MacBook Pro Screen Goes Dark When You Open the Lid Fully? That’s Flexgate. Here’s the Lasting Fix
Works half open. Goes dark when you open it fully.
If that describes your MacBook Pro, the screen itself is probably fine. A thin cable inside the hinge is wearing out, a fault known as “Flexgate”. Here’s how to recognise it, how the repair options compare, and how to choose the right one for your Mac.
The short answer
- Mainly affects MacBook Pro models from late 2016 and 2017: A1706, A1708 (13-inch) and A1707 (15-inch).
- Cause: the thin display cables wear each time you open and close the lid, until the backlight signal drops.
- A cable repair by a skilled technician can get the screen working again. Quality varies a lot between repairers, so choose carefully.
- A replacement display assembly comes with fresh cables. Where one is available, an original Apple display gives the best picture.
Is it Flexgate? Check the signs
- It depends on the angle. The picture is fine with the lid partly open, then dims or goes black as you open it further, and comes back when you close it a little.
- “Stage lights” at the bottom. Bright and dark patches along the bottom edge of the screen, like spotlights on a stage.
- An external monitor works. If the Mac shows a normal picture on a TV or monitor, the computer is fine and the fault is in the display side.
- Your model number. Look on the bottom case. A1706, A1707 or A1708 makes Flexgate the most likely cause.
Why it happens
From 2016, Apple connected the screen to the MacBook Pro using thin, flat ribbon cables that bend around the hinge every time the lid moves, instead of the sturdier cables used in older models. Repair specialists at iFixit found that these cables wear out with repeated opening and closing. Early on, the fault shows only at wide angles. Over time, the screen fails at smaller and smaller angles until it doesn’t light at all.
Apple built these cables into the display, so its own fix is to replace the whole display assembly. In 2018 models Apple made the cable longer, and the problem became much less common.
Apple ran a Display Backlight Service Program for the 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro only, covering up to five years from purchase. Those dates have passed for every eligible Mac, so today the repair is paid, whoever does it.
Your repair options, compared
If you choose a cable repair
- Pick experience over price. This is fine work close to the panel. An experienced service centre is worth the extra cost.
- Ask about the warranty. Find out what happens if the screen fails again at the same angle.
- Change your habits afterwards. The cable still flexes at the hinge every time the lid moves, so the tips below matter even more after a repair.
How to avoid it on a working MacBook
- Don’t open the lid all the way back. Wide angles stretch the cable most. Around 100 to 110 degrees is plenty for typing.
- Use an external monitor at your desk. Work with the lid closed or barely open so the cable rests.
- Act at the first sign. Stage lights or flicker at wide angles are an early warning. Back up your data now.
Questions we get asked
Does Flexgate affect 2018 and later MacBook Pros?
Much less often. Apple lengthened the cable in 2018 models. If a 2018–2020 MacBook Pro screen fails, it can still be a cable or backlight fault, so get it checked before buying a display.
Is my data at risk?
No. Flexgate affects only the display. Your files are safe, and you can connect an external monitor to back them up.
Can I keep using it with an external monitor?
Yes. Many people do while they arrange a repair. Use a USB-C to HDMI adapter.
What’s an original pull-out display?
An original Apple display taken from another MacBook and tested. It’s graded, so you know about any marks before you buy. It gives you Apple’s original picture quality.
Is it worth repairing a 2016–2017 MacBook Pro?
If the rest of the Mac is healthy and does what you need, a repair costs less than a replacement laptop. Keep in mind that 2016 models stop at macOS Monterey and 2017 models at macOS Ventura. If you need newer software, ask us about an upgrade instead.
Screen dark at certain angles?
Send Aparna your model number and a short video of the screen as you open the lid. We’ll confirm whether it’s Flexgate and tell you which parts and options are available for your Mac today.
- “Flexgate”: 2016 and newer MacBook Pro users report display issues due to fragile flex cables (MacRumors, citing iFixit)
- Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro Display Backlight Service Program (iMore)
- 2018 MacBook Pros get a longer display cable (The Loop)
- How flex cable micro-soldering repairs are done (Prime Tech Support)
