Run a browser-based touch screen test on the device that is failing. Check ghost touch, dead zones, missed taps, edge response, drag trails, and multi-touch without installing an app.
Ready to start. 0% of the grid was covered on pass one. Confirmation pass has not been started yet. No active contacts. No last touch position. No touch evidence yet.
Online Touchscreen Tester
Touch Screen Test
Test your touchscreen online on the affected device. Map missed taps, dead zones, drag trails, edge and corner response, and multi-touch behavior.
It only maps touch reported in this browser — not lock-screen behavior, other apps, or whether a digitizer needs repair.
Use the actual touch surface, not a mouse or trackpad. Trace the center, corners, edges, keyboard area, gesture area, and any spot where touch response feels unreliable. On iPad, use the mobile site on the device itself — desktop-site mode can make touch harder to read.
Hands-Off Ghost Touch Check
Ghost Touch Test
Run the timed ghost touch test when the screen taps, swipes, or drifts by itself. The hands-off check watches for browser-reported touch input while the display is untouched.
A quiet 20-second run cannot prove the cause or rule out intermittent ghost touch that does not appear during this check.
Place the device flat and keep your hands, case edges, cable, and other objects off the glass until the 20-second timer ends.
Touch Screen Test is a free, no-app browser tool you run on the device that's failing. It works as one diagnostic environment with two modes: the main touch screen test for missing or weak input (missed taps, dead zones, weak edges, broken drag trails, and multi-touch), and the ghost touch test for unwanted input (the screen tapping, typing, or drifting on its own). Run it on the actual touch surface, a phone, tablet, touchscreen laptop, Chromebook, or touch monitor, not from another device.
Choose your test
Match what you are seeing to the right mode. The result shows what this browser received; it does not name the failed part.
Swipe sideways to compare columns.Scroll table to view all columns.
Choose your test
What's happening
Best mode
A fixed area misses taps or swipes
Main touch screen test
Edges, corners, keyboard, or gesture area miss input
Main touch screen test
Pinch, zoom, drawing, or games feel unstable
Main touch screen test (multi-touch)
The screen taps, types, swipes, or opens apps by itself
Ghost touch test
Touch only misbehaves while charging
Test unplugged first, then compare both modes
Seeing a visible mark, ghost image, or static UI shadow instead of touch problems? Run the burn-in test to check image retention and OLED burn-in before you troubleshoot touch input.
How to test your touch screen
Open the tester on the affected device and use your finger on the actual glass. Run one broad pass first, then a confirmation pass over anything you missed. A repeat miss in the same place is what counts as evidence; a single rushed swipe is not.
1
Clean, dry, and uncover the screen.
Remove moisture, gloves, loose protectors, and any case pressing on the edge.
2
Run one broad first pass.
Trace slowly across the center, corners, edges, keyboard area, gesture area, and the spot that fails in normal use. Aim to cover roughly 70% or more.
3
Run the confirmation pass on missed cells.
Go back over anything the first pass left uncovered. The tool only calls a dead zone when the same area stays unconfirmed twice.
4
Use fullscreen if edges are cut off.
Browser chrome can steal edge and corner space; fullscreen hands the tool the whole surface.
5
Check multi-touch if gestures fail.
Place two, three, then five separated fingers if the device supports it, and watch whether contacts drop, merge, or jump.
How to test for ghost touch
A ghost touch test checks whether the browser receives touch contacts while nobody is touching the display. Use it when the device taps, swipes, types, drifts, or opens things while your hands are off the glass.
Set up the device so real touches, moisture, accessories, or charging behavior do not confuse the result.
1
Clean, dry, and uncover the screen.
Remove moisture, debris, loose protectors, and tight case pressure if safe.
2
Place the device flat and start ghost mode.
Do not hold the device by the glass or rest a finger near the edge.
3
Keep hands off during the timed check.
Unexpected dots, traces, or contact counts during the 20-second window are the evidence to note.
4
Repeat once after changing one variable.
Compare unplugged versus charging, with and without the case or protector, or in another browser if the result is unclear.
What your touch screen test results mean
When a run ends, the tool gives you a named verdict instead of a raw pass or fail, backed by the numbers behind it: first-pass coverage, how much of the missed area you rechecked, the most simultaneous touches seen against your device's maximum, and how many cells failed twice. Here is what each verdict means, how far to trust it, and what to do next.
Possible dead zone
High confidence
What you saw
The same strip, corner, or patch stayed unconfirmed after the confirmation pass.
What it means
A localized touch problem is likely, the strongest signal this browser test can give. Confidence is highest when the repeat gap is a connected cluster or sits on an edge. Don't assume it names the failed part or proves warranty status.
Cells missed on pass one were all covered on the confirmation pass.
What it means
No fixed dead area was reproduced this session. A clean run is reassuring but not proof the hardware is perfect. Don't assume intermittent faults, lock-screen, or other-app issues are ruled out.
Next: If the screen acts on its own, switch to the ghost touch test above.
Retest the remaining gap
Low confidence
What you saw
A few cells stayed unconfirmed, but the gap is small or scattered.
What it means
Not conclusive either way. Don't assume a couple of missed cells is a dead zone.
Next: Retest that patch slowly, ideally in fullscreen, before treating it as hardware.
Ghost touch contacts seen
Confirm by repeating
What you saw
During the 20-second hands-off check the browser logged touch contacts while nothing touched the glass, sorted into taps, swipes, and stuck or drifting contacts.
What it means
Possible ghost touch or electrical input noise, and a contact that persists or moves is a stronger signal than isolated taps. The report also flags whether contacts were Localized (consistent with a crack, a pressure point, or a protector edge) or Scattered (more like electrical noise, charging, or moisture). Confidence rises when it repeats after drying the screen, removing the case, and unplugging the charger. Don't assume it identifies the cause or proves a component is broken.
One sweep is done, but the missed cells have not been rechecked.
What it means
This is not a result yet, one incomplete sweep is weak evidence. There is no confidence until the confirmation pass runs. Don't assume an unfinished pass shows a dead zone.
Next: Run the confirmation pass on the uncovered cells.
Preview only (no real touch)
Not a result yet
What you saw
The run used a mouse or trackpad, so it only previewed the layout.
What it means
Nothing about the touchscreen was actually tested. Don't assume a mouse preview reflects touch health.
Next: Open the page on the actual touch device and run it there.
The four things a touch screen test surfaces: a covered, responsive area; a dead zone that ignores touch; a drag trail that breaks; and ghost-touch contacts that appear with no finger on the glass.
This is a browser test, so it can only see the touch input your browser reports on this page. Within that limit it maps missed touches, dead zones, weak edges, broken drag trails, ghost contacts, drift, delayed response, and unstable multi-touch, and it resolves dead zones down to about one or two grid cells. It records the full path of each swipe rather than a few scattered sample points, so a fast swipe is captured as a solid line and a gap in coverage points to the screen, not to missed sampling. It still cannot see lock-screen or other-app behavior, and it cannot name the failed component or decide warranty status.
That is why the tool asks for two passes. One sweep can miss a spot because you rushed, not because the screen is broken; the same miss after a confirmation pass is real evidence. Ghost touch uses the opposite logic: the screen must be flat and untouched, so any contact the browser logs is unexpected, and the 20-second window counts real elapsed time, so dimming or backgrounding the screen cannot skew it. For gestures and games it also reports how many fingers registered at once as a count of your device's maximum, which shows whether every digitizer channel responds. Charging, cases, protectors, and moisture can all change the outcome, so change one variable at a time.
How this compares to app and diagnostic tests
A basic tap grid only shows whether taps register. This test adds drag paths, a confirmation pass, ghost-touch observation, and result verdicts.
Swipe sideways to compare columns.Scroll table to view all columns.
How this compares to app and diagnostic tests
Capability
This browser test
Basic tap-only testers
App or manufacturer diagnostics
Access
Runs in the browser on the affected device, no install.
Usually browser-based, tap checks only.
Usually need an install or a supported device.
Dead-zone mapping
Taps, swipes, traces, plus a confirmation pass.
May only show whether single taps register.
Varies by app; device-specific when available.
Edges and drag trails
Checks corners, edges, gesture areas, and broken trails.
Often weak on trails and edges.
Some test closer to the system layer.
Ghost touch
Hands-off observation mode with honest limits.
Usually missing or informal.
Some devices include related diagnostics.
Limits
Reproduces and documents symptoms; can't name the failed part.
Limits are often unclear.
Only covers supported checks.
Before you treat the screen as failed
Many touchscreens that look broken are really an accessory, charger, or software issue. Rule those out before treating the display as failed.
1
Restart the device, then clean and dry the glass.
2
Remove stickers, loose protectors, and any case pressing on the edge.
3
Unplug charging, USB-C, or Lightning accessories.
4
Retest bare and slowly on the actual touch surface.
5
If touch works after removing an accessory, swap the outlet, cable, charger, protector, or case before blaming the screen.
Touch screen test for iPhone, Android, tablets, and laptops
iPhone or iPad
Retest the same area after a restart with the screen clean, bare, and accessories unplugged. If the issue started after a display repair, note whether touches are missed, misplaced, or firing on their own.
Android phone or tablet
Compare the browser result against another app or Safe mode to rule out a downloaded app. If the same drag dies in the same spot twice, record that location before contacting the maker.
Samsung Galaxy
Check protector fit, Touch sensitivity, updates, and Safe mode, then run Samsung Members diagnostics and use any error-report path it offers alongside your result.
Google Pixel
On supported Pixels, run the built-in Touch diagnostics and check Adaptive touch or Screen protector mode, plus whether the issue is limited to one app.
Surface or Windows touchscreen
Test touch in UEFI: if it works there but not in Windows, it is likely a driver or update issue. On Windows laptops and monitors, confirm the HID-compliant touchscreen is enabled and install optional updates.
When to seek repair or manufacturer support
Seek official device support when the same area keeps failing after basic checks, ghost touch makes the device act by itself, touch fails system-wide, or built-in diagnostics report a touch problem. If the phone is becoming hard to unlock or control, back up a phone with a broken screen while you still can.
After you document the pattern, compare whether to repair or replace the screen. If there is visible damage, pressure damage, liquid exposure, or a failed repair, also check whether a broken display can be repaired before committing to a service path.
Document the result before support, warranty, resale, or trade-in
If the same touch problem repeats, save proof before changing settings, removing accessories permanently, or sending the device for service. Take a screenshot or photo of the failed area, write down whether the device was charging, note the case or screen protector used, and record whether the issue happens in other apps or built-in diagnostics.
This record is useful if you contact the device maker, compare repair options, check warranty coverage, sell the device, or trade it in. If you need a cleaner evidence path, document the issue for warranty or support before making permanent changes.
Sources checked
These official device-maker and platform support pages were checked on June 29, 2026 for troubleshooting steps, diagnostics, service limits, and touch settings.
Open this page on the device that's failing, then run one broad pass across the whole surface and a confirmation pass over anything you missed. Use your finger on the actual glass, not a mouse or trackpad, and switch to fullscreen if the browser bar hides the edges. A repeat miss in the same spot is real evidence; one rushed swipe is not.
What is ghost touch?+
Ghost touch is unwanted input: the screen taps, swipes, types, drifts, or opens apps while nobody is touching it. It is the opposite of a dead zone, where an area ignores touches you do make. Use the ghost touch test, flat and hands off for 20 seconds, to see whether the browser logs contacts on an untouched screen.
How do I tell ghost touch from a dead zone?+
Ghost touch is input you did not make; a dead zone is a spot that ignores input you did make. Run ghost mode hands-off for random taps or drift. Run the main touch screen test when a strip, corner, keyboard area, or gesture zone misses taps or breaks a drag line.
How do I test for dead zones?+
Trace slowly across the whole screen on the first pass, then rerun the confirmation pass over any area that did not respond. The tool only flags a possible dead zone when the same cells stay uncovered twice, since a single miss usually just means you rushed. Test bare and clean first, because a case or lifted protector can fake a dead spot.
How do I stop or fix ghost touch?+
Start with causes this test can reveal: dry the screen, remove a tight case or lifted protector, and unplug the charger, then retest. If ghost touch only appears while charging, swap the cable, charger, or outlet. If it keeps happening untouched and bare, it may be hardware, so compare ghost touch after damage and back up the device before it becomes hard to control. This tool documents the symptom; it cannot repair it.
Can a case or screen protector cause missed touches or ghost touch?+
Yes. A lifted or cracked protector, trapped moisture, edge debris, or a tight case pressing the glass can cause missed touches or unstable input. Test once with the device clean, dry, and bare if it is safe to remove the accessory. If touch works bare, refit or replace the accessory before assuming the display failed.
Can this test prove my touchscreen hardware is broken?+
No. It shows whether the browser receives your touches and whether a pattern repeats, but it cannot identify the failed part or separate a display, controller, driver, app, firmware, or accessory issue, and it cannot decide warranty eligibility. Treat a repeatable result as evidence to document, not a diagnosis.
What should I do before trusting a failed touch screen result?+
Clean and dry the glass, remove gloves, unplug charging accessories, and take off a tight case or loose protector if safe, then restart and repeat the same path slowly. One missed swipe is weak evidence; the same missed area or unwanted touch after a controlled retest is what matters.
Why does ghost touch happen while charging?+
A cable, charger, outlet, or grounding issue can inject electrical noise that the screen reads as touch. Unplug and run the ghost touch test again. If it stops unplugged, compare a different outlet, cable, and charger before blaming the screen.
Why does touch work in some apps but fail in the browser test?+
The browser, operating system, an accessibility setting, or the touch-event path can behave differently from another app. Try a second browser or a built-in diagnostic if your device has one. If normal apps also fail in the same physical area, the browser result carries more weight.
Can I use this on iPhone, Android, iPad, Surface, or a touchscreen laptop?+
Yes, as long as the affected device and browser expose touch input to the page. Run it on the actual touch surface, not from another device. For Samsung, Pixel, Surface, and Windows, compare repeat failures against the maker's diagnostics when available.
When should I stop testing and contact support?+
Stop when ghost touch makes the device hard to control, the same dead zone keeps returning, touch fails system-wide, or the trouble started after a drop, liquid, pressure, or repair. Save the result, note whether it was charging, and back up the device while touch still works.
