Top 8 Ways to Fix Screen Flickering on MacBook

Top 8 Ways to Fix Screen Flickering on MacBook

Apple has gradually changed the scope of its MacBooks over the past few years. Lately, quality control issues in the hardware and software departments have quietly hit users. One of the glaring issues with the MacBook is the unusual screen flickering out of nowhere.


Apple MacBook Screen Problems

The screen flickering issue appears on both retina and non-retina displays, with many Mac users noting that it can affect them while using Terminal or when graphics are turned on or off. In some cases, it is so bad that it makes it impossible to look at the screen.

The problem seems to be caused by an incompatibility between the operating system, the program and the GPU. If you are having screen flickering issue on Mac, read on as we have compiled a list of methods you can try to fix the display.

1. Restart Mac

Let’s start with the basics. Turn your MacBook off and on again using the Restart option. Every device related issue looks serious, but you can fix it with a restart. You would be surprised how often this works. If the MacBook screen flickering issue is software related, you should definitely try it at first to test it.


Restart the Mac

Tap the little Apple icon in the top left corner and select Restart.

2. Adjust the energy saving settings

If you are using MacBook Pro, sometimes the MacBook screen flickering is caused by the power saver not working properly. If you enable automatic graphics switching in Energy Saver, your Mac will alternate between two different graphics chips depending on usage.

For light tasks, the system will opt for an integrated Intel graphics card while intensive tasks are handled by the dedicated graphics card. This will only be limited to the Intel processor carrying Macs.

Follow the steps below to turn off automatic graphics switching on Mac.

Step 1: Tap the Apple icon in the top left corner.

2nd step: Access System Preferences.


Graphic switching

Step 3: Open Energy Saver and turn off the automatic graphics switching option.

3. Enter Safe Mode

Safe Mode on macOS turns off many services and puts them in stealth mode. It also affects the screen settings. Try entering Safe Mode to see if your screen graphics have stabilized.

Step 1: Shut down your Mac completely.

2nd step: Hold down the Shift key and turn on the device.

Step 3: Continue to hold Shift until the login screen appears.

Step 4: This is safe mode.

Now you should see if your Mac’s screen problems continue.

4. Turn off the true tone display

Apple True Tone Display from iPhone to Mac with the 2018 MacBook line. True Tone technology makes your screen colors look more natural. But sometimes its color management goes off the rails.

True Tone is great and pleasing to the eye, but it also requires constant GPU involvement and can therefore cause screen flickering.

Follow the steps below to turn off True Tone display on Mac.

Step 1: Tap the Apple icon in the top left corner.

2nd step: Access the System Preferences menu.

Step 3: Go to View> True Tone and turn the option off.

5. Uninstall third-party browsers

There have been many MacBook screen flickering issues when using Chromium or Firefox. This is due to the incompatibility with the operating system. Completely uninstall third-party browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome and restart your device to check if it worked.


Firefox uninstalled

6. Change the display resolution

Another trick to try is to change your screen resolution. Go to Displays in System Preferences and play around with the resolution settings. Try disabling the default option displayed there.


Change resolution

7. Update macOS

You might be facing the screen flickering issue after the last macOS update. After all, Apple isn’t having a good time providing quality updates. But note that Apple is generally quick to resolve these critical issues. Update to the most recent and stable version of macOS to resolve the screen flickering issue. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Open the System Preferences menu on the Mac.

2nd step: Go to Software Update and check for any major updates pending.

If there are any, install them all and make sure your Mac is running the latest version of macOS.


Update the Mac

Restart the device and see if it fixed the screen issues.

8. If it is a hardware problem

It may be the screen connector on the MacBook hinge that has come loose. In this case, no other software trick will do the job for you. You will need to bring your Mac to service. Apple offers a free replacement program for this problem.

Also on Guiding Tech

Troubleshoot display issues on Mac

Go through the solutions above and fix screen flickering issues on Mac. While you’re at it, let us know which trick worked for you in the comments section below.

Then:

MacBooks with Butterly keyboard are infamous for keyboard problems. If you have one, read the article below on how to fix repeating letters or double spacing on MacBook.

Last updated on 23 Dec 2020

The above article may contain affiliate links that help support Guiding Tech. However, this does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains impartial and authentic.

Leave a Reply