M1 MacBook Pro Vertical Line on Screen

[msykes]

My (otherwise amazing) M1 MacBook Pro recently developed a single vertical line on the screen. It is:

1. Only visible on top of black. Invisible for virtually any other color (even dark grey)
2. One pixel wide
3. Dashed in appearance
4. When you look very closely and squint, it appears to be moving (looks like the dashes are traveling vertically).
5. Does not appear in screen captures
6. Does not appear on external display

I'm assuming this is a hardware issue and my only option is taking it to Apple? Some googling suggesting things like resetting PRAM might help, but this doesn't even seem to be a thing on M1 Macs.

Apologies for the low quality picture, but blowing it out like that was the best way to make the line visible.

 

[Sedulous]

That is unusual. Best guess is defective graphics core but this usually manifests itself a bit differently. Next best guess is something is wrong with the LCD driver. Would explain why it does not appear on external display.

 

[momo1984]

I have the same issue here.. how do you solve that issue.

 

[BluAffiliate]

This happened to me before and it was due to a micro-crack. Did you leave something in the screen and then closed the lid to cause a fracture?

 

[Fishrrman]

Is it under the 1-year warranty...?
If it is, take it to a brick-n-mortar Apple Store genius bar.
Let them have a look at it.

Again, it may still be under warranty.
You snooze on this... you're gonna lose.

 

[msykes]

Update: It is still under 1-year warranty. I use my laptop constantly so I've been waiting on a good time to take it in... and in the meantime the line has disappeared!

Of course now I'm a little nervous that it will re-appear after my warranty ends, but unfortunately not much I can do about that. I have no idea if this was a hardware issue that has resolved for now (maybe some imperfect connection? I'm making stuff up), or a software glitch that was resolved in an update, or something else entirely.

 

[BluAffiliate]

I would get it checked. Its probably a physical issue so you definitely want to get the part replaced if you can.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"It is still under 1-year warranty. I use my laptop constantly so I've been waiting on a good time to take it in... and in the meantime the line has disappeared!"

In post 5 above, I wrote:
"You snooze on this... you're gonna lose".

I'm predicting that you're gonna lose.
You SHOULD HAVE taken it in when the problem "manifested itself" and could have been easily demonstrated to the Apple genius bar techs.
Then they might have offered to rectify the issue.

Now, the problem is "no longer there" -- for the moment.
So, if you take it to them now, they may look at it and say, "nothing wrong".

And in the meantime... your warranty expires.
And the problem may come back again -- at a later date, when you are now OUT OF warranty.

Maybe you'll "get lucky"... and the problem won't come back.
No way to know that...