M1 iMac Black lines on screen!

I need some advice. Yesterday, I noticed some black lines on the underside of my M1 iMac. I used it an hour before and it didn't have the issue then. But when I returned, the lines where there and seem to flicker with is very distracting to me, especially due to my mental state. It's very annoying and im already started to hate my once loved iMac. I already filled in a feedback form to notify Apple so they can inspect the issue for later models. But I am disappointed in the quality of this product. Im not used to having to deal with these kinds of technical issues. That's why I buy apple and promote them to friends and family. I first thought it might be just my bad luck but reading the forums here and at fixit, make it seem that the problem is bigger. What to do next?

Posted on Jan 1, 2026 12:00 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 1, 2026 1:40 PM

First, let’s see if this issue happens in Safe Mode:


  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Press and hold the power button on your Mac. As you continue to hold the power button, your Mac turns on and loads startup options. When you see Options, release the power button.
  3. Select your startup disk. It's named Macintosh HD, unless you changed its name.
  4. Press and hold the Shift key, then click the “Continue in Safe Mode” button below your startup disk.
  5. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.


If the strange behaviors do not occur, then it may possibly be a software issue.


If the issue doesn't continue in safe mode:

Leave safe mode by restarting your Mac normally, then try to reproduce the issue.


If the issue doesn't return, it might have been resolved by the other things that safe mode did at startup, such as checking your disk and clearing caches.


If the problem persists, then let’s try this:


If none of those ideas work, then I recommend service.


Service Checklist:



Click ▶︎ Start a Service Request. ⚛️



Need more help?


Click ▶︎ Check Repair Status. 🔧


Good luck! 👋🏼😉

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7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 1, 2026 1:40 PM in response to Ivannetje

First, let’s see if this issue happens in Safe Mode:


  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Press and hold the power button on your Mac. As you continue to hold the power button, your Mac turns on and loads startup options. When you see Options, release the power button.
  3. Select your startup disk. It's named Macintosh HD, unless you changed its name.
  4. Press and hold the Shift key, then click the “Continue in Safe Mode” button below your startup disk.
  5. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.


If the strange behaviors do not occur, then it may possibly be a software issue.


If the issue doesn't continue in safe mode:

Leave safe mode by restarting your Mac normally, then try to reproduce the issue.


If the issue doesn't return, it might have been resolved by the other things that safe mode did at startup, such as checking your disk and clearing caches.


If the problem persists, then let’s try this:


If none of those ideas work, then I recommend service.


Service Checklist:



Click ▶︎ Start a Service Request. ⚛️



Need more help?


Click ▶︎ Check Repair Status. 🔧


Good luck! 👋🏼😉

Feb 9, 2026 1:52 PM in response to HWTech

UPDATE:


I called Apple and spoke with a actual person (that's great!).

He told me to bring it to the Apple Store and if it's a factory problem, a senior will probably give authorization for a free repair. So I did! Got helped by a genius service person who really wasn't happy that I called this issue a common problem and that I was told to bring it in. He said that the phone colleagues are always referring people to them to fix problems and that this wasn't a common problem. I told him nicely that I tried to troubleshoot the problem and found many more people with the same issues and that its one of the display's flex-cable. Man, I shouldn't have told him this because he aggressively told me that the cable just sits there and can't break from its own. He wouldn't let me speak anymore and started talking really fast. He wanted me to feel his superiority and that I need to be happy that he made time to look at my (only) 4 years old computer. When the senior came, he said to me that it would be a free repair and that I don't have to worry about it, and then he left. The genius person was annoyed and repeated the free of charge screen repair. I should buy apple care next time! I think he might had have a bad day. A few days later, I got the message to come and pickup my machine. It was indeed repaired free of charge. The genius who helped me that second visit was really polite and nice. Also spoke my own (local) language instead of English which helped.


I would like to thank Apple for fixing this problem free of charge!

This is how a company should react to a problem that isn't created by the customer.

Jan 8, 2026 9:16 AM in response to Ivannetje

I don't see any black lines in the screenshot you provided which suggests the problem is with the iMac's LCD Panel which will unfortunately be very expensive.


You may want to look at replacing that iMac with a Mac Mini and an external Display which will likely end up being less expensive than a new iMac or even repairing this M1 iMac (assuming you go with a third party display). The Mac Mini & external display allows you to retain the display for your next computer which would save you even more money in the long run. At least do the research to know the prices so when Apple or an AASP quotes the repair cost for your M1 iMac you will already be prepare to decide if it is even worth repairing.


Good luck.



Jan 1, 2026 3:09 PM in response to Smilin-Brian

Thank you for your time and assistance.

I’ve read your comment and did everything from it that i could do now but without any difference. The issue insists. I’m afraid it’s going to be a service request but the cost will be high. In the meantime, i read a lot of posts from people with the same issue. It bothers me that so many people seem to have this specific screen problem with their M1 imac. It seems like its some kind of flaw in the display ribbon cable that acts up on the iMac tier above base model. I also filled in feedback to inform apple about the issue. Hopefully they’ll do something with all those messages so future models wont have to deal with it.


Thanks again.


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M1 iMac Black lines on screen!

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