Macbook screen glitching

[Hellowpplz]

 

My 2020 MacBook Air (i5 1135g7) screen has been glitching across the bottom and left inch or so. Just looks glitchy and in-between the glitchy lines it tends to show content from the opposite side of the screen. The screen is not cracked it is clearly a software issue, as when I wake it up from sleep mode it covers the whole screen and slowly recedes to about an inch from the bottom and left. It laos didn't use to be this bad, it used to be only about a centimeter from the bottom and left and has slowly gotten worse over the past few weeks.

Troubleshooting tips already tried:

Updating MacOS
Reset NVram
Remove junk files/downloads

[Hellowpplz]

6 minutes ago, Hellowpplz said:

*REPOST*

My 2020 MacBook Air (i5 1135g7) screen has been glitching across the bottom and left inch or so. Just looks glitchy and in-between the glitchy lines it tends to show content from the opposite side of the screen. The screen is not cracked it is clearly a software issue, as when I wake it up from sleep mode it covers the whole screen and slowly recedes to about an inch from the bottom and left. It laos didn't use to be this bad, it used to be only about a centimeter from the bottom and left and has slowly gotten worse over the past few weeks.

Troubleshooting tips already tried:

Updating MacOS
Reset NVram
Remove junk files/downloads

Update: The entire part of the screen that was working before is now covered in pink and white glitchy lines. Computer is unusable

 

[Robchil]

don't do double posts.. 

 

anyway.. it's most likely the curse all laptop meets..  a broken GPU to monitor cable. 

because every time you open and close it.. you  will twist the cable a little bit...  and in the end it starts separating and all weird things is shown and in the end it's dead. but you should be able to use external monitor.. 

 

[SpookyCitrus]

Is the squiggly line in the bottom left hand corner where the lines switch from vertical to horizontal always there? I replace Macbook(and Windows laptops) screens all the time and typically this is a broken display panel. The glass may not be broken but the display panel underneath is. If you gently but firmly push on the squiggly line it will affect the other straight lines coming off of it, that's a surefire way to tell if it's physically broken.

 

If it was a software issue or bad cable the artifacts and glitches are usually uniform, not both horizontal and vertical, they'll only be one or the other. Since it's both, plus the squiggly line, I'm fairly sure it's a physically broken panel. I've seen this on Macbooks more often than I'd like, as they are usually not cheap to replace.

[Hellowpplz]

49 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

Is the squiggly line in the bottom left hand corner where the lines switch from vertical to horizontal always there? I replace Macbook(and Windows laptops) screens all the time and typically this is a broken display panel. The glass may not be broken but the display panel underneath is. If you gently but firmly push on the squiggly line it will affect the other straight lines coming off of it, that's a surefire way to tell if it's physically broken.

 

If it was a software issue or bad cable the artifacts and glitches are usually uniform, not both horizontal and vertical, they'll only be one or the other. Since it's both, plus the squiggly line, I'm fairly sure it's a physically broken panel. I've seen this on Macbooks more often than I'd like, as they are usually not cheap to replace.

See all that area that's still viewable? Now it's just pink and white lines and it is unusable. This just happened like an hour or so ago. Area that was already damaged / glitched is still the same, this is only affecting what was viewable before.

 

@Robchil

[Hellowpplz]

52 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

Is the squiggly line in the bottom left hand corner where the lines switch from vertical to horizontal always there?

It actually wasn't there before. Appeared a few days ago. Before the lines would just kind of overlap all the way to the bottom.

[SpookyCitrus]

18 minutes ago, Hellowpplz said:

See all that area that's still viewable? Now it's just pink and white lines and it is unusable. This just happened like an hour or so ago. Area that was already damaged / glitched is still the same, this is only affecting what was viewable before.

 

@Robchil

 

15 minutes ago, Hellowpplz said:

It actually wasn't there before. Appeared a few days ago. Before the lines would just kind of overlap all the way to the bottom.

Another way to check if it's physically damaged is to boot into an external OS or into MacOS recovery. That will tell you right away if it's a software problem or hardware. But in my experience it looks like the display panel is physically damaged. If it's a software issue it will also show when hooked up to an external display. I'd test either of those ways. Then you'll know for sure.

[Robchil]

6 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

 

Another way to check if it's physically damaged is to boot into an external OS or into MacOS recovery. That will tell you right away if it's a software problem or hardware. But in my experience it looks like the display panel is physically damaged. If it's a software issue it will also show when hooked up to an external display. I'd test either of those ways. Then you'll know for sure.

that sounds like you mean the panel is breaking a part, and the tape holding it together has disolved..  wouldn't it be easier to just press on that side of the display and if it gets better it's the panel that needs replacement? 

 

i stayed clear of the mac's. but it's generaly same problem as pc laptops have

 

[SpookyCitrus]

2 minutes ago, Robchil said:

that sounds like you mean the panel is breaking a part, and the tape holding it together has disolved..  wouldn't it be easier to just press on that side of the display and if it gets better it's the panel that needs replacement? 

 

i stayed clear of the mac's. but it's generaly same problem as pc laptops have

 

No, that's not the damage type I am referring to. There is the screen glass that is a part of the assembly(the outer glass), then under that is another thin layer of glass or plastic then the layers that make up the panel itself. Any outside pressure on top of the back cover or to the front glass(something accidentally left in between the screen and keyboard when closed), a hit, or heavy pressure, could be enough to crack the layers or thin top layer under the outside glass causing the display panel to break underneath but not break the outer glass, I don't know the specifics of Macs display panel design enough to tell you exactly. But it looks as though some sort of force, either a hard hit or just enough heavy pressure(being stepped on, a heavy item being set on top, sat on, etc.) has broken the display panel underneath without cracking the outer glass. As far as breaking apart or "tape dissolving" I don't think that's it, it's definitely not old enough to start disintegrating in such a way. Also I did suggest pushing on the side/in the corner to see if it changes the lines/glitches. If it does it's a broken panel. I also just replied with another couple ways for testing if it's hardware or software.

[Hellowpplz]

1 hour ago, SpookyCitrus said:

 

Another way to check if it's physically damaged is to boot into an external OS or into MacOS recovery. That will tell you right away if it's a software problem or hardware. But in my experience it looks like the display panel is physically damaged. If it's a software issue it will also show when hooked up to an external display. I'd test either of those ways. Then you'll know for sure.

oookay its broken

I don't even have anything else apple (anymore) so screw repairing it imma go windows.

I'm so confused tho how did this happen. Like wth? I legit had it in my backpack and when I took it out and opened it, this. 

[SpookyCitrus]

23 minutes ago, Hellowpplz said:

oookay its broken

I don't even have anything else apple (anymore) so screw repairing it imma go windows.

I'm so confused tho how did this happen. Like wth? I legit had it in my backpack and when I took it out and opened it, this. 

That'll do it. A majority of the Macs I have come in with this exact issue are ones that were in a backpack or suitcase with other items. 2019 and newer Macbooks have incredibly fragile displays. The amount I get in where people have bent or broken them just by simply installing a shell as well is insane. I've done Macbook screen replacements where a week or few months later it broke again in the same way because they were using it in the same carrying case or bag, after I warned them not too. We don't warranty accidental damage either so they're stuck with paying for the repair again or getting a different computer, the last one I did was a $900 repair and they broke it in the same way as last time within 4 months, and were furious it wasn't covered under warranty.

[Hellowpplz]

13 hours ago, SpookyCitrus said:

That'll do it. A majority of the Macs I have come in with this exact issue are ones that were in a backpack or suitcase with other items. 2019 and newer Macbooks have incredibly fragile displays. The amount I get in where people have bent or broken them just by simply installing a shell as well is insane. I've done Macbook screen replacements where a week or few months later it broke again in the same way because they were using it in the same carrying case or bag, after I warned them not too. We don't warranty accidental damage either so they're stuck with paying for the repair again or getting a different computer, the last one I did was a $900 repair and they broke it in the same way as last time within 4 months, and were furious it wasn't covered under warranty.

Okay but not listening to advice on how to not break it is crazy  and then being mad after too lol

I personally need to carry it in a backpack with other stuff, no other options for it, and I'm not buying an old MacBook model. I'm going to settle on one of the dell xps's probably. Are those good?

[SpookyCitrus]

3 hours ago, Hellowpplz said:

Okay but not listening to advice on how to not break it is crazy  and then being mad after too lol

I personally need to carry it in a backpack with other stuff, no other options for it, and I'm not buying an old MacBook model. I'm going to settle on one of the dell xps's probably. Are those good?

XPS' are nice, can be a little pricey but they're construction is solid. We rarely see them in my shop for physical damage or anything like that. If you're looking for something a little more durable. Most of them are carbon fiber, full metal, or both.

[Hellowpplz]

On 3/1/2024 at 12:03 PM, SpookyCitrus said:

XPS' are nice, can be a little pricey but they're construction is solid. We rarely see them in my shop for physical damage or anything like that. If you're looking for something a little more durable. Most of them are carbon fiber, full metal, or both.

Reason im looking at it is becuase he had a xps 15 or 16 and I liked A: the specs (i9 13900H 4070 rtx 32gb ddr5 2tb ssd) but also the carbon fiber on the inside and metal outside. Carbon fiber didn't get as hot as the metal on any other laptop i've used, which is nice because I have very sweaty hands.