Vertical 1 1/2'' stripe on macbook air screen

[aubinpenny]

I've had this and fixed it

I had this problem on my MBA. I took the kit into an Apple Store and they diagnosed the display and defective and in need of replacement and this was priced at £600 sterling. I took it home, cried and began to work around the strip of interference while I decided whether to give this device a Viking funeral or get it done. Quite by chance I decided to clean the display with a cleaning wipe that I had bought from an Aldi store, made for cleaning spectacles. The screen came up like new but to my relief and amazement, the display went back to normal! Every few months is starts to go again, I wipe it with one of these wipes and it's fine again. The trouble I have now is that the strip has returned and I have run out of wipes! This is clearly (no pun intended) static so go down this route.

I ALSO registered just to say thanks. Your advice just saved me a load of hassle and money. I was really dreading having to fork over a few hundred dollars to someone to fix this annoying problem. huge relief. you've got some good karma coming your way buddy.

 

[TucsonTerry]

Thank you!!! Your post is still helping people in July of 2016.

 

[SuzanJoZ]

I had this exact same issue with my mba this week. I took mine to a local Apple authorized repair center and after looking at it for less than a minute, the guy there told me it needed a whole new display, and that it would cost between $500-600! No way! My computer is less than three years old and other than the display issues, works just fine. I took it home and called Apple support yesterday. I didn't get much further with them. In the end, they told me to send the computer to them and they would look at it, but made no guarantees. They arranged to send a box for me to ship it back to them, and then I got an email that they wanted me to make a payment of $312.45 just to look at it! That didn't include any cost of repairs. After my disappointing experience with Apple support, I found this thread and followed the advice of wiping down the screen with a lens cleaning wipe. At first it didn't make much difference. So I shut down my computer and walked away until this morning and VOILA! The crazy inverted flashing vertical lines were gone! I have a small "shadow" line just to the right of the center that is barely visible, but it's way better than it was for the past few days! As the day has worn on, even the shadow of the vertical line is becoming less apparent. I'm anticipating my display to be as good as new by tomorrow! This forum saved me hundreds of dollars! THANK YOU!

 

[castel1955]

I had the opposite problem; the stripe issue started in response to my cleaning the screen. Since this thread was so helpful to me, I wanted to post in case someone experiences the version of the issue that I did. I am not sure exactly what worked, but I reset my computer, cleaned the screen again, and made sure to squeeze gently around the frame of the screen. After a few hours, the stripes are almost gone and I expect them to resolve completely within another hour or two. Thanks for keeping me from freaking out.

 

[Bargeggs14]

This is ridiculous. How can wiping the screen fix that wide static bar running up the screen? I call BS on this whole idea of some magical reset; I don't believe it.

But then I thought, what the heck. So I used a screen wiping cloth I have, put the screen flat on the table (the keyboard sticking up, like it's lying on its back) and I gave the screen a good rub down (mildly aggressive but not insanely rough).

And the problem is gone. Thank you, internet. Thank you, Google. Thank you, MacRumors. I had to signup just to say thanks. I really can't believe it -still. And now my screen is sparkling clean too.

 

[i0s3r]

HELP hasn't gotten any better tried all this HELP

 

[owezafoodie]

I've had this and fixed it

I had this problem on my MBA. I took the kit into an Apple Store and they diagnosed the display and defective and in need of replacement and this was priced at £600 sterling. I took it home, cried and began to work around the strip of interference while I decided whether to give this device a Viking funeral or get it done. Quite by chance I decided to clean the display with a cleaning wipe that I had bought from an Aldi store, made for cleaning spectacles. The screen came up like new but to my relief and amazement, the display went back to normal! Every few months is starts to go again, I wipe it with one of these wipes and it's fine again. The trouble I have now is that the strip has returned and I have run out of wipes! This is clearly (no pun intended) static so go down this route.

[doublepost=1499534938][/doublepost]Just as someone else wrote at the bottom. I signed up because of this solution! I was about to drown in my sorrows thinking of how much it was gonna cost me to fix the same problem but it worked for me too!!! Thanks so much

 

[NYHopper]

I literally had to sign up too just because I wanted to sat thank you for these posts. THANK YOU!! I Actually was out of hope and going to Mac Store tomorrow but I thought ...let me try this. I went to clean my screen but as I started I realized I had put a screen protector on the screen about a week ago. I peeled it off and it already was momentarily better but came back so I cleaned it and now it is fine for the first time in a week! Wanted to say that you all for taking the time to post this info.Even if it's temporary..I'll take it. It was torture as I was panicking trying to back up etc. Not easy when you can't see anything. Thanks again!

 

[Rocko99991]

It's not the cleaning that helps its pressure that reconnects the bad connections. It's a common trick on tvs and monitors. Usually temporary.

 

[signaturegrey]

I was really hoping this would work. 🙁 If I pressed hard enough parts of the vertical line would clear up exactly where I applied pressure and then return when I removed my hand. Are there specific wipes being used?
Does anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[DeltaMac]

I think you will discover that the specific type of wipes is, unfortunately, not relevant.
It's the pressure on the screen during wiping that can temporarily reconnect faulty connections on the screen.
Sometimes you get lucky, but usually the "pressing" trick is temporary, and in many cases, won't help at all.
You can try opening up the case, and reseating the video connections, which also might not help at all.
You might even have a failure on the logic board. Best bet for a long term fix is to replace the display assembly, if you think it is worth the cost.