Why this matters

A cracked top layer and a damaged display panel are not the same repair problem.

Compare cracked glass vs screen damage

Can this kind of screen damage actually be repaired?

Use this if you need a realistic answer before spending money on a quote, parts, or a repair shop visit.

Why this matters

Repairable, worth repairing, and safe to keep using are three different questions.

See when broken screens are repairable

Repair vs replace

Use this when you already know the screen is physically damaged and the real decision is whether to fix the device or replace it.

Why this matters

Cost matters, but so do reliability, age, data access, and how quickly you need the device working again.

Compare repair vs replace

By cause

If you know what caused it, start here

Pressure, liquid, and heat explain a large share of real-world screen damage. If one of those matches your story, it is usually the fastest way to the right answer.

Pressure or crush damage

Often starts after bag pressure, a bent device, a closed lid on an object, or another squeeze or flex event.

Common mistake

People often mistake this for a random line problem or software glitch because the glass can look minor while the panel underneath is not.

Device-specific help

Use the MacBook or iPad guide if the damage clearly happened on one of those devices.

See pressure damage signs

Water damage

Often starts after spills, rain, condensation, steam, or moisture trapped in a case, bag, or keyboard area.

Common mistake

People often think it is temporary because liquid damage can get worse in stages instead of all at once.

Device-specific help

Use the MacBook-specific guide if the spill, delayed worsening, or external monitor question is clearly about a MacBook.

See water damage signs

Heat damage

Often starts after direct sun, a hot car, trapped heat, charger hotspots, or heavy sustained heat.

Common mistake

People often assume the screen just needs to cool down, even when heat has already damaged the panel.

Device-specific help

Use the MacBook-specific guide if the problem clearly follows MacBook heat, sunlight, or thermal load.

See heat damage signs

Compare common causes	Pressure or crush damage	Water damage	Heat damage
Usually starts with	Pressure damage usually starts with a squeeze, bend, closed-lid object, backpack compression, or another event that physically stressed the screen.	Water damage usually starts with direct liquid exposure, condensation, rain, steam, or another moisture path that reaches the screen or nearby internals.	Heat damage usually starts with direct thermal exposure or sustained hotspots that change how the screen behaves.
Common signs	Common signs include ink-like bruising, white pressure marks, lines, one touch area failing, or a screen that changed right after handling.	Common signs include blotches, dimming, flicker, touch problems, ghost touch, or a screen that looks worse later than it did right after the spill.	Common signs include dark or dim zones, discoloration, blotchy patches, touch drift, or a screen that becomes less stable after heat exposure.
Often mistaken for	It is often dismissed as a temporary glitch, graphics issue, or cosmetic problem.	It is often mistaken for a battery issue, charging problem, or a screen that is fine now that it seems dry.	It is often mistaken for simple burn-in, short-term image retention, or a screen that will fully recover once it cools.
What often happens next	It may appear right away or at the next use, then spread, darken, or become harder to work around.	Liquid damage can worsen over hours or days. The first visible symptom is often not the last one.	Heat damage can look subtle at first and become easier to see after repeated exposure or continued use.
What gets harder over time	The usable part of the screen can shrink as bruising spreads or touch stops responding in one area.	You can lose access, lose touch control, and lose a clean record of what the damage looked like at the start.	The screen can become more uneven, dimmer, or less stable over time.
Best next page	See pressure damage signs	See water damage signs	See heat damage signs

MacBook and iPad help

MacBook and iPad screen damage guides

Use these when the device itself changes the answer enough that you need a more specific guide instead of broad screen-damage advice.

MacBook screen pressure damage

Use this if your MacBook screen changed after bag pressure, a closed lid on an object, bending, or another pressure event.

Open this device guide

iPad screen pressure damage

Use this if your iPad or tablet now has touch dead zones, ghost touch, black marks, or lines after pressure.

Open this device guide

MacBook screen water damage

Use this if your MacBook screen changed after a spill, moisture exposure, or staged worsening over time.

Open this device guide

MacBook screen heat damage

Use this if your MacBook screen problem clearly tracks heat, sun exposure, or another thermal event.

Open this device guide

By symptom

Black spots, lines, ghost touch, or dead areas?

If the symptom is clearer than the cause, start with what you can see or feel. Match the closest pattern below and use that page as your first answer.

Black spots, bruises, and dark patches

Start here if you see a black spot, dark blob, spreading bruise, or ink-like patch under the screen.

This usually points to internal screen damage, not a single dead pixel. If the area is growing, treat it as an active problem.

Often confused with

This is often confused with dead pixels, dirt, or a screen protector issue.

See what black spots usually mean

Lines after pressure or physical stress

Start here if vertical or horizontal lines appeared after a squeeze, twist, lid accident, bag pressure, or other physical stress.

Lines that begin after physical stress are much more likely to be screen damage than a random software issue.

Often confused with

This is often confused with driver problems, GPU issues, or hinge-angle quirks.

See why lines appear after pressure

Ghost touch and unstable input

Start here if the screen taps on its own, opens apps by itself, types randomly, or is becoming unsafe to control.

Ghost touch is often urgent because it can lock you out, interrupt backup, or make the device hard to use safely.

Often confused with

This is often dismissed as lag, a temporary touch bug, or something safe to keep using.

See what ghost touch after damage means

Touch dead zones and unresponsive areas

Start here if one strip, corner, or section of the touchscreen has stopped responding while the rest still works.

This is a common sign of physical screen damage, even when part of the display still looks normal.

Often confused with

This is often confused with dirt, a case edge problem, or a minor annoyance.

See why touch stops working in one area

Urgent next steps

Act now if you need your data, proof, or a safe way to keep working

If the damage is spreading, touch is unstable, or the device still holds something important, protect that first. Diagnosis matters, but lost access is harder to undo.

Start here first

Back up your phone before the screen gets worse

If your phone still turns on but touch is unstable, part of the screen no longer responds, or liquid exposure is involved, save what matters before the damage cuts you off.

Use this while you still have enough control to unlock, trust, or transfer data.

Back up a phone with a broken screen

Take photos before the damage pattern changes

If a warranty claim, insurance claim, trade-in, or repair dispute may depend on what the damage looks like, photograph it now while the pattern is still clear.

Use this when proof matters nearly as much as the repair itself.

Document damage for warranty

Use an external monitor if the laptop still works

If the laptop still runs but the built-in screen is too damaged, too dark, too lined, or too unstable to work from, switch to an external monitor and buy yourself time.

Use this when the computer still works but the built-in screen should no longer be your main way in.

Use a laptop on an external monitor

Avoid these mistakes

What not to do with a damaged screen

A lot of bad outcomes come from doing the wrong thing for too long. These are the mistakes most likely to waste time or make the situation harder.

Most costly mistake

Treating obvious physical damage like a software problem

If the problem started after pressure, water, heat, or another physical event, do not start with random settings changes and software guesses.

Why it costs you

Wrong fix path

This wastes time and delays the step that actually matters.

Waiting too long because the screen still turns on

Power is not proof of stability. A damaged panel can still light up while becoming less readable, less touch-safe, or less useful for preserving what matters.

False confidence

Calling a black patch a dead pixel

A dead pixel is tiny. A larger bruise, blob, or growing dark area usually means something broader is happening inside the display stack.

False reassurance

Over-testing a wet or unstable screen

If moisture exposure, ghost touch, or worsening failure is already part of the story, repeated testing can waste the time you should spend on backup or safer next steps.

Extra risk

Pressing on the damaged area to see what happens

A bruised or unstable panel does not get safer when you keep pressing on it. Repeating the stress can make the damage spread.

Worsening the evidence

Not sure where to start?

Pick the closest match and start there

You do not need a perfect diagnosis before taking the next step. Use the closest match below if you want the quickest first page to open.

If this sounds closest to your problem

Open this page

Closest match

The screen changed after pressure, bending, or something pressing on it

Open this page

Pressure damage

Closest match

There was a spill, rain exposure, condensation, or other moisture

Open this page

Water damage

Closest match

The problem clearly started after heat or sun exposure

Open this page

Heat damage

Closest match

You see dark spots, bruises, or black patches

Open this page

Dark spots

Closest match

You see lines after a pressure event

Open this page

Lines after pressure

Closest match

The screen is tapping on its own

Open this page

Ghost touch after damage

Closest match

One part of the touchscreen no longer works

Open this page

Touch dead zones

Closest match

You still need photos, files, or access from a damaged phone

Open this page

Back up a damaged phone first

Closest match

You need proof for warranty, insurance, or a repair dispute

Open this page

Document damage for warranty

Closest match

The laptop still runs but the built-in screen is too damaged to use

Open this page

Use an external monitor

Closest match

You are not sure whether it is only cracked glass or deeper screen damage

Open this page

Compare cracked glass vs screen damage

Closest match

You want to know if this kind of broken screen is repairable

Open this page

Check if it can be repaired

Closest match

You are already deciding between repair and replacement

Open this page

Compare repair vs replace

Quick answers

Common questions about broken screens

Can software fix pressure damage or black spots?

Usually no. Black spots, pressure bruises, and lines that appear after physical stress are usually signs of hardware damage inside the screen.

Does water damage always mean replacement?

Not always, but it should be treated as a hardware-risk problem, not casual software troubleshooting. If the device still works, protect access and document the damage early.

Should I test the screen before doing anything else?

Only if the screen is stable enough to test safely. If the device is wet, unstable, or getting harder to use, back up or document it first.

How can I tell screen damage from a software issue?

Black spots, bruising, lines after physical stress, liquid exposure, heat exposure, and unstable touch all point much more strongly to hardware damage.

What should I do first if the damaged screen still works?

Decide whether your first priority is diagnosis or access. If you still need data, proof, or a safe way to keep working, do that before repeated experiments.

Can a damaged screen get worse even if it still turns on?

Yes. Pressure bruising can spread, water damage can worsen later, and heat-stressed panels can become more unstable over time. A screen that still lights up is not proof that it is stable.