How To Fix A Computer Monitor That Flickers? (Steps)
If the refresh rate on your LCD monitor is set too low, it can appear to be flickering since there aren't enough updates per second. While some people are comfortable with around 30 Hertz, others can see the flickering and require a higher refresh rate.
The most common refresh rate is 60 Hertz. Both refresh rate and FPS are related to each other and affect the smoothness of the displayed video or graphics, they are different. Users can test their FPS and make their gaming sessions more responsive by taking FPS test online.
Checking your monitor’s refresh rate has always been confusing – your monitor’s settings tell you one thing, but you can never be sure that your refresh rate is actually what your monitor promises.
That’s why we have created this test to make it as easy and convenient as possible to test your monitor’s refresh rate by using Refresh Rate Test.
Your monitor may flicker because of faulty graphics drivers, a bad monitor, loose input cables, incompatible applications installed on your computer, or an improperly seated graphics card.
• Faulty graphics drivers
• Bad monitor
• Loose input cables
• Incompatible applications
• Improperly seated graphics card
When the graphics drivers installed in your computer are outdated or corrupted, the monitor is very likely to flicker. This happens because the computer isn’t able to work properly due to improper detection or installation of these drivers.
The monitor screen may sometimes go bad due to aging or faults in the circuits. This leads to the flickering of the monitor screen. The only way to fix this issue is to replace the monitor screen with a new one.
Since a monitor is an output unit, there are several ways of giving input to the monitor. The input is usually given by HDMI cables or USB cables. When these cables aren’t connected properly to the computer, the monitor screen will flicker.
Sometimes when you have incompatible applications installed on your computer, the monitor screen may flicker. You can fix this issue by finding and uninstalling incompatible applications.
When the graphics card isn’t seated properly in the motherboard, flickering issues occur in the monitor very often. So you have to make sure that the graphics card is firmly held in its slot to stop your monitor from flickering.
If the monitor flickers because of incompatible applications, faulty graphics drivers, or a non-optimal refresh rate of the monitor, it can be fixed by basic troubleshooting.
If your monitor flickers because of faults in the monitor itself, the only way to fix it is to replace the monitor with a new one.
Hardware failure is most likely the cause of a flickering display. Sometimes, bad graphics drivers can also lead to flickering displays. You can check the hardware and update the graphics drivers to troubleshoot these issues.
You can stop your monitor from flickering by updating the drivers, deleting the incompatible applications, optimizing the monitor refresh rate, checking connections, and reconnecting the graphics card.
• Update the drivers
• Delete incompatible applications
• Optimize monitor refresh rate
• Check the cable connections
• Reconnect the graphics card
1. Go to the “Device Manager” of your computer and click the “Display Adapters” option. Right-click the name of a driver and select “Update” from the context menu. Follow the given prompts to update your drivers.
2. Press the “Ctrl”, “Alt” and “Del” keys to launch the “Task Manager” window of the computer. Check for problematic applications and delete them.
3. Modify the monitor refresh rate by going to the “Settings” of your computer. Select “System” and click the “Display” option. In the “Multiple displays” section, click “Advanced display settings.”
4. Change the monitor refresh rate here to another value from the list of options provided.
5. Remove the cable connections and connect them again to ensure a firm connection.
6. Remove the graphics card and snap it back again to seat it properly in the motherboard slot.
Your monitor may flicker ON and OFF because of a failing monitor, loose power connections, loose input connections, or a low screen refresh rate.
• Failing monitor
• Loose power and input connection cables
• Low screen refresh rate
You Can Fix This By Following The Steps Given Below -
1. Click the “Battery” icon and select “More Power Options”.
2. Set the “Choose When to turn OFF display” option to “Never” from the drop-down menu and save the settings.
3. Press the “Windows” and “D” keys to access the desktop. Right-click the desktop and choose “Screen Resolution”.
4. Click the “Advanced Settings” option followed by the “Monitor” tab. Change the refresh rate from 72 Hertz to 85 Hertz. Click the “OK” button to save the changes.
5. Check the power and input cables. You can remove and connect them back.
6. Update the video drivers installed on your computer from the “Task Manager”.
You can fix the flickering issue in your LCD monitor by setting the screen refresh rate of your monitor. To do this, follow the steps below to increase the refresh rate.
1. Click the “Start” button and go to the “Control Panel”.
2. Select the “Display” option and go to “Change display settings”.
3. Click “Advanced Settings”. Choose the “Monitor” option.
4. Change the screen refresh rate to raise the value.
You can fix the horizontal lines on your computer by checking the cable connections, adjusting the resolution, calibrating your screen, and so on.
• Check cable connections
• Adjust screen resolution
• Calibrate the screen
1. Turn your monitor ON and OFF and leave it OFF for two minutes before turning it back ON.
2. Check your cable connection to spot any loose connection. See if you are using the right kind of cables.
3. Adjust the screen resolution by going to the “Personalization” menu in Control Panel. Select a maximum resolution for your screen.
4. Calibrate the screen to perform the function of your choice.
5. Change the screen refresh rate and update the video drivers of your computer.
Your monitor may flicker while playing games because of the monitor refresh rate settings. You can fix this by changing the refresh rate and performing a clean boot on your computer.
1. Press the “Windows” and “X” keys simultaneously.
2. Select “Control Panel” and click “Display”.
3. Click “Change Display Settings” and select “Advanced Settings”.
4. Click the “Monitor” tab.
5. Change the screen refresh rate by clicking the up and down arrows. Apply the changes and click the “OK” button.
Your monitor may flicker while scrolling because of bad graphics drivers installed on your computer.
You can fix this by following the steps given below.
1. Go to the “Device Manager” of your computer and click “Display Adapters”.
2. Right-click the name of the graphics driver and select the “Uninstall” option from the context menu.
3. Restart your computer and go to the official website of your graphics card manufacturer.
4. Enter the details of your PC and download the pack of the graphics driver from the official website. Save the files on your computer’s desktop.
5. Right-click the name of the graphics driver and choose the “Run as Administrator” option. Follow the prompts given by the computer to install the latest drivers on your PC.
The monitor may flicker on-screen and wake up because of problems with the system hardware or display adapters.
• System hardware problem
• Display adapter problem
You can fix this by running a system check or uninstalling the display adapters and installing them again. To do this, follow the steps given below.
1. your computer and enter the setup by repeatedly pressing the key specified by your manufacturer for this purpose.
2. Run a “System Test” to check if all the components of your computer are working fine. If there are no errors in the components’ working, move on to uninstalling the display adapters.
3. To uninstall the display adapters, right-click the name of the display adapter in the “Device Manager” window. Restart the computer and download the drivers back on your computer and install them.
The monitor starts flickering at 144Hz when the monitor’s high pixel clock wants the graphics card to run at a higher speed but the card downclocks too much.
To fix this, you will need to change the power management settings. To do this, follow the steps given below.
1. Go to the NVIDIA Control Panel.
2. Select “Manage 3D Settings”.
3. Click the “Power Management” option and set the “Performance level” option to “Maximum”.
4. Set the “Multi-display/Mixed GPU Acceleration” field to “Single display performance mode”.
Your screen may flicker when connected to HDMI because of loose cables, the wrong value of monitor refresh rate improperly connected video card, or a bad monitor.
• Loose cables
• Wrong monitor refresh rate setting
• Improperly connected video card
• Bad monitor
1. Remove the HDMI cables and connect them again to ensure a firm connection between the cable and the monitor.
2. Set the refresh rate to optimal value by going to the “Display Adapter Properties” window and clicking the “Monitor” tab. In the “Properties” window, you will get an option to set the monitor refresh rate.
3. Remove and re-insert the video card properly in its slot and make sure that it’s properly seated in the slot.
4. When a monitor goes bad, the flickering issue occurs. The only way to fix this is to replace the monitor with a new one.
Your computer screen may flicker because of incompatible applications or outdated drivers installed on your computer.
• Incompatible applications
• Outdated drivers
You may find out the exact reason for your screen flickering when connected to Wi-Fi by following the steps given below:
1. Press the “Ctrl”, “Shift” and “Esc” keys to launch the “Task Manager” on your computer screen. See if the screen flickers along with the “Task Manager” window or alone. If the entire screen except for the “Task Manager” window flickers, then it is because of an incompatible application.
2. To uninstall an incompatible application, type “Settings” in the search bar and press the “Enter” key. Click “System” followed by the “Apps and Features” option. Click the name of the problematic application under the “Apps & Features” section and select the “Uninstall” option. You will be required to confirm your choice by clicking the “Uninstall” button again.
3. You can uninstall an incompatible application from the “Control Panel” as well. To do this, open the “Control Panel” window and click the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs”.
4. Click the name of the application that you want to uninstall and choose the “Uninstall” option. Follow the prompts to finally uninstall an incompatible application from your computer.
5. If the screen flickers along with the “Task Manager”, then outdated graphics drivers are the reason why your screen flickers when connected to Wi-Fi. To update the graphics drivers, start your computer in safe mode by opening “Settings”. Click the “Update and Security” option and select “Recovery”.
6. In the “Advanced Startup” menu, select the “Restart now” option. Click the “Troubleshoot” option and go to “Advanced Options”. Select the “Startup Settings” option and click “Restart”.
7. When the computer restarts, select the “Enable Safe Mode” option. Press the “Windows” and “X” keys and select “Device Manager” to open it. Click “Device Adapters”. Right-click the name of the adapter and select “Uninstall” from the context menu.
8. Select the “Delete this driver software for this device” checkbox. Click the “OK” button to confirm your choice and continue.
9. Restart your computer to install the graphics drivers. To do this, open “Settings” and go to the “Update and Security” option.
10.Click the “Windows update” option and select “Check for updates” to install the latest version of the graphics driver on your computer.