Display washed out

LouiseAR · ‎08-17-2025

I've had my laptop for six months and the display quality is terrible. As I've started doing more and more with it, it's become really frustrating. The colours are washed out. The screen has a sort of speckled look to it and the fonts are pixelated. I can barely see colours unless they're really bright. I've looked online and tried lots of the fixes. I've messed around with display settings, graphics card settings, calibrated it and no change. Drivers are all up to date. The hp display app thing comes up a lot when I've researched. Mine used to say it was off, now it says no external display detected. I don't have a monitor available to test whether it's the screen itself. I'm about to chuck it and get a new laptop but I've paid £400 so after 6 months that would be ridiculous. I've tried to contact customer service but it's just sending me here. Can anybody help? Let me know what other info is needed. Thanks in advance.

zoey7886 · ‎08-19-2025

@LouiseAR, Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding Display Issues!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

Check Physical Connections: Ensure that any external monitor cables are properly connected and not damaged if you're using an external display.

Adjust Display Brightness and Contrast: Navigate to your laptop's display settings and ensure that the brightness and contrast are appropriately set. Sometimes incorrect settings can cause the screen to appear washed out.

Use HP Support Assistant: This software can help you troubleshoot and optimize the performance of your HP laptop. It might identify a conflicting setting or additional updates that you haven't considered.

Screen Resolution Settings: Double-check that the resolution settings match the recommended settings for your display. Incorrect resolution settings can lead to poor image quality.

Check for Hardware Issues: If reasonable software solutions aren't improving the situation, there might be underlying hardware issues such as the screen panel itself or related components.

Perform a System Test: Use HP's built-in diagnostic tools to perform a system test. This can sometimes identify issues with the hardware that aren't apparent through regular usage.

Hope this helps!

Take care, and have an amazing day!

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Regards,

ZOEY7886
I am an HP Employee

LouiseAR · ‎08-20-2025

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

I have tried everything listed with no improvement / no problems identified.

What are my next steps?

Thanks,

Louise

zoey7886 · ‎08-21-2025

@LouiseAR, Thanks for hanging in there with us. Since the colours still look washed out after all the tweaks, let’s try narrowing it down step by step:

1. Run the HP Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) for the Display

Turn off your laptop.

Press the Power button, then immediately start tapping the Esc key until a menu appears.

Press F2 to open HP PC Hardware Diagnostics.

From the menu, choose Component Tests > Display.

Run the Colour Test and Video Memory Test.

If the screen still looks faded during these tests, it suggests a hardware issue.

2. Test with an External Display (if possible)

Connect your laptop to a TV or monitor using HDMI.

If colours look normal there, the issue is isolated to the laptop’s built-in panel.

3. Reset Graphics Settings

Right-click your desktop → Display settings → make sure the resolution is set to Recommended.

Open your graphics control panel (Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA) → reset settings to default.

4. Update System Firmware

Open HP Support Assistant → check for BIOS and firmware updates.

Install anything pending and restart.

👉 If the display still looks dull or speckled after these checks, it’s most likely the screen hardware itself.