Screen Flickering when connected to external display on macOS

[macintacos]

Issue Type: Bug

I have my MBP (docked, laptop lid closed) connected to an external 4K display, and the screen flickering is getting pretty obnoxious. Happens routinely when switching tabs. I tried disabling all extensions and running with code --disable-gpu and --ignore-gpu-blacklist which didn't solve it in my testing. Any ideas on other workarounds?

Ideally I'd want this fixed, and not need to open it from the command line every time.

VS Code version: Code 1.34.0 (a622c65, 2019-05-15T21:59:22.738Z)
OS version: Darwin x64 18.6.0

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700HQ CPU @ 2.80GHz (8 x 2800)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: enabled checker_imaging: disabled_off flash_3d: enabled flash_stage3d: enabled flash_stage3d_baseline: enabled gpu_compositing: enabled multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on native_gpu_memory_buffers: enabled rasterization: enabled surface_synchronization: enabled_on video_decode: enabled webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled
Load (avg)	3, 2, 2
Memory (System)	16.00GB (0.25GB free)
Process Argv
Screen Reader	no
VM	0%

Extensions (105)

Extension	Author (truncated)	Version
better-comments	aar	2.0.5
html-snippets	abu	0.2.1
scss-lint	ada	0.1.8
vscode-caniuse	aga	0.5.0
vscode-javascript-snippet-pack	aka	0.1.5
project-manager	ale	10.5.1
spellright	ban	3.0.38
color-info	bie	0.5.1
markdown-checkbox	bie	0.1.3
markdown-emoji	bie	0.0.9
markdown-preview-github-styles	bie	0.1.6
markdown-yaml-preamble	bie	0.0.4
htmltagwrap	bra	0.0.7
better-toml	bun	0.3.2
markdown-jira	chi	1.1.0
npm-intellisense	chr	1.3.0
path-intellisense	chr	1.4.2
regex	chr	0.2.0
open-html-in-browser	cod	0.1.21
gitignore	cod	0.6.0
bracket-pair-colorizer-2	Coe	0.0.28
compulim-vscode-closetag	Com	1.2.0
vscode-svgviewer	css	2.0.0
scala	dal	0.0.5
vue-peek	dar	1.0.2
vscode-markdownlint	Dav	0.26.0
vscode-eslint	dba	1.9.0
vscode-dash	dee	2.1.0
xml	Dot	2.4.0
gitlens	eam	9.7.4
vscode-html-css	ecm	0.2.0
EditorConfig	Edi	0.13.0
vscode-npm-script	eg2	0.3.7
LogFileHighlighter	emi	2.5.0
vscode-great-icons	emm	2.1.47
json-tools	eri	1.0.2
prettier-vscode	esb	1.9.0
vscode-todo-plus	fab	4.13.0
vimL	fal	0.0.3
markdown-table-formatter	fcr	1.4.3
git-project-manager	fel	1.7.1
file-icons	fil	1.0.17
auto-close-tag	for	0.5.6
auto-rename-tag	for	0.0.15
code-runner	for	0.9.9
shell-format	fox	4.0.11
vscode-javac	geo	0.2.19
nightswitch	gha	1.1.0
beautify	Hoo	1.5.0
output-colorizer	IBM	0.1.2
applescript	idl	0.14.2
golang-tdd	joa	0.0.9
intellij-idea-keybindings	k--	0.2.32
swift	Kas	0.0.3
vscode-gutter-preview	kis	0.19.0
vscode-fix-checksums	leh	1.1.0
expand-region	let	0.1.2
scratchpad	mac	0.0.3
MagicPython	mag	1.1.0
terraform	mau	1.3.11
rainbow-csv	mec	1.0.0
HTMLHint	mka	0.6.0
python	ms-	2019.4.12954
cpptools	ms-	0.23.1
csharp	ms-	1.19.1
Go	ms-	0.10.2
debugger-for-chrome	msj	4.11.3
vuejs-extension-pack	mub	1.1.3
vetur	oct	0.21.0
advanced-new-file	pat	1.2.0
vscode-css-peek	pra	2.2.0
itunes-vscode	Psy	0.9.1
seti-icons	qin	0.1.3
java	red	0.45.0
vscode-yaml	red	0.4.0
vscode-sort-json	ric	1.13.0
bash-debug	rog	0.3.5
rust	rus	0.6.1
partial-diff	ryu	1.4.0
crates	ser	0.4.3
code-settings-sync	Sha	3.2.9
markdown-preview-enhanced	shd	0.3.13
vscode-fileutils	sle	2.13.7
guides	spy	0.9.3
autoimport	ste	1.5.3
rewrap	stk	1.9.1
ayu	tea	0.18.0
vscode-status-bar-format-toggle	tom	1.5.0
terminal-tabs	Tyr	0.2.0
vscode-lldb	vad	1.2.3
vscodeintellicode	Vis	1.1.6
vscode-swift-development-environment	vkn	2.7.1
vscode-java-debug	vsc	0.18.0
vscode-java-dependency	vsc	0.4.0
vscode-java-pack	vsc	0.7.1
vscode-java-test	vsc	0.16.0
vscode-maven	vsc	0.17.0
vscode-icons	vsc	8.6.0
vscode-todo-highlight	way	1.0.4
vscode-import-cost	wix	2.12.0
change-case	wma	1.0.0
vscode-jumpy	wma	0.3.1
JavaScriptSnippets	xab	1.7.2
markdown-all-in-one	yzh	2.3.1
propertylist	zho	0.0.2

(7 theme extensions excluded)

[bpasero]

We are building exploration builds that use a much newer version of our UI framework (Electron version 4.0.x). I wonder if this issue reproduces with one of these builds, could you try? Download:

• macOS: Download
• Linux: Download
• Windows: Download

[iamanders]

Hi, having exactly the same problem as macintacos describes above. Tried the exploration build that bpasero linked, but the flickering still remains. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the problem escaleted on the latest 1.34.0 build.

[bpasero]

@macintacos please see #74098 (comment)

[macintacos]

@bpasero apologies, wasn't in my normal setup yesterday when you sent the initial comment.

The exploration build appears to have worked for me! Any ideas when it will be available in the stable build? Or do I have to continue using the Exploration build for a long while? (I'd prefer not to actually use it for too long; not a fan of running beta builds on my production applications 😄)

[bpasero]

We aim for June/July.

[alxgrtnstrngl]

@bpasero When I run that Exploration build I see the following (see below). It indicates that the Exploration build is basically running the equivalent flags of code-exploration --disable-gpu except for a few items. Without the GPU fully enabled I'm not sure this tests anything. Is that due to some blacklisting done on the Electron 4.0+ side that you have no control over?

$ code-exploration --status
Version:          Code - Exploration 1.32.0-exploration (14236f9f44cc7c94055bb8e65ebda29a4a91ddc7, 2019-02-18T11:51:08.890Z)
OS Version:       Darwin x64 18.6.0
CPUs:             Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8750H CPU @ 2.20GHz (12 x 2200)
Memory (System):  16.00GB (0.43GB free)
Load (avg):       2, 2, 2
VM:               0%
Screen Reader:    no
Process Argv:     -psn_0_340051
GPU Status:       2d_canvas:                     disabled_software
                  flash_3d:                      disabled_software
                  flash_stage3d:                 disabled_software
                  flash_stage3d_baseline:        disabled_software
                  gpu_compositing:               disabled_software
                  multiple_raster_threads:       enabled_on
                  native_gpu_memory_buffers:     enabled
                  oop_rasterization:             disabled_off
                  protected_video_decode:        disabled_off
                  rasterization:                 disabled_software
                  skia_deferred_display_list:    disabled_off
                  skia_renderer:                 disabled_off
                  surface_synchronization:       enabled_on
                  video_decode:                  disabled_software
                  viz_display_compositor:        disabled_off
                  webgl:                         disabled_off
                  webgl2:                        disabled_off

CPU %	Mem MB	   PID	Process
   20	   164	  5757	code-exploration main
    0	    49	  5762	   gpu-process
    0	   197	  5766	   window (Welcome)
    0	   131	  5796	     extensionHost
    0	    82	  5800	   shared-process

$ code-exploration --version
1.32.0-exploration
14236f9f44cc7c94055bb8e65ebda29a4a91ddc7
x64

For MacOS and MacBook:

[alxgrtnstrngl]

@bpasero Wanted to confirm that the Exploration build does not work, I still see flickering when I close and open the terminal pane. I don't think Electron 4.0+ fixes this problem.

[andremacola]

Using with an external Thunderbolt Display is fine with me.

[dinvlad]

Are there any updates on this issue? I started seeing heavy flickering after upgrade to Mojave. Using 1.37.0-insider, and an external 4K Dell monitor over USB-C -> DisplayPort connector.

It goes away if I set --disable-gpu however.

[bpasero]

@dinvlad
We are building exploration builds that use a much newer version of our UI framework (Electron version 6.0.x). I wonder if this issue reproduces with one of these builds, could you try? Download:

• macOS: Download
• Linux (DEB): Download
• Linux (RPM): Download
• Windows: Download

[dinvlad]

Unfortunately, I still see the same flickering using the exploration build.

[dehmer]

System: 15" MBP 2017, macOS 10.14.5, Radeon Pro 560 (4GB), Eizo EV2785 4K (USB-C/USB-C), vscode 1.36.1

Observations:

• flickering only happens on external display
• (fullscreen) flickering got worse after macOS update 10.14.3 -> 10.14.5: flickering starts, gets worse over a period of 2 or 3 seconds, display completely blacks out for less than a second, then comes back normal until the next time
• (mild case of) flickering was happening for older vscode versions with Electron 3.x
• flickering does not happen when A) laptop lid is open and/or B) external display resolution is not scaled (Default for display in Displays preferences)
• mild flickering can be triggered by visual zoom in/out (COMMAND - +/-/0)
• exploration build (1.32.0-exploration) mentioned above shows same behavior

[lukasbash]

VS Code Version 1.36.1 (1.36.1)
System Version: macOS Mojave 10.14.6
GPU: Radeon Pro 555X (4GB) / IntelUHD Graphics 630 (1536MB)

I can reproduce some observations of my previous post.

Observations:

• (fullscreen) (rare) flickering got worse after macOS update 10.14.5 -> 10.14.6: flickering starts, gets worse over a period of 2 or 3 seconds, display completely blacks out for less than a second, then comes back normal until the next time. sometimes it also happens that the screen flickers yellow (wtf?)
• when triggering a lot (really try for 30s or a minute) tab switches with Ctrl+[1-9] i can reproduce it everytime
• (fullscreen) sometimes vscode also flickers when the actual editor gains focus after another fullscreen application (e.g. browser) had the focus before; it flickers on the click event
• happens on 4K external LG monitor (connected via USB-C) and also on the integrated display

After trying a minute or so --disable-gpu helps.

Side question: Is there actually now a setting that I can set inside vscode's JSON to avoid command line arguments?

[alxgrtnstrngl]

@bpasero Does using the flag --disable-gpu-compositing have the same effect as --disable-gpu? I tried a bunch of different flags and that seemed to calmed things down. When I check --status I still see below and vscode still launches a gpu process.

@lukasbash @dehmer @dinvlad can you test with that flag --disable-gpu-compositing and see if it has any positive effect?

GPU Status:       
                  2d_canvas:                     enabled
                  flash_3d:                      enabled
                  flash_stage3d:                 enabled
                  flash_stage3d_baseline:        enabled
                  gpu_compositing:               disabled_software
                  multiple_raster_threads:       enabled_on
                  native_gpu_memory_buffers:     enabled
                  oop_rasterization:             disabled_off
                  protected_video_decode:        unavailable_off
                  rasterization:                 enabled
                  skia_deferred_display_list:    disabled_off
                  skia_renderer:                 disabled_off
                  surface_synchronization:       enabled_on
                  video_decode:                  enabled
                  viz_display_compositor:        disabled_off
                  webgl:                         enabled_readback
                  webgl2:                        enabled_readback

[dinvlad]

This seems to help! Not sure yet if it degrades performance in any way though.

[lukasbash]

can you test with that flag --disable-gpu-compositing and see if it has any positive effect? ```

@alxgrtnstrngl It "seems" to work as well (same positive effect as --disable-gpu). The thing is, I cannot really convince myself just by trying like 2 hours. Sometimes the flickering comes back after a day or so.

I know that maybe nobody wants to hear this right now in this thread but, did you consider it to not be a vscode bug, but rather a macOS issue? I had a pretty long chat with a support agent today and we tried several things and nailed down a specific portion of steps:

1. It only happens when I have an external monitor (LG 32UD99-W; not sure if the scaled 4K resolution makes a difference, but seems like it does not happen with lower res than 4K)
2. It only happens when I am connected through USB-C
3. It only happens when the Macbook's lid is closed
4. It only happens when using vscode in fullscreen mode
5. (It only happens when I do a file tab switch very very fast and sometimes very long)

The last thing I will now try, is to update the monitor's firmware (I am 99% sure that this is not the issue) and then I get back to apple's support. The case also went up to senior support in the meantime.

[macintacos]

While I’m definitely not at liberty to say you’re 100% wrong (because the bug could very well be a macOS issue), that fact that I’ve never in my life seen this flickering issue on any application other than VSCode is probably an indication that VSCode is doing something wrong, rather than the OS.

[dinvlad]

Just another data point: --disable-gpu-compositing prevents the issue completely for me, just like --disable-gpu, BUT the performance suffers a lot. All terminal operations feel sluggish with it.

[dinvlad]

In addition, without any flags, for me the issue appears in most if the circumstances listed above, however it also appears when the VS Code window is just maximized, not necessarily in full-screen.

[dinvlad]

Is there any way we could see the “debug log” for VS Code UI itself, to try finding relevant errors? We can also check Console log on Mac OS, of course.

[alex-griffes]

Subtle flickering of individual components. Reliably occurs when the mouse hovers over file name and path at the top of the screen. Switching tabs triggers it as well. Erratically occurs in other components.

Don't know if it's related but wanted to add my fairly unique setup to the list:

• MPB Mid 2015 w/ Intel Corporation Crystal Well Integrated Graphics Controller and i915 driver
• Kernel: Linux 5.4.50-1-lts
• XFCE 4
• Acer G276HL monitor

It only occurs for me when GPU rendering is enabled and the window is located on an external screen (HDMI or thunderbolt to HDMI).

[ShanIgor]

Does anyone have that flickering issue when scrolling? That's the issue I'm facing on my mac (macOS Catalina 10.15.6, Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 6000 1236 MB), but I've just figured out that it's not confined to vscode only. It also happens with WebStorm but it's much less pronounced on Atom, I'd say on Atom it's virtually invisible. And one more important note, I've googled through a ton of different sources and it seems to me that different people mean different things when talking about screen flickering. To me it looks like stroboscopic effect of some sort that only occurs when I scroll up or down. It does not happen in Google Chrome, it does not happen in Safari.

Maybe someone had the same or similar issue?

vscode info:

Version: 1.47.3
Date: 2020-07-23T13:08:29.692Z (2 wks ago)
Electron: 7.3.2
Chrome: 78.0.3904.130
Node.js: 12.8.1
V8: 7.8.279.23-electron.0
OS: Darwin x64 19.6.0

[predam]

I have the same issue when I try to toggle the terminal view.
Connected to an external display with the lid closed.

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)

Version: 1.48.2
Commit: a047975
Date: 2020-08-25T10:09:08.021Z (2 wks ago)
Electron: 7.3.2
Chrome: 78.0.3904.130
Node.js: 12.8.1
V8: 7.8.279.23-electron.0
OS: Darwin x64 19.5.0

[Gin-Quin]

I had the issue with VSCode 1.52 and MacOS 14.0.
Resolved it by setting the option "disable-color-correct-rendering" to false (was true by default).

Open VSCode, cmd+shift+p, Preferences : Configure Runtime Arguments to open the configuration file, then set the property "disable-color-correct-rendering" to false.

[macintacos]

FWIW, I wanted to update this as there was an issue in Chromium that recently got closed because the issue was fixed by Apple in the latest betas of macOS 11. I think that perhaps when that is officially released, folks who were experiencing this issue should try running VSCode with all of the settings they had disabled to get this working properly and see if the issue re-emerges.

[nkuehn]

Confirming the issue being present very pronounced on:

• MBP M1 2020
• MacOS 14.6 (i.e. the fix @macintacos linked above should be included but the issue persists)
• VSCode 1.61.0
• Only on the external 4k monitor (iyama, connected directly through thunderbolt<->displayPort). VSCode on same monitor with a windows machine has no problems.
• lid open / closed does not matter, but whether the VSCode window is on the 4k monitor or not does trigger the effect.
• The effect has some delay to disappear. Moving or closing the app is not immediately removing it but it's getting less and after a few seconds gone.
• setting "disable-color-correct-rendering" = false does not help
• passing --disable-gpu-compositing does not help
• passing --disable-gpu does not help
• the size and position of the window on the external 4k screeen makes a difference in the intensity.
• while the effect is there the whole screen has a sort of vertical light grey striping effect once VSCode is on the screen (no, I'm not on drugs)
• Different cabling does not resolve the issue.
• Othere Electron based applications I use daily (most prominently: Slack) do not have that Issue.
• The choice of MacOS Desktop background matters! I tried through a few plain colors and some lead to the light gray sriping to disappear and the flicker disappear, too and some make it worse (no relation to specific colors I could see). It's only relevant if the background is actually visible, so my guess is that it's not actually about the backround but about what in generally is on the rest of the screen that is not VSCode (which would explain why fullscreen works but just a large VSCode window does not). I'm officially backing out now, this is low-level terrain that is not rationally debuggable any more to me

I am aware that this is likely very hard to debug but it's a real issue that blocks any work with VSCode on that hardware combo.

[jpschw]

Having this issue with a 2020 Macbook Pro 13".
It makes the application completely unusable on an external 4K display when it occurs.
The issue is somewhat intermittent but happens more often then not.

• Tried both HDMI and DisplayPort cables. No difference.
• disable-color-correct-rendering = false doesn't help.

OSX Big Sur 11.6 (20G165)
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro17,1
Chip: Apple M1
Total Number of Cores: 8 (4 performance and 4 efficiency)
Memory: 16 GB
System Firmware Version: 6723.140.2
OS Loader Version: 6723.140.2

[NikTJ777]

I have just started seeing this problem.
I get flickering just from moving the mouse within a VSC window.
I have an external monitor, set to screen mirroring, and I see the flickering on both the external monitor and the laptop screen.
The flickering appears to be the VSC screen being enlarged (to full-screen??) and then almost immediately returned to its specified size.

My env is:
OSX: Big Sur 11.3
Model: MBP 16" 2019
Chip: Intel - 6 core i7
RAM: 32G
Graphics:

• AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB
• Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

I'm wondering if the issue is somehow related to my system reporting 2 graphics cards?

[pnelego]

I'm noticing this issue on Linux as well, particularly when switching to larger source files, and only when the window is maximized. by shrinking the window, the problem is instantly rectified. im using the --disable-gpu setting, to no avail.

My environment is the following:
Fedora 35 Workstation
Gnome: 41.5
Display Server: Nvidia X11
CPU: 3700x
GPU: GTX 1080
RAM: 32GB

[karatse]

My workaround for this issue was to change the Color Profile of the Extended display under macOS Display settings.

[nkuehn]

My workaround for this issue was to change the Color Profile of the Extended display under macOS Display settings.

@karatse what did you change it to? A generic "Display" or some specific profile that worked better than the one of your monitor.

[karatse]

@nkuehn I believe it depends on each display and personal preference. For me one of the Dell options worked better. I have an Eizo display.

[ioridev]

It seems to me that some specific color is involved.

A little fiddling with the contrast bar under accessibility > display made the flicker go away.

IMG_0926-1.mov

[ioridev]

I have had flicker on my mac when opening images in Discord, although other Electron apps have reported that it does not occur.

[egehandr]

I started having the same issue after I update my 2021 MBP 14" (M1 Pro Processor) device to the MacOS Ventura.

VSCode starts doing flickering at random times, usually I press enter to get to a new line, or when I leave it for a few seconds and then I come to write a letter there, it makes that 1 time flickering. It never happened on the last version of the Monterey. So this started after I updated to the Ventura, I do not know why...

[BraxtBooth]

My workaround for this issue was to change the Color Profile of the Extended display under macOS Display settings.

Had this same issue with 2021 14" MacBook Pro and Dell E2723HN displays.

Fix:
Go into display settings.
Click the Color profile to change it.
Then click customize at the bottom.
In the Customization menu press the + in the bottom left to calibrate your display.
Select the new Calibrated display color profile for the monitor.

[egehandr]

My workaround for this issue was to change the Color Profile of the Extended display under macOS Display settings.

Had this same issue with 2021 14" MacBook Pro and Dell E2723HN displays.

Fix: Go into display settings. Click the Color profile to change it. Then click customize at the bottom. In the Customization menu press the + in the bottom left to calibrate your display. Select the new Calibrated display color profile for the monitor.

Unfortunately this did not resolve the problem on my side.

MBP 2021 14" M1 Pro base model + ViewSonic 27" 1440p display (USB C connection)

[martudev]

My workaround for this issue was to change the Color Profile of the Extended display under macOS Display settings.

Had this same issue with 2021 14" MacBook Pro and Dell E2723HN displays.

Fix: Go into display settings. Click the Color profile to change it. Then click customize at the bottom. In the Customization menu press the + in the bottom left to calibrate your display. Select the new Calibrated display color profile for the monitor.

Thanks!! This works for me i have a MacBook Pro M1 Max

[ioridev]

The BenQ Knowledge Center provided a solution.

How to Fix Mac® M1/M2 External Monitor Flicker
https://www.benq.com/en-us/knowledge-center/knowledge/how-to-fix-mac-m1-m2-external-monitor-flicker.html

I don't think it's a VSCode-specific problem as far as I'm concerned, but I do get flicker under load while using VSCode.

[tudor]

In my case, the only thing that worked was turning off hardware acceleration. Preferences: Configure Runtime Arguments, add "disable-hardware-acceleration": true

[loganpowell]

I had the issue with VSCode 1.52 and MacOS 14.0. Resolved it by setting the option "disable-color-correct-rendering" to false (was true by default).

Open VSCode, cmd+shift+p, Preferences : Configure Runtime Arguments to open the configuration file, then set the property "disable-color-correct-rendering" to false.

Thank you @Gin-Quin 🙏

However, this is not the correct solution anymore. The setting that fixed it was

// argv.json
{ "disable-hardware-acceleration": true }

[watjurk]

I am having the same issue in vscode's rendering of jupyter notebook. Is there any proper solution? Setting disable-hardware-acceleration to true makes fixes the problem, but makes vs code very laggy