Repository navigation
Tearing/Vsync issues in Cinnamon/Clutter #3423
Description
Running nVidia hardware on multiple machines, and along with other nVidia users I have bad screen tearing in Cinnamon/Clutter unless the game has a VSYNC option which forces it on, then things work fine. For some reason VLC doesn't have tearing that I can notice, but Totem always has horrible tearing.
The solution being done by several users right now is to switch to the Compton compositor instead and forcing on VSYNC for everything through that, but can't we get an option to force it on for Cinnamon instead? For some reason the usual Cluttter options do NOT force on VSYNC. See the following threads on the Linux Mint forums and Reddit:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=171020
http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/28skqt/psa_do_you_have_screen_tearing_issues_only_in/
Also found this suggestion to add a VSYNC option to Cinnamon options, but if that option doesn't work anyway then that won't fix the problem.
Using nVidia closed driver.
Activity
mtwebster commentedon Aug 12, 2014
Is this something demonstrable with Intel graphics?
pinumbernumber commentedon Aug 12, 2014
Intel here (4500MHD) and there is tearing everywhere out of the box. Adding some Clutter environment variable hacks gets rid of it but then everything is jerky and slow to respond (dragged windows lag behind the cursor).
pinumbernumber commentedon Aug 12, 2014
Tried each of those as well as both, no dice. Note: GNOME and most other Xorg DEs also seem to do this. Weston doesn't.
pinumbernumber commentedon Aug 12, 2014
Sorry, yes the CLUTTER_PAINT line fixes tearing by itself but it causes the other problems I described.
As for the other fix, it says to install Openbox. Is it possible to use Compton with Cinnamon?
mtwebster commentedon Aug 14, 2014
So, here: linuxmint/muffin#86, we made detection of these types of programs better, to improve their performance (by not compositing them). People were beating down the doors saying we needed to do this if Cinnamon was to be a gaming platform. (I'm not exaggerating!)
So, now, we seem to have exposed this side effect of tearing (of course), which I can't reproduce yet, but I'm going to keep trying.
Ideally, we have the performance and the no-tearing, but aren't the two mutually exclusive to a degree? Honestly I'm not very familiar anymore with the different drivers and manufacturers out there. I'd welcome more input (and of course I'll continue to look for more info too).
mtwebster commentedon Aug 14, 2014
The thing that gets me (unless I'm misreading about Compton) is an easy fix would just be to force redirection (compositing) on these windows, or simply provide a switch (like in an applet) to allow you to disable unredirect detection - nothing to do with vsync at all.
Discussing with someone who knows a bit more about video cards, and reading a bit myself, it seems like they all have their own way to force vsync on or off, and as you mentioned, some of the programs themselves do as well. So would it be satisfactory to simply avoid the issue and force compositing in these cases?
AlbertJP commentedon Aug 15, 2014
Has any of you already tried Gnome Shell to see if the tearing (and other vsync issues) also happen there?
startas commentedon Aug 18, 2014
I also have a tearing issue on the desktop - about 10-15 pixels wide lane is tearing, everything else is good. This bug exists in all cinnamon versions, intel hd graphics here.
49 remaining items
AlpakaSiedler commentedon Jan 30, 2020
I have tearing in Linux Mint 19.3 (Cinnamon, 64-bit) with Nvidia GTX 1060 (3GB) (driver: 440.48.02), using desktop applications such as firefox, as well as in games (i recently tried CounterStrike:CZ, Torchlight 2, No Man's Sky and various different Unity3d Games, also self made Unity3d Games).
To solve this, i tried what they said here: #3355
also added "ForceFullCompositionPipeline" to both of my monitors.
I've read that it should be less issue on MATE, but i would prefer to stay with Cinnamon.
leigh123linux commentedon Jan 30, 2020
Why do you need the nvidia beta vulkan driver?, ubuntu vulkan packages aren't new enough to benefit from the new extensions.
I doubt adding that option will help with the newer nvidia drivers
AlpakaSiedler commentedon Jan 30, 2020
@leigh123linux
the newest driver was recommended in a forum cause i had problems with Unity3d using Vulkan and No Man's Sky using also only vulkan.
ForceFullCompositionPipeline helped a bit for desktop application, its way better for me with enabled, but didn't get rid of it completly
genachka commentedon Mar 5, 2020
Seeing the same problem with Nvidia RTX 2070 on Ubuntu 19.10 and Cinnamon 4.2.4 (though same was with previous versions for the past year+) and as others have tried ForceFullCompositionPipeline and other settings to no avail. Beyond it be annoying for me, apparently it's pretty bad on web meettngs - I need to be on zoom often and share my screen which makes the attendees see the desktop or window or I'm sharing disappear and show my background and then reappear periodically. After months of trying to resolve this, regrettably I'd had to switch to the default GNOME (3.34.2) and everything has been fine but I do miss my Cinnamon. Would love to see a fix for this.
echuber2 commentedon Mar 5, 2020
Have you tried the various Vsync modes in the control panel?
https://www.reddit.com/r/CinnamonDE/comments/dx4lyk/vsync_method/
cppcooper commentedon Mar 5, 2020
Honestly I am skeptical the vsync modes do anything, there is no discernible difference between any of them for me. After rebooting between changing the modes.
echuber2 commentedon Mar 6, 2020
Check the source if you're skeptical. They do something; I saw it make a difference on one of my machines instantly after changing the setting. (That did not have an nvidia GPU though.) If anything I bet this all comes down the drivers you have installed. Although, if there is something distinctively wrong with Cinnamon's vsync then I'd also like to know about it.
AlpakaSiedler commentedon Mar 6, 2020
I also tried different vsync modes but it did not make a noticeable difference. I also tried different driver versions, the recommended one, the newest, older stable drivers that were recommended by community users, nothing helped.
genachka commentedon Mar 6, 2020
@echuber2 I too have tried those various Vsync modes and followed the steps in the link. No change. I'm on an Nvidia. And I don't think it's the drivers as I don't have this issue anymore with GNOME :( Open to trying other things as would love to switch back.
github-actions commentedon Mar 2, 2026
This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had
any activity in over 2 years.
If this issue is still relevant:
If no activity occurs in the next 30 days, this issue will be
automatically closed. Issues can be reopened if needed.
github-actions commentedon Apr 2, 2026
This issue has been automatically closed due to inactivity.
If you can still reproduce this issue on a current version,
please feel free to reopen it with updated information.