Home / Guides / Display & Graphics

Screen Flickering or Flashing

Intermediate Display & Graphics Applies to: Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 11

The display flickers, especially during scrolling or video playback.

Before you start: save any open work and note down what you were doing when the problem started — that context helps if you need to search further or ask for help.
  1. Update your graphics driver first — this fixes the majority of flickering cases, especially after a recent Windows Update.
  2. Check if a specific app causes it: if flickering only happens in one program, it's likely that app's rendering settings, not Windows.
  3. Disable Windows Desktop Manager temporarily to test if the issue is display-related: right-click desktop > Display settings > Advanced display > check refresh rate matches your monitor's supported rate.
  4. Unplug and reseat the video cable — a loose connection causes exactly this kind of intermittent flicker.
  5. If flickering is isolated to one app like Chrome, try toggling hardware acceleration off in that app's settings.
Still not fixed? Send us the details and we'll help you dig further, or browse related guides in Display & Graphics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is flickering dangerous to my monitor or graphics card?
Occasional flickering isn't damaging by itself. It's more a sign of a driver, cable, or refresh-rate mismatch than a hardware safety issue, though a genuinely failing cable or connection is worth replacing regardless.
Could this be caused by the monitor itself rather than Windows?
Yes — testing the same monitor on a different device (or a different monitor on this PC) is a quick way to tell whether the monitor or the PC's graphics output is actually responsible.

Related guides

Screen Resolution Looks Wrong or Blurry

Text looks fuzzy, icons are oversized, or the display doesn't fill the screen.

Beginner

"Display Driver Stopped Responding and Has Recovered"

The screen goes black for a second or two, then comes right back — this is Windows catching and correcting a problem, not the problem itself.

Intermediate

Second Monitor Not Detected

You plug in an external display and Windows doesn't see it.

Beginner