Laptop Screen Flickering or Showing Lines: Driver or Hardware Fault?

Start with Microsoft's test: open Task Manager while the screen flickers. If Task Manager flickers too, the display driver is the likely cause, so reset it with Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B, then roll back or update it in Device Manager. If only other windows flicker, an app is the cause. If the flicker or lines also appear on a built-in screen test or an external monitor, suspect hardware instead.

Who this is for and what you will have at the end

This guide is for anyone using a Windows 11 laptop whose built-in screen flickers, flashes, shows horizontal or vertical lines, or goes in and out. By the end you will know whether the cause is the display driver, an app, a display setting or the hardware, and what to do next in each case. A Mac section is not included: the steps here are for Windows laptops.

You need administrator rights to roll back or remove a driver. If the screen is too unstable to read, Microsoft suggests starting the PC in safe mode before you follow the steps below.

Quick reference

Step 1: Reset the graphics driver

Microsoft's troubleshooting page puts this first. Press the Windows logo key, Ctrl, Shift and B at the same time. This resets the graphics driver. If the flicker remains, restart the PC.

Also save your work before the next steps, because some of them restart the machine.

Step 2: Run the Task Manager test

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and choose Task Manager. If it does not appear, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
2. Watch Task Manager while the flicker is happening.
3. If Task Manager flickers along with the rest of the screen, a display driver is the likely cause. Continue to Step 3.
4. If Task Manager does not flicker but the rest of the screen does, an incompatible app is the likely cause. Skip to Step 4.

Step 3: Fix the display driver

Microsoft's advice: if Windows Update recently updated your device, roll back the driver. Otherwise, update or uninstall the driver.

Roll back the driver

1. Search the taskbar for Device Manager and open it.
2. Expand Display adapters.
3. Right-click the adapter and select Properties.
4. On the Driver tab, select Roll Back Driver, choose a reason if asked, then select Yes.
5. Restart the laptop.

If Roll Back Driver is unavailable, Windows has no earlier driver to restore, so move on to updating or reinstalling.

Update the driver

1. In Device Manager, expand Display adapters and right-click the adapter.
2. Select Update driver and choose to search automatically.
3. If Windows finds nothing, you may need the latest driver from the laptop maker or the graphics adapter maker.

Microsoft recommends Windows Update as the best source for driver updates. If you download a driver manually, get it from the manufacturer's official website, matching your Windows version and architecture, then use Update driver and browse to the folder.

Laptops with two graphics adapters, for example integrated plus dedicated, list both under Display adapters. If flicker affects the whole screen, work on the adapter that drives the built-in display, and check the laptop maker's support page for the matching driver.

Reinstall the driver

1. In Device Manager, expand Display adapters, right-click the adapter and select Properties.
2. On the Driver tab, select Uninstall Device.
3. Tick the box to remove the driver. On Windows 11 it reads "Attempt to remove the driver for this device."
4. Select OK and restart. Windows tries to reinstall the driver.

If you do not see the check box, start the PC in safe mode and try again. If Windows then installs a generic adapter, see the troubleshooting section for Microsoft Basic Display Adapter.

Step 4: Fix an app that causes flicker

If only the rest of the screen flickers and Task Manager does not:

1. Update the app. For Microsoft Store apps, check the Store for updates. For other apps, check the maker's website.
2. If that does not help, uninstall it: Start, Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Find the app, select it, choose Uninstall and confirm.
3. Restart and check whether the flicker is gone.
4. If it persists, uninstall suspect apps one at a time, restarting and checking after each.
5. Reinstall only the ones you need. For Store apps, open the Store, select Library, choose the app and select Install.

Step 5: Check the refresh rate

The refresh rate is how often the screen redraws each second. To check it in Windows 11:

1. Open Start, then Settings, System, Display, Advanced display.
2. Next to Choose a refresh rate, select a different rate.

The available rates depend on your display. Rates marked with an asterisk do not support your current resolution, and Windows changes the resolution to reach them. If the flicker started after you or an app changed the rate, set the previous value and see whether it stops. Microsoft also notes that Dynamic Refresh Rate requires a display that supports variable refresh rate and a rate of at least 120 Hz, and that turning it off is the recommended fix when a game runs slowly after enabling it.

Step 6: Rule out hardware

If the driver and settings checks do not help, test the display path itself.

Use an external monitor

1. Connect an external monitor. Microsoft says to press the Windows logo key + P and confirm that Extend is selected.
2. Make sure the cable is secure, and try a different cable or port if you can. Unplug docks, dongles and adapters, which can cause conflicts.
3. Watch the external monitor. If it is clean while the laptop panel flickers or shows lines, the fault is more likely in the panel or its connection. If the external monitor flickers too, return to the driver steps.

If you use a dock, test with it unplugged first. See docking station vs USB-C hub for how docks affect displays.

Run the maker's built-in screen test

Some makers include a test that runs before Windows starts, so it ignores drivers. Dell's instructions for its laptops are:

1. Save your work, shut the laptop down completely and wait for the lights to go off.
2. Disconnect external monitors, USB devices, docks and headphones, and plug in the power adapter.
3. Press and hold the D key, press the Power button, and keep holding D until colors appear.
4. Watch the cycle of solid black, white, red, green and blue for lines, spots, flickering, dark sections and washed-out colors.
5. Press Esc, or hold the Power button for 10 seconds, to stop.

Dell says the test checks only screen hardware, not Windows or drivers. If everything looks normal, the screen hardware appears fine and the cause is likely the graphics driver, display settings or Windows updates. If you see lines, dots, dark areas or distortion, the screen may need service. Other makers have their own diagnostics, so look for a screen or video test in your laptop maker's support site.

Cracks, pressure marks or spider-web patterns mean the glass is damaged. Dell notes that standard warranties typically do not cover physical damage. For repair planning see laptop extended warranty: is it worth it and cracked phone screen repair options for general repair-versus-replace thinking.

Verification

• Open a video, a web page with moving content and a plain white window for a few minutes and look for flicker.
• Restart once and check again, because some driver faults return after a restart.

Troubleshooting

Microsoft Basic Display Adapter appears

This is a generic driver built into Windows, used when a display driver from the hardware maker is not installed or available. Microsoft recommends updating to the manufacturer-specific driver. Try Windows Update first, then download the driver from the graphics adapter maker's site and install it manually. You can confirm which driver is active in Device Manager under Display adapters, or by running dxdiag.exe and opening the Display tab.

Roll Back Driver is grayed out

Windows has no earlier driver to restore. Update or reinstall the driver, or get a driver version from the laptop maker's support page.

Windows reinstalls the same bad driver

After a restart, Windows tries to reinstall the driver. If the same problem returns, install a different version from the laptop maker, or roll back again if a Windows Update replaces it.

Flicker stays on every screen, including the maker's test

Take notes and a photo of what you see, including any LED flash pattern, and contact the laptop maker's support. The test points to the screen hardware, not to Windows.

Closing checklist

• Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B, then restart if needed.
• Run the Task Manager test to separate driver from app.
• Roll back the driver if Windows Update changed it, otherwise update or reinstall it.
• Update or remove any app that triggers the flicker.
• Check the refresh rate under Advanced display.
• Test with an external monitor and the maker's built-in screen test.
• Contact the maker if the hardware checks show lines or flicker.

References

• Microsoft Support, Troubleshoot screen flickering in Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/display-graphics/troubleshoot-screen-flickering-in-windows
• Microsoft Support, Change the refresh rate on your monitor in Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/display-graphics/change-the-refresh-rate-on-your-monitor-in-windows
• Microsoft Support, Update drivers through Device Manager in Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/update-drivers-through-device-manager-in-windows-ec62f46c-ff14-c91d-eead-d7126dc1f7b6
• Microsoft Support, Microsoft basic display adapter in Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/display-graphics/microsoft-basic-display-adapter-in-windows
• Microsoft Support, Troubleshoot external monitor connections in Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/display-graphics/troubleshoot-external-monitor-connections-in-windows
• Dell Support, How to run the LCD built-in self-test on a Dell laptop: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000134936