How to Fix Laptop Screen Flickering

Screen flickering on a laptop is usually caused by a display driver problem or an incompatible refresh rate setting — both easy to fix in software.

Likely causes

• Outdated or corrupt display driver
• Incorrect refresh rate setting
• Incompatible app causing conflict
• Loose display cable (hardware)
• Failing backlight

Step-by-step fix

1. 1
   Check if Task Manager flickers

   Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). If Task Manager does NOT flicker but everything else does, the problem is a software or app conflict. If Task Manager flickers too, it is a driver issue.

2. 2
   Update your display driver

   Right-click the Start button → Device Manager → Display adapters → right-click your GPU → Update driver. Restart afterwards.

3. 3
   Change the screen refresh rate

   Right-click the desktop → Display settings → Advanced display → Choose a refresh rate. Try 60Hz if you are on a higher setting.

4. 4
   Boot in Safe Mode

   If the screen does not flicker in Safe Mode, a third-party app or driver is causing the issue. Uninstall recently installed software.

5. 5
   Uninstall and reinstall display driver

   In Device Manager, right-click your display adapter and select "Uninstall device". Restart — Windows will reinstall a clean driver automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides