Table of contents(10)+
- 01Step 1: Tell retention apart from real burn-in
- 02Step 2: Run the TV's built-in refresh cycle
- 03Step 3: Change what's causing it before running the fix again
- 04Step 4: Know when it's permanent
- 05Frequently Asked Questions
- 06Does burn-in happen on regular LCD or QLED TVs?
- 07How long does it take to fix image retention?
- 08Will running pixel refresher too often damage my TV?
- 09Can I prevent burn-in without giving up my favorite channel or game?
- 10Related Guides
Screen burn-in and image retention look identical at first glance. A faint ghost of a logo, a news ticker, or a game HUD sits on the screen no matter what you're watching now. The fix depends on which one you have. The panel type decides which one is even possible: LCD and QLED sets can show temporary retention, but true, permanent burn-in only happens on OLED.
Figure out which panel you own first. If the mark fades within a few minutes to a few hours of normal viewing, it's retention. Still there after a full day of varied content? That's leaning toward burn-in.
| Panel type | What happens | Is it permanent? | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCD / QLED | Image retention — a temporary ghost from a static image | No | Switch content, wait; usually clears on its own |
| OLED | True burn-in — individual pixels age unevenly over long static use | Can become permanent | Built-in pixel refresh cycle, then change viewing habits |
Step 1: Tell retention apart from real burn-in
Play a plain gray or white full-screen pattern. On an LCD or QLED panel, a stuck logo clears up once you switch away from the static content that caused it. These panels don't have organic pixels that age unevenly, so there's nothing to permanently wear down. OLED is different. Each pixel is its own light source. A pixel that displays the same bright element for very long stretches — a channel logo, a 24/7 news ticker, a game's health bar — dims slightly faster than the pixels around it. That uneven dimming is the ghost image you're seeing.
Step 2: Run the TV's built-in refresh cycle
Every modern OLED TV ships with some version of a panel-equalizing routine. It already runs on its own; you don't have to find it to benefit from it. According to LG's own support documentation, a short pixel refresh kicks in automatically when the TV goes to standby after more than 4 continuous hours of use, and takes about 10 minutes. A longer cycle runs roughly every 2,000 hours of total use and can take up to an hour.
You can trigger it manually too, once you already see a faint mark. On a 2024/2025 LG OLED running webOS, the path is Settings → All Settings → General → OLED Care → OLED Panel Care → Pixel Cleaning → Start Now. Sony calls its equivalent feature Panel Refresh. Samsung documents its own troubleshooting steps for image retention on its Samsung OLED support page. The menu wording differs by brand. The mechanism doesn't: look under picture or general settings for a name involving "panel," "pixel," or "OLED care."
No working remote to get into that menu? The free HiRemote app turns an iPhone into a D-pad and keyboard for most TVs. That's enough to navigate a few menu levels down to a pixel-refresh toggle.
Step 3: Change what's causing it before running the fix again
A one-time refresh won't help if the same static image goes right back on screen. Lower the brightness a few notches on channels, apps, or games you leave paused for long periods. Dimmer static content ages the panel slower. Turn on any setting labeled "logo luminance adjustment" or "pixel shift." It nudges the whole image a few pixels every so often, so the exact same spot isn't lit continuously. Most streaming apps and game consoles already run their own screensavers after a few minutes of inactivity. Don't disable that to "keep the picture clearer" — it's doing the opposite job.
Step 4: Know when it's permanent
Mild retention clears with normal use, sometimes within a day. A logo-shaped shadow that survives a full pixel-refresh cycle and a week of varied content is burn-in. At that point it's a hardware condition, not a setting. RTINGS' long-term OLED testing — tracking over 100 TVs for up to several years each to simulate roughly a decade of normal use — found that panel-equalizing cycles reduce how visible retention becomes over time. They don't reverse burn-in once a true mark has set in. At that stage, the realistic options are living with it, or a warranty or repair claim if the TV is still covered. If the issue isn't image retention at all but a cracked or physically damaged panel, see our guide on whether a broken TV screen can be fixed for realistic repair-vs-replace costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does burn-in happen on regular LCD or QLED TVs?
No, not in the permanent sense. LCD and QLED panels use a backlight behind the liquid-crystal layer rather than individually lit organic pixels, so there's no organic material to age unevenly. What looks like burn-in on these sets is image retention, and it clears up once the static content is gone.
How long does it take to fix image retention?
Mild retention on any panel type often clears within minutes to a few hours of normal, varied viewing. Still visible after a full day? Run your TV's built-in pixel refresh cycle and give it another day before assuming it's permanent.
Will running pixel refresher too often damage my TV?
Manufacturers design it to run automatically on its own schedule, and that default cycle is the one to rely on. Running the manual version repeatedly with no sign of retention isn't necessary. Only run it on demand when you actually see a mark.
Can I prevent burn-in without giving up my favorite channel or game?
Yes. Keep brightness a few notches below max for anything with a static logo or HUD. Enable your TV's pixel-shift or logo-dimming setting. Let screensavers and auto-dim features run instead of disabling them. None of that stops you from watching or playing — it just keeps one spot from staying lit at full brightness for hours at a stretch.
