How to Fix MacBook Screen Flickering: 10 Best Solutions

Written by

Ojash

Reviewed by

Hashir Ibrahim

Last updated: September 18, 2024

Expert verified

It’s frustrating when your Mac screen flickers out of nowhere, interrupting whatever you’re doing. I went through this myself recently, but after some troubleshooting, I found easy ways to fix it

Basic Troubleshooting to Fix Mac Screen Flickering

Before diving into complex solutions, there are some basic troubleshooting steps you can take to resolve screen flickering issues on your Mac. Here they are:

a) Restart Your Mac

Simply turning off your Mac and turning it back on can solve a range of issues, including screen flickering. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select Restart.

b) Check Display Settings

Go to System Settings > Displays and make sure your screen resolution and refresh rate settings are correctly configured.

c) Update Your macOS

Updating your macOS is often an overlooked but remarkably effective step in resolving various issues, including screen flickering. Here’s how to update macOS on your Mac:

1. Click the Apple icon in the menu bar and select System Settings.

2. In the System Settings window, click General in the left sidebar and select Software Update.

3. In the Software Update settings, if an update is available, you will find a button labeled Update Now. Click the Update Now button to initiate the download process. The macOS update files will start downloading to your Mac.

4. Once the installation is complete, your Mac will restart with the latest macOS version.
5. Once the download is complete, the macOS installer will automatically launch. 
6. Your Mac may restart multiple times during the installation.

Advanced Methods to Fix MacBook Screen Flickering

Now, I’ve shared some quick and easy but slightly advanced methods to fix your MacBook screen flickering issue:

1. Run Apple Diagnostics

Running Apple Diagnostics is an excellent way to identify any underlying hardware issues that could be causing your MacBook’s screen to flicker. This built-in tool scans your system for hardware problems and provides you with suggested solutions.

Here’s my detailed guide on how to run Apple Diagnostics on your Mac.

2. Close Background Processes

Quit all unnecessary apps and programs running in the background to see if they are causing the flickering. Here’s how to kill background processes on your Mac:

1. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select Force Quit from the dropdown menu.

3. A window will appear with a list of active applications.
4. Select the application you want to terminate.
5. Click the Force Quit button at the bottom of the window.

6. Confirm that you want to force quit the application, and it will be terminated.

3. Reset the SMC

Resetting the SMC can resolve hardware-related issues, including screen flickering, by managing power and system performance. Here’s how to reset the SMC on your Mac:

With a Removable Battery

1. Shut down your Mac. 

2. Remove your MacBook’s battery.

3. Press and hold the Power button for 5 seconds while the battery is removed.

4. Release the Power button and reinstall the battery.

5. Turn on your Mac by pressing the Power button.

With Non-Removable Battery

1. Tap the Apple icon and select Shut Down from the drop-down menu.

2. Press and hold the Shift ⇧ + Control ^ + Option ⌥ keys with the power button for 10 seconds.

3. Release all the keys and press the power button to turn on your MacBook.
4. After your MacBook restarts, observe the screen to see if the flickering issue is resolved.

4. Reset the PRAM or NVRAM

Resetting the Parameter RAM (PRAM) or Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory (NVRAM) can resolve issues related to screen resolution, battery settings, and other system settings.

Here’s how to reset the NVRAM/PRAM on your Mac:

1. Turn off your Mac.
2. Press the power button to turn on your Mac.

3. Press and hold the Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + P + R keys simultaneously on your Mac’s keyboard before the gray screen appears.

4. Keep holding the keys until your Mac restarts and you hear the startup chime twice. If you have a Mac with the T2 Security Chip, keep holding the keys until the Apple logo appears and disappears twice.
5. Release the keys and let your Mac start up normally.
6. Once your MacBook reboots, monitor the screen to see if the flickering has been resolved.

5. Boot Into Safe Mode

Booting into Safe Mode is a great way to isolate issues and determine if the screen flickering is caused by third-party software or drivers. In Safe Mode, macOS will only load essential system software, making it easier to identify and fix problems.

Checkout my detailed guide on how to boot your Mac into safe mode.

6. Disable True Tone and Dark Mode

Disabling True Tone and Dark Mode can resolve flickering caused by display settings adjusting to ambient light or dark themes. Here’s how to disable True Tone on your Mac:

1. Click the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen and tap System Settings.

2. In the System Settings window, click Displays.

3. Toggle off the True Tone option in the right pane.

Now, let’s move to the Dark Mode.

Sometimes, you make your Mac Dark Mode for the aesthetics, but if that’s causing a screen flickering issue on your system, you may want to disable it. Follow these steps to disable Dark Mode on your Mac:

1. Click the Apple menu and select System Settings.

2. In System Settings, click Appearance in the left sidebar.

3. In the Appearance section, you will see options for Light, Dark, and Auto.
4. Click the Light option to switch back to the standard Light Mode.

It’s a good idea to restart your MacBook to make sure the changes take full effect. Once your MacBook has rebooted, observe the screen to see if the flickering issue has been resolved.

7. Remove Junk and Cache Files

Clearing accumulated junk and cache files can free up system resources and resolve flickering caused by system overloads. Here’s how to clear junk files on your Mac:

1. Open Finder, click Go in the menu bar, and select Go to Folder.

2. Type in the following path and press Enter:

~/Library/Caches

3. Select the cache files you want to delete or select all cache files. Right-click the selected files and select Move to Bin.

4. Right-click the Bin icon in Dock and select Empty Bin to delete junk files from your Mac permanently.

Alternatively, you can use MacKeeper to clear the cache files on your Mac without manually identifying the files. Here’s how to do it:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. Now launch MacKeeper and select Safe Cleanup in the left sidebar.

3. Click Start Scan.

4. From the list of detected items, choose which ones you want to remove from your Mac or click Check All.

5. Click Clean Junk Files.

6. Wait for MacKeeper to finish cleaning. When it’s done, you’ll get a Cleaning Completed notification. Click Rescan to scan your Mac again.

8. Disable Automatic Graphics Switching

Disabling automatic graphics switching on MacBook Pros with dual GPUs can resolve flickering caused by the switching between integrated and discrete GPUs. Here’s how to disable automatic graphics switching on Mac:

1. Click the Apple menu and select System Settings.

2. Click Battery.
3. In the Battery menu, click Battery in the left sidebar.
4. Uncheck the box next to Automatic graphics switching to disable it.
5. To ensure the changes are fully implemented, restart your MacBook and observe your screen to see if the flickering has been resolved.

9. Delete Conflicting Apps

Third-party apps can sometimes conflict with your Mac’s system resources, leading to issues like screen flickering. If you’ve noticed the flickering began after installing new software, it’s worth checking if any of these apps are causing the problem. Uninstalling recently installed or problematic apps can help resolve the flickering.

Here’s my detailed step-by-step guide to uninstall conflicting apps on Mac.

10. Remove Startup Items

Startup items are applications that automatically launch when you boot up your Mac. While convenient, outdated or unnecessary startup items can sometimes cause performance issues, including screen flickering. Removing these startup items can free up resources and prevent such conflicts.

Explore my detailed guide on how to remove unnecessary login items on your Mac.

Fix Your Mac’s Flickering Screen Issue

Screen flickering on a MacBook can be annoying and disruptive, but the good news is that solutions are available. Now that you know how to fix a screen flickering issue on your Mac, here are a few more tips to troubleshoot other Mac-related issues:

• A black screen on a Mac can result from malware, overheating, software conflicts, or faulty settings.
• A white screen may indicate a corrupt OS, outdated software, or hardware issues.
• If your Mac won’t shut down, underlying issues may need fixing to resolve it quickly.

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