How to fix Windows 11 screen flickering or flashing after a driver update

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix Windows 11 screen flickering or flashing after a driver update. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Screen flickering or flashing on Windows 11 after a graphics driver update is a common but frustrating issue. It can be caused by a faulty driver installation, incompatible display settings, or conflicts with third-party applications. This guide walks you through the most effective fixes, starting with the quickest and least disruptive options.

Quick Fix Steps

Try these steps first. They resolve the majority of flickering issues without requiring advanced troubleshooting.

1. Restart your computer. A simple reboot often clears temporary display glitches after a driver update.
2. Check your display cable. Ensure the cable connecting your monitor to your PC is firmly seated at both ends. A loose HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C cable can cause intermittent flickering.
3. Test with a different refresh rate. Right-click the desktop, select Display settings, then Advanced display. Try lowering the refresh rate from 144Hz to 60Hz, or vice versa, to see if the flickering stops.
4. Disable hardware acceleration in your web browser or any open application that supports it. In Microsoft Edge, go to Settings > System and performance and toggle off Use graphics acceleration when available.

Roll Back the Graphics Driver

If the flickering started immediately after a driver update, rolling back to the previous driver version is the most direct solution.

1. Press Windows key + X and select Device Manager from the menu.
2. Expand the Display adapters category.
3. Right-click your graphics card (for example, Intel UHD Graphics, NVIDIA GeForce, or AMD Radeon) and select Properties.
4. Open the Driver tab.
5. Click Roll Back Driver.
6. Select a reason for rolling back and click Yes.
7. Restart your computer when prompted.

Manually Install an Older Driver

If rollback is unavailable, download a previous driver version directly from the graphics card manufacturer:

• NVIDIA: Visit the NVIDIA Driver Downloads page, enter your GPU model, and select an older driver version from the list.
• AMD: Use the AMD Drivers and Support page to find previous versions for your Radeon graphics card.
• Intel: Download older drivers from the Intel Download Center for integrated graphics.

1. Download the older driver installer to your computer.
2. Open Device Manager and expand Display adapters.
3. Right-click your graphics card and select Uninstall device.
4. Tick the box for Attempt to remove the driver for this device and click Uninstall.
5. Restart your computer. Windows will load a basic display driver.
6. Run the downloaded installer for the older driver version and follow the on-screen prompts.
7. Restart your computer again after installation completes.

Update the Graphics Driver

In some cases, the flickering is caused by a partially installed or corrupted driver update. Reinstalling the latest driver cleanly can resolve the issue.

1. Open Device Manager (Windows key + X > Device Manager).
2. Expand Display adapters and right-click your graphics card.
3. Select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
4. If Windows finds a newer driver, allow it to install and restart your computer.
5. If no newer driver is found, visit the manufacturer's website and download the latest driver for your specific GPU model and Windows 11 version.
6. Before installing, uninstall the current driver as described in the section above, then run the new installer.

Check for Incompatible Applications

Certain third-party applications are known to cause screen flickering on Windows 11, particularly those that overlay content on the screen or modify display behaviour.

Identify the Culprit with a Clean Boot

1. Press Windows key + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.
2. Open the Services tab.
3. Tick Hide all Microsoft services.
4. Click Disable all.
5. Open the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
6. In Task Manager, disable all startup items by right-clicking each one and selecting Disable.
7. Close Task Manager and click OK in System Configuration.
8. Restart your computer.

If the flickering stops after a clean boot, one of the disabled services or startup items is responsible. Re-enable items in small groups, restarting between each group, until you identify the problematic application. Once found, update, reinstall, or remove that application.

Common Problematic Applications

• Third-party antivirus or security suites with screen overlay features
• Screen recording or streaming software (OBS Studio, XSplit, etc.)
• Overclocking utilities (MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision X1)
• Older versions of remote desktop tools
• Custom cursor or desktop enhancement applications

Adjust Display Settings

Windows 11 display settings can sometimes conflict with a newly installed driver. Adjusting these settings can stabilise the display.

1. Right-click the desktop and select Display settings.
2. Under Scale and layout, try changing the scale percentage (for example, from 150% to 125% or 100%).
3. Click Advanced display and try a different Refresh rate.
4. If you have multiple monitors, temporarily disconnect all but one to rule out multi-monitor conflicts.
5. Disable HDR if it is enabled. Go to Display settings > HDR and toggle it off.

Disable Variable Refresh Rate

Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technologies such as NVIDIA G-Sync or AMD FreeSync can cause flickering on some monitors after a driver update.

1. Open Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
2. Click Change default graphics settings.
3. Toggle off Variable refresh rate.
4. Restart your computer and check if the flickering persists.

You may also need to disable G-Sync or FreeSync in the graphics card control panel (NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software).

Run the Windows Display Troubleshooter

Windows 11 includes a built-in diagnostic tool that can automatically detect and fix common display problems.

1. Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot.
2. Click Other troubleshooters.
3. Find Display in the list and click Run.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts and apply any recommended fixes.

Check for Windows Updates

Microsoft regularly releases patches that address display compatibility issues. Ensure your system is fully up to date.

1. Open Settings > Windows Update.
2. Click Check for updates.
3. Install any available updates, including optional driver updates listed under Advanced options > Optional updates.
4. Restart your computer after updates are installed.

For more detailed guidance, see How to update Windows.

Reset or Reinstall Windows 11

If none of the above steps resolve the flickering, a more comprehensive fix may be required. Consider resetting Windows 11 while keeping your personal files, or performing a clean installation.

• Reset this PC: Open Settings > System > Recovery and click Reset PC. Choose Keep my files to retain your personal data while reinstalling Windows.
• Clean installation: For a complete fresh start, follow our guide on How to Perform a Clean Installation of Windows 11.

If you continue to experience screen flickering after completing all the steps in this article, Open a Ticket and our support team will assist you further.

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