Are you staring at a dreaded white screen on your TV and aren’t sure what to do to fix it? Oftentimes, there are things that you can do to fix it on your own without having to dig up a customer service number and wait on hold for hours.
In this article, we are going to tell you what to do to fix a TV with a white screen so that you can get back to catching up on your favorite Netflix shows and movies ASAP.
Why is Your TV’s Screen White?
So you noticed that your TV screen is white. Before you panic that your TV is broken or dead, it’s important to understand that there are some common reasons why this might be happening.
Figuring out why your TV screen has suddenly gone white on you is the first step to figuring out how to fix it.
Luckily, TV screens going white is a common problem and is often a very easy fix if you know what you’re looking for.
Here are some of the most common reasons why your TV screen is white:
Screensaver Mode
Depending on what type of TV you have, it might go white when it’s in screensaver or power save mode. This happens when your TV has been on for a while but is sitting idle.
If you turned the TV on and then walked away without selecting a streaming platform or changing the channel, your TV might default to this setting.
Screensaver mode has different names depending on what brand of TV you have (for example, Sony calls it “Daydream mode”), but it is a setting that you can configure yourself if you want to change it.
Loose Cables or Wires
Another common reason that your TV screen might go white might have to do with loose cables or wires to the power supply.
This can be caused by a few different things and might require you to do a bit of light diagnostic work, but it’s usually easy to identify even if you can’t fix it yourself.
Your TV needs a consistent, stable power supply to be able to function properly.
Lack of proper power can impact the sound, picture, or both on your TV and leave you with some frustrating things like a white screen.
The best way to ensure that your TV is getting proper power is to make sure all the cables and wires going to and from your TV are connected to the right spot tightly.
These things do occasionally get out of place over time or get bumped out. A cable hanging out of its outlet can be enough to cause something like a white screen.
Internal Issues
The white screen on your TV can also be caused by a hardware defect or a manufacturing defect.
This is often the case if you are trying to troubleshoot an older TV type.
These are more serious underlying issues which can be hard to fix unless you are a professional, but I will give you a couple of easy things to try.
How to Fix a TV With a White Screen?
Now that you know what is most likely causing your white TV screen, how do you fix the problem?
Most of these fixes are pretty simple and can be done on your own.
On the rare occasion that you aren’t able to fix it, you may need to call to have a technician come to diagnose and fix it.
Here are the best ways to fix these common problems with your TV screen turning white:
Turn Off or Adjust Screensaver Mode
If your white screen is caused by screensaver mode, you have the easiest fix of all! To get back to using your TV, you should be able to hit any button on your remote to “wake” your TV up.
It should return to the last screen you were on and function as normal.
To prevent your TV from going into screensaver mode in the future or extend the amount of time before it does, you can adjust this in the settings menu on your TV.
Once this is done, your TV shouldn’t go to “sleep” when you don’t want it to anymore.
While you are playing with the settings, I suggest you also check whether the time and date for your TV are set correctly.
When you set up your TV, this is detected automatically based on your location.
But sometimes things can go wrong, so I suggest you set your time and date once again. On top of that, check that your location is correct.
Adjust or Replace Loose Cables and Wires
Fixing loose cables and wires on your TV can sometimes be an easy fix, but other times it may require a bit of extra work.
The first thing to do is check the input and output of each cable going to and from your TV. Make sure they are sitting firmly in place and don’t wiggle out easily.
If you have a cable box, make sure to disconnect it, check all the cables, and then reconnect it back to your TV. Cable boxes are notorious for giving their owners issues with the TV screen.
Sometimes this is enough to turn your screen back to normal, but if everything is tight, you may need to check the connections and circuits under the back panel of your TV.
Whether it’s just a loose connection that isn’t sending enough power to the screen or something a bit more complex like a bad T-Con board, you can usually see this once you pop the back cover off and start digging in.
There are plenty of YouTube tutorials that will walk you through how to diagnose this on your particular TV brand.
Once you diagnose the issue, you can determine whether you can fix it yourself or if you need a technician to do the work.
Inspect for Motherboard Issues
If you made sure that all the settings that can potentially turn your TV screen white are off, and all the cables connected to your TV are n working condition, the only thing left to do is to check your motherboard.
I will give you a few fool-proof ways that can fix the white screen issue.
But if you still don’t feel confident with them, I suggest you contact your local repairman or the shop you bought the TV from.
The simplest thing you can do is to unscrew the back of your TV, so you can see the motherboard and all the internal bits of the TV.
Next, you will need to find a heat source, like a radiator or a hairdryer. If it is summer, or you live in a place where it’s pretty hot in general, that will work as a heat source too.
You will need the temperature of about 80 °F/30 °C for this method to be effective and safe.
Now we are all set. Place your TV next to the radiator or take it outside, so it is exposed to the direct sunlight.
If these 2 options don’t suit you, use the hairdryer to create the heat. Don’t place it too close to the TV parts, though. We only need to create gentle heating of the TV parts.
Leave the TV exposed to the heat source for about 30 minutes. For the hairdryer, a few minutes of blowing hot air will be enough.
After you’ve done that, let the TV completely cool down for about an hour, and only then reattach the back panel and try turning on the TV.
Hopefully, the white screen issue will be gone. If it helped, it means your TV had a thermal problem.
If that didn’t work, it means you probably have an issue with the screen itself.
There isn’t much you can do here. I suggest you take your TV to the repairman in case it is new and valuable, or simply get a new TV if you were just trying to revive some old, non-smart TV.
Final Thoughts
A white screen on your TV is always frustrating, but it isn’t always a complicated fix. Before you panic, there are specific things to look at that will give you clues about what is going on, so you can fix it.
It can be just as simple as your TV is in a power save or screensaver mode, or perhaps it’s a bad connection or broken piece in the screen components. Usually, it’s very easy to tell the difference between the two things.
If your TV is in screensaver mode, all you have to do is turn it off, and you can get back to watching your favorite shows in full color. By adjusting your settings, you can prevent this from happening and causing any more issues in the future.
You can easily diagnose issues like loose connections or even a bad T-Con board yourself, even if you’re not a professional.
Pull out your user manual or a YouTube tutorial to help you see where components are located, so you can isolate the issue and determine the next steps.
Hi there, technology lovers! My name is James, I am an admin and a frequent writer for this blog. I am a techno-geek, so this blog is the place where I want to share all my knowledge with you to make your life a little bit easier in terms of dealing with technology.