Black Screen

About the Black Screen

What is a black screen?

A black screen fills your whole display with pure black, the color #000000 or rgb(0, 0, 0) in CSS. In full screen mode, the browser hides its tabs and toolbars until you exit.

This plain dark screen looks darker on some displays than others. On an OLED screen each pixel makes its own light, so black pixels switch off.

Most LCDs light every pixel from a backlight that stays on, so black shows as a very dark gray. Mini-LED and other local-dimming LCDs can dim parts of the backlight and get much darker.

How do you make your screen black?

Turn on full screen mode, then lower the brightness for a deeper black.

1. Start full screen. Click the preview or use the Full screen button.
2. Keep the pointer still. The pointer and the Exit full screen button hide after two seconds without movement, so nothing breaks up the black.
3. Exit when you're finished. Press Esc or F, or move the mouse to bring back Exit full screen in the top-right corner. On a touch screen, a tap brings it back.

On a second monitor, drag the browser window onto it before you start. The other screen keeps working as normal.

Is a black screen the same as turning the screen off?

No, the display and the computer both stay on.

An LCD's backlight usually keeps shining behind the black, and an OLED panel stays powered even with its pixels off. The page also asks the browser to keep the screen from turning off, so to save the most power, let the display sleep or switch it off.

Does a black screen save battery?

On an OLED screen it can, because dark pixels draw less power than bright ones.

The saving depends on brightness. In a 2021 Purdue University study of OLED phones, dark mode saved only 3% to 9% of power at 30% to 50% brightness, but 39% to 47% at full brightness. On most LCDs the backlight stays on, so showing black saves little power.

How do you check a screen for stuck pixels or light leaks?

Look at the black in normal room light, then run through the other colors.

• A bright dot is a stuck pixel. It stays lit, white or one color, whatever the screen shows. Dell's pixel guidelines say to look for bright dots on black and dark dots on white.
• Glow along the edges can be backlight bleed. Dell's backlight bleed guidance says it shows up against dark backgrounds, but Dell inspects monitors in a lit room, since some leakage is expected with dark images in the dark.
• Glow that shifts as you move your head is IPS glow. LG says it comes from how IPS panels work and can't be altered, unlike backlight bleed, which looks the same from any angle.

For a full check, the Dead pixel test steps through red, green, blue, white and black. On the White Screen page, dead pixels stand out as dark dots.

Common Use Cases

A black screen hides what's on a display without switching anything off.

• Dimming a screen you still need. Leave a download, a long render or a call running while the display shows nothing.
• Spotting dust and smudges. They stand out against black. Then switch the display off and unplug it before you wipe it with a soft, lint-free cloth, as Apple and LG advise.
• Blanking a projector or second screen. Show black between slides or while you set up, without unplugging anything.
• A black wallpaper or backdrop. Save a PNG at your screen's size, or at 1080 × 1920 for a phone.

What Is My Screen Resolution shows your display's exact size in pixels.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make a screen completely black?

Choose Black, press Full screen, then turn the brightness down. An OLED screen goes fully dark, while most LCDs still glow slightly.

How do you exit the black screen?

Press Esc or the F key, or move the mouse and select Exit full screen. On an iPhone, close the video player to return to the page.

Why does black look gray on my display?

Your display is probably an LCD, which shines a backlight behind the pixels. Room light reflecting off the glass also makes black look gray.

Can you leave a screen black all night?

Yes, there's no time limit, and the page asks the browser to keep the screen awake until you exit. Most LCDs keep the backlight lit the whole time, so let the display sleep if you only want it dark.

Can you make a phone screen black?

Yes, Android browsers can fill the whole screen with black. iPhones only let web pages show videos full screen, so there the color opens in the phone's video player instead.

What is the color code for pure black?

Pure black is #000000 in hex and rgb(0, 0, 0) in RGB. Every color channel is at zero.