I’ve cracked my laptop screen. Can you replace it?

Yes. It’s one of the most common repairs we do, and one of the more straightforward.

Screen replacement starts from £72, and as repairs go it’s a good one to have — the fault is self-contained, the rest of the machine is untouched, and your files aren’t affected at all.

What to do right now

Stop using it if the glass is broken. Cracked screen glass is sharp, and pressing on a damaged panel spreads the damage.

Don’t close the lid hard. If there are loose fragments, closing the lid grinds them into the panel.

Don’t try to peel anything off. The layers are bonded; lifting them turns a screen replacement into something worse.

If you need the machine before it’s fixed, plug in an external monitor or TV via HDMI. Most laptops will happily drive one, and it’ll get you through a deadline.

Cracked, or something else?

Not everything that looks like a broken screen is one, and the distinction changes the price considerably.

Visible cracks or spidering — the panel. Replacement.

Black patches, coloured lines or bleeding after a knock — usually the panel too, even without visible cracks.

Flickering — often the display cable rather than the screen, and cheaper. We’ve written about that separately.

Very dim but the image is there — usually the backlight.

Distorted colours or patterns — can be the graphics side rather than the screen.

The diagnosis is free, so we’ll confirm which before quoting.

What it costs, and what affects it

From £72. The variation comes down to the panel: a standard screen on a mainstream laptop sits at the lower end, while touchscreens, very high resolution panels, and thin bonded assemblies on premium ultrabooks and MacBooks cost more, because the part costs more.

Tell us the make and model when you ring and we can usually give you a good idea before you come in.

“Is it worth it on an older laptop?”

Usually yes, and more often than people expect.

A screen doesn’t tell you anything about the health of the rest of the machine. A five-year-old laptop that was running perfectly until it was dropped is still a working laptop with a broken screen — and a screen is a fraction of the cost of replacing it.

Where we’d hesitate is if it was already slow and struggling, or if there are other faults. Then we’d talk to you about whether the money is better spent elsewhere. We’ll tell you honestly which situation you’re in.

Your files are fine

Worth saying plainly, because people worry: a broken screen does not affect your data at all. The storage is untouched. Nothing is at risk, and nothing needs recovering.

If you’d rather not be without the machine, bring it in and we’ll tell you how long the part will take — common panels are quick, unusual ones take longer to source.

Drop into the workshop on Station Road, no appointment needed, or ring 01753 884700 with the make and model.