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Screen burn-in test

Cycle through fullscreen patterns to spot OLED burn-in and LCD image retention on your monitor.

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How it works

  1. 1Click Start test to enter fullscreen on your monitor.
  2. 2Look for ghost images, shadows, or uneven brightness as each pattern appears.
  3. 3Click or press Space, Enter or the right arrow to advance. Press Escape to exit early.

Burn-in happens when static images leave permanent marks on OLED panels. LCD monitors get temporary image retention that usually fades. This test runs eight patterns designed to reveal both.

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Burn-in vs. image retention

OLED permanent burn-in and LCD temporary retention are different problems.

Screen burn-in is permanent image retention on OLED displays caused by static elements displayed for long periods. LCD monitors can show temporary image retention that usually fades within hours. On OLED, when the same static image sits on screen for hundreds of hours, those pixels age faster than the rest of the panel, leaving a faint shadow of the taskbar on a gray screen.

LCD image retention is usually temporary. IPS panels can hold a ghost image of a logo or HUD for a few minutes after you switch content. Dock icons have left a faint mark on laptop screens that cleared within an hour of normal browsing.

The gray test pattern is the fastest way to tell them apart. Permanent burn-in shows on gray every time you run the test. Temporary retention fades between sessions. If the ghost image gets stronger over months, you are dealing with real burn-in.

Check OLED panels every few months. After 2,000 hours of CS2, the minimap corner can show a faint outline on gray. Not bad enough to replace the monitor, but enough to rotate the HUD and enable pixel shift.

Preventing burn-in on gaming monitors

Pixel shift, screensavers, HUD rotation, and brightness habits that protect OLED panels.

Enable pixel shift if your monitor supports it. The image shifts by one or two pixels on a cycle so no single subpixel stays lit in the same spot. LG and Sony OLED TVs call it Screen Shift. Gaming OLED monitors from ASUS and MSI include similar settings under different names.

Use a screensaver or sleep timer. A static desktop with icons pinned to the same corners for eight hours a day will burn in faster than a panel that sleeps after 10 minutes of idle time. Set OLED displays to turn off after 15 minutes when you step away.

Rotate static HUD elements when the game allows it. Move the minimap, disable persistent crosshair overlays, and turn off channel logos on TV inputs. Competitive players who run the same HUD layout for thousands of hours are the most common burn-in cases in forums.

Lower peak brightness during long sessions. OLED panels burn in faster at 100% brightness with static content. Running at 70-80% for daily gaming reduces risk. HDR content gets a temporary boost, but drop back down for menu screens and desktop use.

Burn-in test FAQ

How to spot burn-in, image retention fixes, and OLED care tips.

Cycle through fullscreen gray, white, and primary color patterns using this tool and look for ghost images, shadows, or uneven brightness. A solid gray screen reveals burn-in most clearly. Run the test in a dim room with the display at normal brightness.
Display a solid gray fullscreen image and inspect for faint outlines of previously static elements like taskbars, logos, or HUD corners. Permanent burn-in appears every time. Temporary image retention fades within minutes to hours.
Yes on OLED displays: burn-in is permanent image retention caused by uneven subpixel aging from static content. No on LCD monitors: image retention is temporary and usually fades within a few hours of varied content.
Open this test in fullscreen and cycle through gray, white, red, green, and blue patterns. On OLED panels, gray reveals dark shadows from static HUDs and taskbars. Primary colors show which subpixels aged unevenly after hundreds of hours of static content.
No, permanent OLED burn-in cannot be reversed once subpixels have aged unevenly. Mild LCD image retention often clears on its own within hours. Enable pixel shift and lower brightness to prevent further OLED damage.
Solid gray is the most useful pattern because it shows both bright and dark burn-in marks simultaneously. White reveals dark shadows. Primary colors (red, green, blue) show which subpixels aged unevenly on OLED panels.
Only on OLED panels. After 2,000 hours of static HUD elements, a faint minimap outline can appear permanently on OLED. LCD IPS panels rarely burn in permanently but may show temporary image retention that fades within hours.

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