This free online screen color test fills your display with fullscreen white, black, gray, red, green, and blue, plus grayscale steps, a smooth gradient, and a contrast pattern, so tint, banding, uneven brightness, and color shifts stand out. It runs in your browser with no app, account, or download. Start the test above, then use the sections below to read what each screen shows and choose the right next step.
How to Use the Screen Color Test
Clean the screen first and start at your normal brightness.
- 1
Prepare the display
Set your normal brightness, turn off Night Shift, Night Light, True Tone, HDR, and color filters, and clean the screen so dust and reflections do not look like defects.
- 2
Open the workspace fullscreen
Open the color workspace and let it fill the screen. Press F to toggle fullscreen so browser bars and the camera cutout do not hide an edge.
- 3
Step through every pattern
Click a swatch or use the left and right arrow keys to move through white, black, gray, red, green, blue, grayscale steps, the gradient, and the contrast pattern. Look from normal distance, then closer.
- 4
Compare and confirm
Note where the issue appears, whether it changes with brightness or display mode, and whether it shows in another app or browser or only in a phone photo.
- 5
Choose the next step
Match what you see to the result guide below. Route a tiny fixed dot, edge glow, or ghost image to the specific test, and treat a whole-screen tint as a settings check first.
What White, Black, Gray, RGB, Grayscale, and Gradient Screens Show
No single screen is proof. Compare the same spot across the full set.
Swipe sideways to compare columns.Scroll table to view all columns.
| Test screen | Best for spotting |
|---|---|
| White | Tint, dim zones, dust, smudges, dark dots, and uneven brightness |
| Black | Backlight bleed, edge or corner glow, cloudy dark patches, and bright dots |
| Gray | Panel uniformity, blotches, subtle banding, tint, and faint retained shapes |
| Red | Red-channel behavior and dots or areas that do not follow the red screen |
| Green | Green-channel behavior, uneven saturation, and wrong-color dots |
| Blue | Blue-channel behavior, color shifts, and channel-specific defects |
| Grayscale steps | Crushed blacks or whites and where dark or light detail disappears |
| Gradient | Banding, posterization, and abrupt steps in a smooth fade |
| Contrast | Sharpness, inversion, convergence, and pixel-response smearing on fine edges |
What Your Screen Color Test Result Means
The test shows you patterns; it does not label what is wrong. Match what you saw to a result below to find the likely direction, how far to trust it, and what to do next. Whether the issue moves with a setting, an app, or a phone photo is your strongest clue.
Whole-screen tint (yellow, blue, green, or pink)
Moderate confidence- What you saw
- The whole screen leans warm, cool, green, or pink, or colors look too vivid or too flat, most obvious on white and gray.
- What it means
- Most often a color mode, white point, profile, or a setting like Night Shift or True Tone rather than a broken panel. A true panel tint usually stays after every setting is off. A browser test cannot measure how far off the color is or prove the panel is faulty.
Next: Turn off Night Shift, True Tone, HDR, and color filters, compare another profile, and retest before assuming the panel is at fault.
Uneven or dim white screen
Moderate confidence- What you saw
- White shows darker zones, patches, or a brightness gradient across the panel.
- What it means
- Consistent with brightness uniformity, surface dirt, a reflection, or panel variation; pressure damage can also show here. Mild unevenness is normal on many panels and does not by itself prove a defect.
Next: Clean the screen, remove reflections, retest at normal brightness, and document it only if it is visible in normal use.
Blotchy or cloudy gray
Moderate confidence- What you saw
- The gray screen shows cloudy patches, a color cast, or faint shapes from previous content.
- What it means
- Points to gray uniformity or clouding, and faint UI-shaped shapes hint at image retention. Gray unevenness alone does not separate clouding from early retention.
Next: Compare gray with normal content; if a UI-shaped shadow persists, use the Burn-In Test.
Bands or steps on the gradient or grayscale
Confirm by repeating- What you saw
- The smooth gradient shows visible steps or blocks, or grayscale steps merge or jump.
- What it means
- Usually banding from color depth, compression, HDR, or a profile rather than a hardware fault. Browser and HDR settings frequently add banding that is not on the panel.
Next: Compare another browser, app, and color-depth or HDR setting before treating it as hardware.
Edge or corner glow on black
High confidence- What you saw
- Black shows bright corners, edge haze, or cloudy light leakage.
- What it means
- This is backlight bleed or IPS glow, not a color problem. Camera photos exaggerate glow; judge it with your eyes in a dim room.
Next: Measure and compare it with the Backlight Bleed Test.
Tiny fixed dot on red, green, or blue
High confidence- What you saw
- One small point stays dark, bright, or the wrong color while the rest of the screen changes.
- What it means
- This is a pixel or subpixel issue, not a broad color issue. A color test locates the dot but cannot classify it as dead, stuck, or hot.
Next: Classify and confirm it with the Pixel Test.
Line, crack, or spreading mark
High confidence- What you saw
- A line, crack, bruise-like blotch, or distortion that spreads or follows pressure.
- What it means
- This is physical or panel-layer damage, not a color or settings issue. Do not run repair patterns on physical damage; it will not help.
Next: Document it and review your options with the pressure damage guidance.
Is It a Color Issue, Pixel, Backlight Bleed, Burn-In, or Damage?
The color test is the broad first look. Once the symptom is clearer, move to the test that owns it.
Pixel Test
A tiny dot stays dark, bright, or the wrong color across solid screens.
Open Pixel Test
Backlight Bleed Test
Black or dark gray shows edge glow, corner glow, or cloudy light leakage.
Open Backlight Bleed Test
Burn-In Test
A taskbar, logo, or UI shape stays faintly visible after the content changes.
Open Burn-In Test
Pressure or Physical Damage
A bruise, crack, line, or spreading mark, or anything tied to pressure or impact.
Review pressure damage
Settings and Camera Artifacts That Fake Color Problems
Start with normal brightness
Then compare higher and lower brightness. Do not judge severity only from a maximum-brightness test.
Turn off or note color-changing features
Night Shift, Night Light, True Tone, adaptive color, eye comfort modes, color filters, HDR, custom profiles, vivid modes, and gaming or movie modes can change what you see.
Clean the screen and remove reflections
Dust, oils, glass reflections, and screen protectors can look like tint, haze, or uneven color.
Compare another browser or app
If the issue only appears in one app, browser, video, or camera image, do not treat it as panel proof yet.
Do not judge only from a phone photo
Camera exposure and white balance can exaggerate tint, glow, and banding.
Document what remains visible
If the issue is visible during normal use and on more than one test screen, record the conditions before contacting support.
What This Browser Color Test Can and Cannot Prove
This is a browser test, so it can only show patterns and let you inspect them by eye. It fills the screen with solid white, black, gray, red, green, and blue, plus grayscale steps, a smooth gradient, and a contrast pattern, and you decide what looks wrong. It is strong for spotting tint, uneven brightness, gray blotches, banding, color shifts, and broad uniformity problems, and for telling a whole-screen color issue apart from a single dot or edge glow.
It cannot measure objective color accuracy, calibrate the display, or give a Delta-E number; real calibration needs display settings, color profiles, and a hardware colorimeter. It also cannot prove the internal cause, name the failed component, or decide whether a manufacturer will approve a return or warranty claim. Use the result as visual evidence, and if you need accurate color, follow your device's calibration tool or a measured profile.
Screen Color Test on Monitors, Phones, Laptops, and TVs
Monitor
Test at native resolution, then compare another cable, port, and source. Use the monitor's own menu to check picture mode and color temperature.
Phone
Turn off adaptive tone, Night Shift, and vivid modes, and check around the camera cutout. Never press or heat the screen.
Laptop
Compare the built-in panel with an external display; a tint on only the laptop panel points to its profile or panel.
TV
Use the built-in browser only if it shows patterns without scaling; otherwise cast a known-good source and compare picture modes and inputs.
LCD vs OLED
On LCD, black glow is usually backlight bleed. On OLED, blacks are pure but faint image-shaped shadows are more likely retention or burn-in.
Document a Color Problem Before Support or Warranty
If the issue is visible during normal use, document it before changing many settings. Record the device model, brightness, display mode, HDR status, color profile, browser or app, room lighting, and the pattern that shows it most clearly. Take photos that match what your eyes see, and add notes, because phone cameras can exaggerate tint, glow, and banding.
Sources checked
We checked official display, device, and platform support pages to keep the testing notes aligned with current public guidance. These sources support the limits around brightness, color settings, HDR, calibration, manufacturer diagnostics, and support decisions.
- Apple Support: Adjust brightness and color temperature on iPhone or iPad · AppleConfirms True Tone, Night Shift, brightness, auto-brightness, and accessibility settings can change display color and intensity.
- Microsoft Support: Change display brightness and color in Windows · MicrosoftConfirms Night light, color profiles, display calibration access, and automatic color management.
- Microsoft Support: HDR settings in Windows · MicrosoftConfirms HDR can affect color, brightness, saturation, and app appearance.
- Google Pixel Help: Manage screen and display settings on a Pixel phone · GoogleConfirms Pixel brightness, Night Light, Natural, Boosted, Adaptive, and Saturated color settings.
- Samsung Support: Adjust your Galaxy phone or tablet display settings · SamsungConfirms Samsung screen modes, adaptive color tone, brightness, eye comfort shield, and model variation.
- Dell Support: How to run a diagnostic test on a Dell monitor · DellConfirms manufacturer diagnostics are used for faded color, banding, lines, and other display issues.
- LG Support: How to use LG Calibration Studio · LGConfirms hardware calibration uses display settings, color targets, and a measuring instrument.
- ASUS Support: LCD monitor troubleshooting for abnormal screen color · ASUSConfirms abnormal colors can involve reset, resolution, driver, connection, and warranty-policy checks.
Screen Color Test FAQ
What is a screen color test?
A screen color test fills your display with fullscreen solid colors, gray, grayscale steps, a gradient, and a contrast pattern so you can inspect visible display behavior. It is free, runs online in the browser, and helps reveal tint, uneven brightness, banding, suspicious marks, and broad color issues. It does not professionally measure color accuracy.
What does a white screen test show?
A white screen makes dirt, smudges, dark dots, tint, dim zones, and uneven brightness easier to see. Clean the screen before judging the panel because dust and oils can look like defects.
What does a black screen test show?
A black screen helps reveal dark-scene behavior, bright dots, edge glow, clouding, and raised blacks. If the main issue is edge or corner glow, use the Backlight Bleed Test next.
What do red, green, and blue screens test?
Red, green, and blue screens help reveal whether a tiny point fails to change with the rest of the screen. If one dot stays wrong across colors, use the Pixel Test.
Can a browser color test calibrate my monitor?
No. A browser color test can show visual patterns, but professional calibration requires display settings, color profiles, and often measurement hardware. Use it as an inspection aid, not a colorimeter.
Why does my screen look yellow or blue?
A tint can come from display mode, white point, Night Shift, Night Light, True Tone, adaptive color, eye comfort settings, HDR, color filters, or a custom profile. Turn those settings off or note them before assuming the display is defective.
Why does my gray screen look uneven?
Gray can reveal panel uniformity, tint, banding, clouding, or image retention. If it looks like edge glow, use the Backlight Bleed Test. If it looks like a persistent UI shadow, use the Burn-In Test.
Is a color issue the same as a dead pixel?
No. A dead or stuck pixel is a tiny individual dot. A color issue usually affects an area, the whole screen, or a transition between tones.
Is black-screen glow a color problem or backlight bleed?
Black-screen glow is usually better handled as a backlight bleed, IPS glow, or dark-screen uniformity question. Use the Backlight Bleed Test if the glow comes from corners, edges, or cloudy dark patches.
Is a ghost image a color problem or burn-in?
A persistent taskbar, logo, keyboard, or app shadow is closer to image retention or burn-in than a general color issue. Use the Burn-In Test to inspect that symptom.
Can a browser test prove warranty coverage?
No. It can help document what you see, but manufacturer and retailer policies vary by product, region, warranty, display type, and severity. Check the official support page for your device.
How should I document a display color problem?
Record the model, brightness, display mode, HDR status, color profile, browser or app, room lighting, and which test screen shows the issue. Take photos that match what your eyes see and include normal-content examples if the issue affects real use.
What is an RGB screen test?
An RGB screen test fills the display with fullscreen red, then green, then blue so you can check each color channel and spot dots or areas that do not change with the rest of the screen. This tool includes red, green, and blue alongside white, black, gray, grayscale steps, a gradient, and a contrast pattern.
What does a gray screen test show?
A solid gray screen makes panel uniformity problems easier to see, including cloudy patches, blotches, a color cast, subtle banding, and faint shapes left from previous content. Use the grayscale steps and gradient to check crushed detail and banding.
What does a gradient screen test show?
A gradient screen shows whether a smooth fade has visible steps, blocks, or posterization, which is called banding. Banding often comes from color depth, compression, HDR, or a display profile, so compare another browser or app before assuming the panel is at fault.
Why does my screen look faded or discolored?
Washed-out or discolored color is often a display mode, HDR mismatch, color profile, or a setting like Night Shift or adaptive tone rather than a failing panel. Turn those off, compare white and gray, and check another app; if it stays everywhere and to your eyes, document it.