Half of screen is black
Half the screen white and half black: a dead half stays the same whichever side is white. Run the test above to swap the halves.
Plain colours, full screen:
Half of a screen screen black — split top/bottom or left/right with a clean edge — is the panel's driver or its ribbon connector: half the rows or half the columns are not being driven.
Test it now
Full-screen white, black and grey: the dead half stays the same on all three. Take a screenshot: the screenshot will be complete. Try another input or the on-screen menu: the split is on the menu too.
What it is
Half of a screen screen black — split top/bottom or left/right with a clean edge — is the panel's driver or its ribbon connector: half the rows or half the columns are not being driven. It is not the graphics chip (a graphics fault affects the whole image and shows on an external monitor) and it is not software. A split that appeared after a drop or after the lid was flexed is physical.
Can it be fixed?
Panel driver or ribbon: on a laptop or monitor the panel is replaced; the ribbon can occasionally be re-seated by a shop. A clean split with no drop or pressure is a panel fault and a warranty claim.
What to do
- White, black, grey; screenshot; external screen or other input.
- Split on the built-in screen only, complete elsewhere = panel.
- In warranty, no drop: claim it.
- Out of warranty: panel quote versus a new one; on a phone, display quote.
What a repair costs
| United States | Phone display $80–380; laptop panel $100–300; monitor panel from $150 (often more than a new monitor) |
|---|---|
| India | Phone display ₹2,000–20,000; laptop panel ₹3,000–15,000; monitor panel ₹4,000–10,000 (a new monitor is often the better buy) |
Typical ranges from repair-shop and manufacturer price lists, 2026-09-06. Get two quotes; prices vary by model and city.
Warranty
Most makers replace a panel under warranty for physical panel faults that are not accidental damage; pressure marks, cracks and liquid damage are treated as accidental and are not covered. For dead pixels, each brand has a threshold (typically 3–5 bright or 5–8 dark pixels on a laptop; Dell's premium-panel guarantee replaces at one bright pixel).
A screen that fails in half is failing at the connection
A clean split — half the screen working, half black, grey or white, usually with a straight vertical or horizontal boundary — is one of the most alarming faults to look at and one of the most specific to diagnose. Panels are driven in sections, and a sharp division almost always means one section has lost its signal or its power.
That is different from a cracked panel, which spreads irregularly, and different from a backlight failure, which dims the whole screen rather than cutting it in half.
The boundary tells you a lot
A perfectly straight, pixel-sharp boundary down the middle or across the middle points at a driver or connection failure. Panels are commonly driven from two sides; lose one and you lose exactly half.
A ragged or curved boundary, with spidering or dark blotches, is a cracked panel. It will spread.
A boundary that shifts, flickers or comes back when you move the lid is the display cable — the most hopeful outcome, and cheap to fix.
Check it is not the picture
Before assuming hardware, rule out the free causes. Connect an external screen: if the external picture is whole, the panel or its cable is at fault. If the external screen is also split, the graphics side is generating it.
Check the resolution and any multi-monitor arrangement — a display set to the wrong resolution or an odd scaling arrangement can leave a black band that looks like a failure. And check before the operating system loads: a split visible on the manufacturer’s logo is hardware, full stop.
On a laptop
On a laptop the odds favour the cable. The display ribbon runs through the hinge and carries data for the panel in sections; a worn conductor can take out one half cleanly. Open and close the lid slowly and watch — if the missing half flickers back at any angle, that is the cable, and it is one of the cheapest repairs available.
If the split is fixed at every angle and present at power-on, the panel’s own driver has failed and the panel needs replacing.
On a monitor or television
A monitor that loses half its picture has usually lost one side of its panel driver or has a failed connection on the T-Con board. The T-Con board is a genuinely replaceable part and worth quoting for — this is one of the cases where a repair can be much cheaper than a replacement.
On a television the same applies, and it is worth asking specifically about the T-Con board and the ribbon connections to the panel before accepting that the set is finished.
What it costs
Cable on a laptop: cheap. Panel on a laptop: a commodity part unless it is touch, OLED or bonded into the lid. T-Con board on a monitor or television: moderate and usually worth it. Panel on a monitor: usually more than a new monitor. Phone: a full display replacement.
What a repair costs
United States: Phone display $80–380; laptop panel $100–300; monitor panel from $150 (often more than a new monitor)
India: Phone display ₹2,000–20,000; laptop panel ₹3,000–15,000; monitor panel ₹4,000–10,000 (a new monitor is often the better buy)
Warranty
Most makers replace a panel under warranty for physical panel faults that are not accidental damage; pressure marks, cracks and liquid damage are treated as accidental and are not covered. For dead pixels, each brand has a threshold (typically 3–5 bright or 5–8 dark pixels on a laptop; Dell's premium-panel guarantee replaces at one bright pixel).
Frequently asked questions
Why is half my screen black?
A section of the panel has lost its signal or power — usually a failed driver or a broken display cable. A perfectly straight boundary points at a driver or connection, a ragged one at a cracked panel, and a boundary that flickers or returns when you move a laptop lid at the cable.
Can half a black screen be fixed?
If it is the display cable, yes and cheaply. On a monitor or television a failed T-Con board is replaceable and worth quoting. If a driver bonded to the panel has failed, the panel needs replacing.
How do I know if it is the screen or the computer?
Connect an external screen. A whole picture on the external display means the panel or its cable is at fault. A split on the external display too means the graphics side is generating it. Also check the manufacturer logo at power-on — a split there is hardware.
Will half a black screen spread?
A driver or cable failure will not spread — it is already the whole affected section. A cracked panel, which shows a ragged boundary with dark blotches or spidering, will keep spreading.
Related
Also free on Toolsitz: Screen Test Tool — no login.