Fix MacBook Screen Flickering – Screen flickering in Windows 10 is usually caused by a display driver issue or an incompatible app. To determine whether a display driver or app is causing the problem, check to see if Task Manager flickers.
Why is My Screen Flickering?
Not everyone reported these problems, but there are certainly enough people experiencing this for it to get mentioned.
The flickering screen appears on retina and non-retina screens, with Mac users noting that it can affect them when using Terminal or when graphics are enabled or disabled. In some cases, it’s so bad that it makes looking at the screen impossible.
How to Fix Mac Screen Flickering?
There are several potential solutions to this problem. In turn, it is worth trying each one, then seeing whether the screen flickering issue is still present or if one of the fixes has solved it, as each Mac may have a different reaction to this hardware and software interactivity challenge.
Restart your Mac
- Go to the Apple Menu > Restart.
- Or Shut Down, then give it a few minutes before starting it up again.
Update your macOS
- Go to the Mac App Store or Apple Menu > System Preferences.
- If a macOS update is available – which means you aren’t running the latest version (which could contain the automatic updates needed to solve this problem) – then a new macOS will be waiting for you to download it.
- Back up your data beforehand, either to an external hard drive, third-party cloud storage, or iCloud.
- Now follow the steps to update the macOS and once your Mac restarts, see whether the screen flickering issue is still present under the same conditions as before.
Assuming neither of the above solutions has solved this, you can try a few other things.
Change your Display Resolution
This is just a workaround, but many users reported that this method worked for them, so you might want to try it out. To change the resolution, do the following:
- Go to the Apple menu and choose System Preferences.
- Now select Displays and click on Display.
- Switch to a different scaled resolution.
- Now switch back to your original resolution.
Bear in mind that this is just a workaround, but several users reported that it worked for them, so you might want to try it out.
Disable Automatic Graphics Switching
Several users reported that you can fix MacBook screen flashing simply by disabling the Automatic graphics switching option. To do that, just follow these simple steps:
- Open System Preferences and head over to the Energy Saver section.
- Locate the Automatic graphics switching and uncheck this option.
Keep in mind that by disabling this option you’ll always use your dedicated graphics and your MacBook will use more power and drain its battery faster.
Install the Latest Updates
In some instances, you can fix the problem simply by installing the latest updates. To do that, follow these steps:
- Go to the Apple menu and choose System Preferences.
- Now go to Software Update.
- If any updates are available, click on the Update Now button to install them.
Many users reported that installing the latest updates fixed the problem for them, so be sure to try that. There you go, these are the best methods you can use to fix the flickering screen on your MacBook.
Fix MacBook Screen Flickering – Clear Caches and System Junk
To solve this problem, there is an app you can download that clears out loads of system junk that impairs performance.
- Download CleanMyMac X for free.
- Launch the app and click the System Junk tab
- Let it run for a few minutes: It will indicate how much junk it has found and wants to clear, then you only need to confirm, and your Mac should be running as good as new.
- Or better, run Smart Scan to clean up junk, start speedup scripts, and check your system for malware — all in one go.
Reset the PRAM (or NVRAM)
- Switch off your Mac.
- Press and hold these keys, Control + Option + P + R for about 20 seconds, that is until the Apple logo appears and disappears for the second time.
- If resetting the SMC didn’t fix the issue, then resetting the NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) and PRAM (Parameter Random Access Memory) might d the trick.
- The cause of the screen flickering issue might be a bugged NVRAM or PRAM. A bugged memory can cause the graphics card to malfunction which in turn could be the reason for the flickering issue.
Resetting both NVRAM and PRAM will get rid of the bugs and might fix the issue. Resetting them is similar to resetting the SMC, follow these steps:
- One thing to keep in mind before resetting NVRAM and PRAM is that it might reconfigure display, startup disk settings, and time zone to factory defaults. You can always change them back to your preference later, so you don’t have to worry.
Fix MacBook Screen Flickering – Adjust Energy Saver settings
- If you use MacBook Pro, MacBook screen blinking is sometimes caused by Energy Saver working improperly.
- If you enable “Automatic graphics switching” in Energy Saver, your Mac will alternate between 2 different graphics chips. But things often break.
- Open your System Preferences > Battery.
- Uncheck the box that says “Automatic graphic switching”
- Restart your computer and see if the MacBook screen flashing stopped.
Enter a Safe mode
Safe Mode disables a number of services and puts others in a low-key mode. This affects screen parameters as well. Try entering a Safe Mode to see if your screen graphics stabilized.
- Shut down your Mac completely.
- Hold down the Shift key and turn the Power on.
- Keep holding Shift until the Login Screen appears.
- This is the Safe Mode.
By now, you should see if your Mac screen glitching continues.
Disable True Tone (for 2018 Macs and newer)
The True Tone technology makes your screen colors look more natural. But sometimes, its color management goes off track.
- To disable True Tone, open your System Preferences.
- Click on Displays.
- Now, uncheck the True Tone box.
Also Read: How to Clear System Storage on MAC?
