8 Best Ways to Fix Screen Flickering on MacBook

Apple has been gradually changing the scope of its MacBooks over the past few years. Recently, quality control issues in the hardware and software departments have silently hit users. One of the glaring MacBook problems is the unusual screen flickering out of nowhere.

Screen flickering issue occurs on retina and non-retina displays, with most Mac users noting that it can affect themselves when using Terminal or when graphics are enabled or disabled. In some cases, it’s so bad that it makes it impossible to look at the screen.

The problem seems to stem from an incompatibility between the operating system, the program and the GPU. If you encounter screen flickering issue on Mac, read that we have compiled a list of methods you can try to fix the screen.

1. Restart the Mac

Let’s start with the basics. Turn off and on your MacBook using the Restart option. Any problem with the device that seems serious, but you can fix it by restarting it. You’d be surprised how many times this has worked. If your MacBook screen flickering issue is software related, you should definitely try this first to test it.

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

2. Adjust Energy Saving Settings

If you’re using a MacBook Pro, MacBook screen flashing is sometimes caused by Energy Saver not working properly. If you enable Auto graphics switching in Energy Saver, your Mac will switch between two different graphics chips based on usage.

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

Follow the steps below to disable automatic graphics switching on Mac.

Stage 1: Tap the Apple icon in the upper left corner.

Step 2: Go to System Preferences.

Stage 3: Turn on Energy Saver and turn off the automatic graphics switching option.

3. Enter a Safe Mode

Safe Mode on macOS disables many services and puts them in low-key mode. This also affects the display parameters. Try entering Safe Mode to see if your screen graphics stabilize.

Stage 1: Shut down your Mac completely.

Step 2: Hold down the Shift key and turn on the Power.

Stage 3: Hold down the Shift key until the Login Screen appears.

Step 4: This is a Safe Mode.

By now, you should see if your Mac display malfunction still occurs.

4. Disable True Tone Display

Apple brilliant true-tone display from iPhone to Mac with the 2018 MacBook lineup. True Tone technology makes your screen colors look more natural. But sometimes color management goes astray.

True Tone is great and doesn’t strain your eyes, but it also requires constant GPU involvement and can therefore cause the screen to flicker.

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

Stage 1: Tap the Apple icon in the upper left corner.

Step 2: Go to the System Preferences menu.

Stage 3: Go to Display > True Tone and turn the option off.

5. Uninstall Third-Party Browsers

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

6. Change Screen Resolution

One more trick you should try is changing your screen resolution. Go to Displays in System Preferences and play around with the Resolution settings. Try turning off the default option shown there.

7. Update macOS

You may encounter screen flickering issue after the latest macOS update. After all, Apple doesn’t take much pleasure in offering quality updates. But keep in mind that Apple usually fixes such critical issues quickly. Update to the latest stable macOS to fix screen flickering. Go through the steps below.

Stage 1: On Mac, open the System Preferences menu.

Step 2: Go to Software Update and check for important pending updates.

Install them if available and make sure your Mac is running the latest version of macOS.

Restart the device and observe if it fixes the screen issues.

8. Hardware Problem

Maybe it’s the display connector of the hinge of the MacBook that’s coming loose. In that case, no other software tricks will do the job for you. You will need to take your Mac for service. Apple has a free replacement program for this problem.

Fix Display Issues on Mac

Go through the above solutions 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.

Next: MacBooks with butterly keyboards are notorious for keyboard issues. If you are getting one, read the post below to learn how to fix repeated letters or double space issues on MacBook.