This free touch screen test checks every part of your display for dead zones and tracks multi-touch support live — works on phones, tablets, touch laptops, and Chromebooks. No download, no app.
RUNS ENTIRELY IN YOUR BROWSER · NOTHING YOU TOUCH IS RECORDED OR SENT ANYWHERE
Last updated: · Reviewed for accuracy against current browser APIs
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Slide your finger across every cell in the grid below.
Start from one corner and drag steadily so every cell gets touched at least once.
Watch for cells that don't light up.
A cell that stays untouched after repeated attempts is a possible dead zone.
Try multiple fingers at once.
Touch with two or more fingers together to check the multi-touch stats update correctly.
Check the coverage total.
The counter shows how many of the total cells have been touched — aim for 100%.
Reset and repeat if needed.
Click Reset to clear the grid and try again, especially after finding a suspected dead zone.
Who tests a touch screen, and why
Schools and other institutions that issue devices use this to check touchscreens quickly across a whole batch of tablets or Chromebooks, since not every device comes with a built-in touch diagnostic app. Anyone buying a second-hand phone or tablet runs the full grid before handing over payment, checking specifically for dead zones near the edges and corners, which is where cracked-screen damage most often shows up. People troubleshooting a screen that's suddenly "acting up" — missing taps in one spot, or registering touches that never happened — use this to confirm exactly what's going on before deciding whether it's worth a repair. And after a drop or a crack, this is usually the fastest way to map out precisely which part of the screen still works. If you specifically want to check how many fingers your screen can track at once rather than where it responds, that's a job for our Multi-Touch Test instead.
Repair shops and IT departments use a grid test like this one as a fast intake check — running it on a device before and after a screen replacement confirms the new part is fully functional edge to edge, not just "mostly working." It's also common practice before returning a rental, trade-in, or leased device, since a documented dead zone found before handover is very different from one discovered afterward.
Dead zones vs. other touch problems
It's worth being precise about what this test actually detects, since "my touch screen isn't working" can mean several genuinely different problems. A dead zone — the specific thing this grid is built to find — is a fixed area that never responds, consistently, no matter how you touch it. That's different from a slow or laggy screen, where touches register but with a noticeable delay, which points more toward a performance or software issue than a hardware one. It's also different from intermittent failures, where a spot works sometimes and not others — that pattern often points to a loose internal connector or early-stage digitizer damage rather than a single dead patch, and is worth re-testing several times across different sessions to characterize properly.
How touch screens actually work
Almost every modern phone, tablet, and touch laptop uses capacitive touch technology. A grid of electrodes sits just under the glass, and your finger — being slightly conductive — disturbs the tiny electrical field at whatever point it touches, which the screen's controller detects and translates into a coordinate. This is also why capacitive screens generally don't respond to a gloved hand or a plastic stylus without a conductive tip: there's nothing there to disturb the field.
Older or more industrial devices sometimes use resistive touch screens instead, which rely on physical pressure pushing two conductive layers together rather than sensing conductivity. These respond to anything that presses down — gloves, styluses, fingernails — but tend to be less sensitive and support only a single touch point at a time, which is why they've mostly disappeared from consumer phones and tablets.
Multi-touch — the ability to track several fingers moving independently — comes from the controller being able to distinguish multiple simultaneous disturbances across the capacitive grid rather than just the single strongest one. That's exactly what the live stats on this page are reading directly from your device.
Touch screen problems at a glance
Symptom
Likely cause
Quick fix
A specific area never registers touch
Dead zone — a hardware fault in the touch sensor layer
Confirm with this grid test, then get it checked by a technician
Touches register in the wrong spot
Calibration drift, or a damaged digitizer layer
Check for a calibration option in system settings; test without a screen protector
Screen taps or scrolls on its own
"Ghost touches" — often moisture, a damaged screen, or a faulty cable
Dry and clean the screen, remove any case or protector, and retest
Only one finger works at a time
Multi-touch not supported, or a software/driver issue
Check the device info panel above; update your OS if it should be supported
Edges and corners feel unresponsive
A case or screen protector overlapping the touch-sensitive area
Remove the case/protector and retest those specific cells
Typical touch point support by device
Device type
Typical max touch points
Notes
Smartphones
5–10
Plenty for normal use; games occasionally push toward the upper end
Tablets
10+
Larger screens make higher touch counts more useful for drawing apps
Touch laptops / 2-in-1s
10
Usually matches tablet-class hardware even in a laptop body
Interactive kiosks / POS screens
2–10
Varies widely by hardware age and intended use
What to do if your touch screen fails this test
If a specific cell or region of the grid never lights up no matter how many times you try, that's a real result worth acting on rather than dismissing. Try the failing area a few more times at slightly different angles first, just to rule out a momentary miss rather than a genuine dead zone.
If it's your own device and the problem is confirmed, a persistent dead zone is almost always a hardware issue — usually something worth having a technician look at rather than trying to fix through settings, especially if it followed a drop or a crack. If the device belongs to a school, workplace, or other institution, report it through whatever device support process they normally use, mentioning specifically where on the screen the problem sits — that detail alone often speeds up a repair diagnosis significantly.
Fixing common touch screen problems
Before anything else, clean the screen. A surprising number of "dead zone" reports turn out to be a smudge, a bit of dried liquid, or a thick screen protector interfering in one spot. Wipe the screen with a dry microfiber cloth and try again.
Remove the case and screen protector. Test again without them. If the problem disappears, the accessory — not the screen — was the issue, and a thinner or better-fitted protector usually resolves it.
Restart the device. A surprising number of touch glitches, especially ghost touches and multi-touch failures, clear up after a simple restart, since they're sometimes a software/driver hiccup rather than a hardware fault.
If a dead zone persists after all of that, it's genuinely a hardware problem. Continuing to use the device is usually fine if the dead zone is small and out of the way, but a dead zone that covers buttons you need regularly is worth getting repaired.
Frequently asked questions
How do I test my touch screen for dead zones?
Slide your finger across every cell in the grid on this page, starting from one corner and working across methodically. Any cell that never lights up after repeated attempts is a likely dead zone.
What is a dead zone on a touch screen?
A dead zone is an area of the screen that doesn't register touch input at all, usually caused by a hardware fault in the touch sensor layer or damage from a drop or crack.
Does this test work on a laptop touchpad?
No. This tests actual touch screens, not touchpads. A touchpad only moves your cursor like a mouse and doesn't send the touch events this test relies on — you need to touch the actual screen on a touch-enabled device.
How many fingers can this test detect at once?
As many as your device and browser report. Most phones support 5–10 simultaneous touch points and most tablets support 10 or more — the device info panel above shows your specific device's maximum.
What should I do if my touch screen fails this test?
Note which area failed, then if it's your own device, get it checked by a technician — a persistent dead zone is almost always a hardware issue rather than something fixable through software. If it's a school or workplace device, report it through your organization's usual device support process.
Why do some touches register in the wrong place?
This is called touch inaccuracy or drift, and it can be caused by a poorly fitted screen protector, a cracked digitizer layer, or occasionally a software calibration issue rather than the touch sensor itself.
What are ghost touches?
Ghost touches are inputs the screen registers without you touching it at all — taps appearing on their own, or the screen scrolling by itself. This is usually a hardware or moisture issue, though a test can help confirm it's happening.
Does a screen protector affect this test?
A good quality screen protector shouldn't meaningfully affect results, but a thick, poorly fitted, or damaged one can reduce touch sensitivity or accuracy at the edges. If you get unexpected results, it's worth testing again without it.
Is this test free and does it record anything?
Yes, it's completely free and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing about your touches or your device is recorded, uploaded, or stored.
More tools on ProDeviceTest
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