Screen Flickering, Flashing, or Going Black in Windows

Display problems can originate from Windows, graphics drivers, applications, GPU settings, monitors, or physical connections.

1. Restart the Graphics Driver

Press:

Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B

Windows will attempt to restart the graphics driver.

Your screen may briefly flash or go black.

2. Check Your Display Cable

Make sure the HDMI or DisplayPort cable is firmly connected.

If possible:

  • Reseat the cable

  • Try another GPU port

  • Try another cable

  • Test another monitor

3. Check Refresh Rate

Open:

Settings → System → Display → Advanced display

Confirm that your monitor is using a supported refresh rate.

If the problem began after changing the refresh rate, return it to a known-stable setting.

4. Update or Reinstall Your Graphics Driver

Install the appropriate driver for your NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel GPU.

If the problem began immediately after updating your graphics driver, rolling back or cleanly reinstalling the driver may help.

See our Reinstalling Graphics Drivers guide.

5. Disable GPU Tuning Temporarily

If you are using:

  • GPU overclocking

  • VRAM overclocking

  • Undervolting

  • Custom power limits

return the GPU to stock settings and test again.

6. Check Overlays and Hardware Acceleration

If flickering occurs only inside certain applications, temporarily disable:

  • Game overlays

  • Recording overlays

  • Browser hardware acceleration

  • Third-party display utilities

7. Try Safe Mode

If the screen behaves normally in Safe Mode, a graphics driver or third-party application may be responsible.

If You Have a Completely Black Screen

If Windows appears to load but the desktop remains black, try:

  • Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager

  • Restarting Windows Explorer

  • Booting into Safe Mode

  • Reinstalling or rolling back the graphics driver

  • Using System Restore if the issue began after a recent system change

Still Having Display Problems?

If the issue also occurs before Windows loads, inside the BIOS, or on multiple operating systems, the problem may be hardware-related rather than a Windows configuration issue.