Why Is My Computer Screen Pink? (Causes, Fixes)

If you perform GPU-intensive tasks, you may run into display issues quite often.

A pink screen is one of those problems that can have you worried since it may indicate a serious problem.

You can experience the pink screen issue regardless of the programs you run and how loaded your GPU is.

However, if the underlying cause isn’t a broken display, other causes are easy to detect and fix.

Why Is My Computer Screen Pink? (Causes, Fixes)

The pink screen in a Windows PC can arise due to both hardware and software issues.

The most frequent hardware issue is loose and faulty connections between the monitor and the motherboard.

The best way to find the culprit is to try other connection types and cables.

Another hardware-related problem is high GPU temps due to different factors such as dust buildup and overclocking.

Software issues may include outdated and faulty drivers, virus infection, conflicting programs, problematic games, and wrong display settings.

While getting a pink screen may seem like something to worry about due to a serious underlying issue, it may go away with a simple reboot.

Restarting is particularly useful if the problem just appeared and hasn’t been repeated a lot.

The main reason behind this issue may be temporary conflicts between the hardware and software.

Give it a try before going down other routes that can involve drastic measures like changing the motherboard.

1. Connection Issues

One of the frequently mentioned causes of a pink screen is broken or faulty cables.

Modern monitors display colors using the RGB color mixer and stimulating the cell cones.

When the connection cables are faulty, one of these colors may be left out, leading to imperfect color combinations.

Even if one wire is loose, you may experience color anomalies like a pink screen.

The pink color may cover the entire screen surface, or you can see it only in some pixels.

How To Fix

If you’re using an analog cable to connect your monitor to the case, it may have come loose or become damaged.

Wiggling the cable may help the colors get back by rearranging the damaged wires.

If you get the full colors back, you can be certain that the cables are damaged and need replacing.

However, wiggling the cable may not be enough.

You could also check for faulty cables and loose connections by unplugging and re-plugging the cables and see if the pink screen goes away.

If you have another cable that you’re sure isn’t broken, you can use it to connect your monitor and see if it helps.

This way, you can be sure that your cable is broken.

If you decide to change the cables, get an HDMI cable to make sure you’ll get high-quality images.

You could also try different connection types and see if it helps.

The reason is that you may have internal issues with your display ports, and changing the port may help.

For example, if you have two HDMI ports, switch the ports and see if it helps.

Alternatively, you could use DisplayPort if supported by both devices, and check if the pink screen goes away.

A. Inspecting Connections In A Laptop

This process may be more difficult for a laptop because the cable that runs from the motherboard to the monitor can’t be accessed easily.

It’s a ribbon cable consisting of different wires, each representing one color.

Inspecting this cable involves removing the panel and the bezel, requiring technical skills.

You can check your display by connecting the laptop to another monitor using an HDMI cable.

If you get a pink screen in the new display, your problem is software-related.

Otherwise, try changing the internal cables and see if it helps.

If the pink screen remains after changing the cables, the monitor may be faulty due to a broken component inside the monitor panel.

You need to take it to a skillful technician to repair it in such cases.

B. Peripherals

The peripherals may also cause connection conflicts that cause display discoloration.

When you’re inspecting the monitor cables, disconnect all the cables and only have the monitor power cable connected.

Make sure to turn off the computer, disconnect all the cables, and turn it back on.

If the pink screen goes away, connect the peripherals one by one to detect the culprit.

Depending on the cable type, you may need to solder it onto the motherboard, requiring highly technical skills.

In other cases, you may need to replace the entire motherboard.

That’s why a reliable technician should inspect it.

C. Graphics Card Connections

If you have a dedicated graphics card, you should check its connections, too.

Dedicated graphics cards have their own power supply cables to ensure they get enough power to meet their high demands.

If any of these connections get faulty or loose at any point, you may experience display glitches like the pink screen.

In addition to inspecting, unplugging, and re-plugging these connections, you could temporarily remove or disable your dedicated graphics card and run your PC with your integrated graphics card, if available.

This way, you can ensure the graphics card doesn’t have hardware issues.

2. Faulty Display

If your monitor is faulty, you need to show it to a technician to find the issue.

For example, if you have an LED, LCD, or OLED screen, the backlights inside the screen may be broken, leading to color issues.

However, you need to make sure it’s the monitor before taking it for a repair.

Finding out if the monitor is faulty is easy.

You could simply connect your monitor to another PC that you’re sure is working fine and see if it shows the same pink screen.

That’s a surefire way to ensure it’s the monitor that is broken.

Depending on the display’s problem, you may need to replace it, especially if it’s an old screen.

In any case, a reliable and experienced technician can tell you what’s the best course of action with a broken display.

3. High GPU Temps

Another hardware component directly related to the pink screen is the GPU.

Any problems with the GPU can cause color anomalies and image discoloration.

One of the most cited GPU faults leading to pink screens is high GPU temperatures.

The GPU may be overheating due to many factors, including overclocking, dust buildup, faulty fans, old thermal paste, etc.

Before trying to find the cause of overheating, you first need to make sure the GPU temps are higher than the manufacturer’s recommended values.

While you can consult the user manual for optimal GPU temps, the normal temperature range should be 65 to 85°C (149 to 185°F), provided that you’re not overclocking or doing GPU-intensive tasks.

Windows doesn’t have a native tool to help you monitor your integrated GPU temps.

However, if you have a dedicated graphics card, you can see the temps in the Windows Task Manager.

Right-click Cortana’s search box and find the Task Manager.

Alternatively, press Alt + Shift +Esc to open the Task Manager and go to the Performance tab.

On the left side of the window, you can see your CPU, GPU, Memory, and other components’ status in terms of usage and performance.

Next to the GPU, you can see the usage percentage and its temperature.

If you can’t see your GPU temps in the Task Manager, you can use temperature monitoring apps, such as Speccy, MSI Afterburner, or EVGA Precision X1, which can help you keep your system temps in check.

You can check your separate graphics card’s temperatures via their control panels.

Both Nvidia and AMD’s control panels have sections that allow you to monitor their temperatures.

Nvidia Graphics Card

For an Nvidia graphics card, you can use the GeForce Experience to monitor its temps.

Go to the in-game overlay settings and click the triangular icon next to the gear icon.

In the new window, select Performance to see the status figures related to your graphics card’s performance.

One of these items is the GPU temperature.

You can click the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to customize these items.

For example, you can choose the in-application overlay, which means you can always keep track of your GPU temps no matter what you’re doing.

AMD Graphics Card

For an AMD graphics card, open the AMD Radeon software and go to the Performance tab.

Locate the GPU temperatures in the Performance window and click on it to see the log of GPU temps for an extended period.

This log can give you a better idea of the overall performance of your GPU.

How To Fix

If you decide that the GPU temps are higher than normal and you’re not overclocking, you’ll need to cool down your GPU.

First, you should find out why the GPU is overheating and then fix it.

For example, you should ensure the fans and vents aren’t clogged due to dust buildup.

Open your case and clean all the components using canned air or a lint-free microfiber cloth.

Check out the GPU fans and make sure they spin and cool down the innards effectively.

If faulty, you may need to replace them.

You may also need to install extra GPU or CPU fans to avoid overheating.

If you don’t solve the overheating issue, you may run into other problems more serious than a pink screen.

If you’re overclocking, try turning it off to see if it helps.

Continue working with your computer for a while until you’re sure overclocking doesn’t cause any temperature increases and see if the pink screen goes away.

4. Faulty Drivers

If you rule out all the hardware-related culprits, the pink screen is caused by software issues.

The first software-related cause is outdated drivers.

Faulty and outdated drivers can cause a wide range of graphical issues because they prevent the software and hardware from communicating effectively.

If you don’t have the latest drivers installed on your computer, they may contain bugs, which are removed in new updates.

You should always make sure the monitor and graphics card drivers are updated.

Regular Windows updates may keep these drivers covered, but addressing each driver individually will help you ensure there are no incompatibility or performance issues.

To update your drivers, go to the Device Manager by typing it in the search box.

Look for your graphics card and monitor, right-click on them, and select Update Driver.

Select the first option, “Search automatically for drivers,” and follow the on-screen prompts to finish updating.

If Windows can’t find any available updates, you can visit the graphics card manufacturer’s official website and get the latest driver updates.

5. Updates Rollback

If the pink screen appeared after a recent Windows or driver update, you should go back to the previous update.

While regular Windows updates are designed to address bugs and incompatibility issues, they sometimes introduce other problems that can’t be fixed until the next update.

In such cases, you’ll need to roll back to the previous update until Microsoft addresses the bugs.

To roll back to a previous Windows update, right-click the Windows icon in the bottom left corner of the screen and click Settings.

Select Update & Security and click on Windows Updates.

Click on the View update history link and select the first option: Uninstall updates.

Right-click the problematic update, which has to be the latest one, and click Uninstall.

If your screen displays pink after a recent driver update, go to Device Manager and follow the same steps for updating the drivers.

Right-click the driver and go to Properties.

Go to the Driver tab and click on the Roll back driver button.

Restart your computer and check if the pink screen has disappeared.

6. Display Settings

The display settings can determine the color accuracy and characteristics of your images.

If these settings have been accidentally changed, you’ll get different hues that are more accentuated than others.

Go to your graphics card’s control panel and ensure all the color settings are adjusted to your desired level.

Look at color enhancement, color depth, and tint to make sure the color gamut is set to RGB and not just one color.

You can also check your monitor’s settings and see if anything has been changed.

You may have accidentally changed these settings to accentuate the pink hue, resulting in the pink screen.

If you can’t pinpoint any specific feature, you can return the settings to their default state or perform a factory reset, depending on your monitor’s settings.

7. Problematic Games And Programs

If you’ve recently installed a third-party program or game after which the pink screen issue appeared, it could be the culprit.

Some programs may conflict with your hardware or other installed apps, leading to various hardware and software issues.

That’s particularly the case if the app’s function is related to display.

For example, you may use an app to change your color accuracy, depth, or warmth, which can ironically disable some colors in the RGB menu.

Even if the app isn’t related to display and colors, it may have been installed with corrupt files that tamper with the proper functions of your system and display.

How To Fix

No matter how the recently installed program has led to the pink screen, the only solution is to uninstall it.

If the pink screen goes away after uninstalling the program, you could try installing it again and see if the issue comes back.

You may be lucky, and the program is installed without issues or corrupt files the second time.

However, if the pink screen comes back, you need to uninstall the program and look for a substitute.

If you want to reinstall the game, it’s advisable to install the latest patch for the game to make sure all the bugs have been fixed.

If you can’t think of any specific programs that cause the pink screen, you can run your system in the Clean Boot mode and identify the problematic app.

If the pink screen disappears in the Clean Boot, you can be sure that one of your third-party programs is at fault.

You need to start an elimination process to find the culprit.

Select half of the disabled programs, enable them, and run your system.

If the pink screen comes back, the faulty program is in this half.

Repeat this elimination process until you detect the culprit.

Note. If you uninstall the program, ensure all the leftover files and cached data are deleted from your computer.

If corrupt files have caused the pink screen issue but remain in the system after uninstalling the program, your problem won’t be solved.

You may want to use an uninstaller program to make sure the entire app has been deleted from your system.