What causes a horizontal line on my MacBook Pro screen?

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Level 1

4 points

What causes a horizontal line on my MacBook Pro screen?

I woke up to find a single horizontal black line across the screen of my MacBook Pro (it’s only 2 years old). It doesn’t appear in screenshots so I’m assuming it’s a hardware issue. I’ve tried resetting and shutting down but it’s still there. I couldn’t get my laptop to run diagnostics either. I’m thinking it could be a graphics card or display cable issue based on what I’ve searched, but others with this issue seem to have it a lot worse than mine is.

I am currently on holiday, nowhere near an Apple Store to get it repaired but I need to use the laptop. I am wondering if it’s safe to use until I can get to a store or if I have to let it rest as to not make it worse.

I’m also certain that it hasn’t been physically damaged because it was in the same place as it was left in the evening.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.0

Posted on Feb 11, 2025 11:04 PM

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Answer 1

bhanu5567

Level 3

566 points

Feb 12, 2025 01:33 AM in response to citrette

In most cases the horizontal lines is because of physical damages .

In some cases it might be because of software issues too .

So check for any software updates available , take a data back up and re install the OS .

sometimes OS reinstallation also solves many issues until unless it is a physical damage .

Still the issue persists ,you need to visit ASP for additional screening.

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Answer 2

Feb 12, 2025 06:51 AM in response to citrette

<< It doesn’t appear in screenshots so I’m assuming it’s a hardware issue. >>

you assume correctly.

you can do the suggested re-installs, but they are extremely unlikely to change anything.

Apple does repair-by-replacement.

From memory (and I could easily be wrong) a replacement 14-in display for an Apple-silicon Mac runs around US$500. In General, over a large sample, Assume three days in-store if parts are available, and 10 days or longer if sent out.

Every Macbook Pro has the ability to connect at least one external display, which can be used as a work-around if your built-in display get really bad.

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Answer 3

Feb 12, 2025 08:52 AM in response to bhanu5567

<< In most cases the horizontal lines is because of physical damages >>

I disagree. There are multitude of failures that could happen that are not caused by any physical damage whatsoever.

Complex Electro-mechanical devices fail at random, arbitrary, and capricious times.

The most frequent reason for most failures is 'just because'.

Your specific failure is most likely caused by an advanced scientific principle called ...

... 'bad luck'.

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What causes a horizontal line on my MacBook Pro screen?

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