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My Macbook screen has started flickering and is unusable:

enter image description here

I've tried restarting but does not fix. It seems to be isolated to the Macbook screen as an external monitor still works. It was not dropped or have any liquid spilt on it. What could cause the issue and how to fix?

Version information:

enter image description here

Update:

Seems to be the same issue as:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzNfrxcVowA&app=desktop

Initially, I could see the display up to 30 degrees of lid being open but now the display renders pink as per above screenshot.

blue-sky
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1 Answers1

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It could be as simple as a worn or partly disconnected ribbon cable, but the centre section makes me think it's physical screen damage. Without hands-on it's hard to say.

Your choices are… re-seat or change the cable & see if it improves, or take it to a professional. The cables are very fragile and this new a Mac might be covered if it’s failing in the terms of coverage.

Your test of an external monitor eliminates the GPU being at issue. One further test would be take a screenshot & view it on the external monitor.

bmike
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Tetsujin
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    thanks, screenshots taken with the external monitor disconnected are perfect, what does that indicate? – blue-sky Sep 14 '20 at 18:14
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    It further confirms it's not the GPU or a software issue, it's cable or screen, I'm afraid. – Tetsujin Sep 14 '20 at 18:19
  • is there any increased risk of further damaging the laptop if continue to use with an external monitor while Macbook cable or screen is damaged? – blue-sky Sep 14 '20 at 18:58
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    @blue-sky there’s a low probability risk the cable damage or shorts would cause logic board failure, but more likely you are safe. If there is internal damage, you want it professionally inspected sooner rather than later. The screen is quite expensive to repair, so it might not matter financially to wait. If you’re hoping warranty covers it, get a quote sooner. If you’re paying, might make sense to delay until you need it repaired. – bmike Sep 14 '20 at 19:26