How to use the white screen
Press Go full screen and your whole display turns plain white. The buttons and the mouse pointer hide after a couple of seconds; move the mouse or tap to bring them back. Press Esc, or the Exit button, to leave. You can also click the preview to go full screen.
Want another color? Pick black, red, green, blue or gray, before or during full screen, or use the arrow keys and the number keys 1 to 6 while it is open. The color only changes when you choose. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is saved.
On an iPhone, Safari doesn't let a web page take over the whole screen, so the white fills the browser window instead. Turning the phone sideways and scrolling the address bar away gets you close.
What a white screen is good for
- Cleaning your screen. Dust, smudges and streaks are easiest to see on white. Turn the screen off or go black to wipe it, then come back to white to check.
- Spotting dead pixels. A pixel that stays black shows up as a dark dot on white. The dead pixel test steps through every color you need for a full check.
- Checking uniformity. A good panel looks evenly white. Darker corners, a tinted patch or a faint cloudy area show up here.
- A soft light. A bright white screen lights your face for a video call or a selfie in a dim room, or helps you find something under the desk.
- Tracing. Lay thin paper over a tablet on white and the lines underneath show through.
Using it as a light for calls
A white screen in front of you is a quick fill light. It works best with the brightness turned all the way up and the screen close to your face, with the room light behind the camera rather than behind you. Check how it looks in the webcam test.
It is a stopgap, though. A screen is not very bright, its light is cold and blue, and it lights you from below. A proper key light or a light bar is brighter, softer and lets you set the color. The best key lights for streaming and the light finder help you pick one.
Be kind to your eyes
Full brightness white in a dark room is harsh. Turn the screen brightness down when you just need a dim light, and look away now and then. If you are sensitive to bright light, start on gray or lower the brightness first.
Questions
How do I make my screen white?
Open this page and press Go full screen. Your whole screen turns white. Move the mouse or tap to see the buttons again, and press Esc to leave.
How do I exit the white screen?
Press Esc on a keyboard. On a phone or tablet, tap the screen and press Exit full screen.
Can a white screen fix stuck pixels?
No. A plain color only helps you find them. See the dead pixel test for what you can do about a bad pixel.
Is there a black screen too?
Yes. Pick Black here, or open the black screen page, which starts on black.
Does a white screen use more power?
On an OLED screen, yes: every pixel lights up, and white is the most power hungry color. On an LCD the backlight is on either way, so the difference is small.