A laptop screen rarely fails all at once. Usually it starts small: a flicker here, a faint line there, and gets worse over weeks. Knowing what to look for means you can act before a minor fault turns into a completely dead display.

1. Vertical or horizontal lines

Coloured lines running across the display almost always point to a damaged display cable or a cracked panel underneath the glass. They rarely go away on their own and tend to multiply over time.

2. Flickering that gets worse when you move the lid

If the picture flickers or cuts out when you adjust the screen angle, the ribbon cable connecting the display to the motherboard is likely damaged from repeated opening and closing. This is a common and very fixable issue.

3. Dark patches or uneven backlighting

Patchy brightness or dark blotches usually mean the backlight is failing. Unlike a dim screen (often just a settings or battery issue), uneven patches don't respond to brightness adjustments.

4. Visible cracks with functioning display

A cracked outer layer that still displays a clear picture underneath can sometimes be left for a short while, but moisture and dust will get in through the crack over time and damage the panel underneath. Get it looked at sooner rather than later.

5. Completely black screen, but the laptop is clearly on

If the fans spin, the keyboard lights up, and you can hear Windows or macOS chime, but the screen stays black, the panel or its backlight has likely failed outright, rather than a deeper hardware fault.

What it costs to fix

Most MacBook and Windows laptop screen replacements start from $149 and are completed same day, using quality parts matched to your exact model. Bring it in for a free diagnostic and we'll tell you straight away whether it's the screen or something else.