How to Fix a Flickering MacBook Pro Screen

Few things are more annoying than your MacBook Pro‘s screen flickering and glitching while you‘re trying to work. If you‘re experiencing this issue, you‘re not alone – screen flickering is a relatively common problem, especially on certain MacBook Pro models.

While a flashing, flickering, or glitching display can seem catastrophic, in most cases you can fix it yourself with some simple troubleshooting. As a certified Mac repair technician, I‘ve helped hundreds of MacBook Pro owners resolve screen flickering issues over the years. In this guide, I‘ll share the most effective fixes you can try, starting with the easiest.

But first, a word of caution – if your MacBook Pro has recently been dropped or suffered liquid damage, stop using it immediately and take it to an Apple Store or Authorized Service Provider. Continuing to use a physically damaged Mac can cause further harm. For all other cases, let‘s dive into the troubleshooting steps.

Basic Fixes to Try First

Before we get into the more involved solutions, here are a couple quick and easy things to try first:

Restart Your MacBook Pro

I know, it‘s obvious – but you‘d be surprised how often simply restarting your Mac can resolve odd behavior like screen glitches. Restarting clears your MacBook‘s memory and gives malfunctioning software and drivers a fresh start.

Here‘s how to properly restart:

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen
2. Select "Restart…"
3. Click "Restart" to confirm

If you‘re unable to click due to the flickering, press and hold your MacBook Pro‘s power button until the screen goes black, then press it again to boot it back up.

Check for macOS Updates

Screen glitches can sometimes be caused by bugs in macOS. Apple regularly releases updates that include fixes and patches for various issues, so it‘s important to keep your system up-to-date.

To check for and install any available updates:

1. Click the Apple menu and select "About This Mac"
2. Click "Software Update"
3. If an update is found, click "Update Now" or "Upgrade Now"
4. Follow the prompts to complete the update

I recommend enabling automatic updates by checking "Automatically keep my Mac up to date" so you receive fixes as soon as they‘re available. Just remember to periodically check for updates manually as well.

Display Settings to Adjust

Believe it or not, some of your display settings and preferences could be contributing to or causing the screen flickering. Here are a few to check:

True Tone

True Tone is a feature on newer MacBook Pro models that automatically adjusts the color temperature of your display based on ambient light to make colors appear more consistent. Some users have reported that disabling True Tone fixed their screen flickering issues.

To turn True Tone on or off:

1. Click the Apple menu and select "System Settings" (or "System Preferences" on older versions of macOS)
2. Select "Displays"
3. Next to "True Tone", toggle the switch to off

Night Shift

Night Shift is another feature that automatically adjusts the colors of your display to warmer tones in the evening to help reduce eye strain and improve sleep. Try disabling Night Shift to see if it stops the flickering.

To disable Night Shift:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences)
2. Go to "Displays" and select the "Night Shift" tab
3. Uncheck "Turn On Until Tomorrow" and set the "Schedule" dropdown to "Off"

Light Mode

Some users have found that switching from Dark Mode to Light Mode stopped their screen from glitching out. Here‘s how to quickly change your appearance mode:

1. Open System Settings/Preferences
2. Go to "General" (or "Appearance" in older macOS versions)
3. Select "Light" under the Appearance options

Accessibility Settings

Your MacBook Pro includes a number of Accessibility settings to assist users with visual impairments and other disabilities. Changing some of these settings can help with a flickering display.

To adjust Accessibility settings for the display:

1. Open System Settings/Preferences and select "Accessibility"
2. In the sidebar, select "Display"
3. Try turning on "Reduce motion", "Reduce transparency", and "Increase contrast"
4. Experiment with different color filter options

Many users have reported that enabling color filters, especially the Blue/Yellow filter, resolved their screen flickering. Of course, the colors will appear very distorted, but it will allow you to use your Mac until you‘re able to get the screen properly fixed.

Run Diagnostics

Your MacBook Pro has a built-in diagnostic tool to help identify any hardware issues, including ones that could be causing the screen to flicker. The process to run diagnostics differs slightly between Intel-based and Apple silicon Macs.

For Intel Macs:

1. Disconnect all external devices except the keyboard, mouse, display, and power adapter
2. Click the Apple menu and select "Restart"
3. Immediately press and hold the D key until you see a screen asking you to select your language
4. Choose your language and follow the on-screen instructions

For Apple silicon Macs:

1. Disconnect all external devices except the keyboard, mouse, display, and power adapter
2. Shut down your Mac and wait 10 seconds
3. Press and hold the power button until "Loading startup options" appears
4. Select your startup disk, then press and hold Command-D until a screen asks you to select your language
5. Choose your language and follow the instructions

The diagnostic test can take a few minutes to complete. If any issues are found, it will present reference codes you can use to look up more information and potential solutions. If no issues are found, it could still be a software problem, so continue with the next steps.

Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a special diagnostic environment that starts your Mac with only the basic files and drivers it needs to run. Third-party software, extensions, and custom settings are all disabled in Safe Mode. This makes it the perfect way to determine if the screen glitching is being caused by buggy software or a bad setting.

To boot into Safe Mode:

1. Shut down your MacBook Pro and wait 10 seconds
2. Press the power button, then immediately press and hold the Shift key
3. Once you see the login screen, release the Shift key
4. Log in to your Mac (you may need to log in twice)

You‘ll see "Safe Boot" in red letters in the top-right corner, indicating you‘re in Safe Mode. Use your Mac as your normally would and check if the screen flickering still occurs. If it doesn‘t, you likely have a software conflict that‘s causing the problem. You can try uninstalling recently added apps, plugins, or extensions to isolate the cause.

To exit Safe Mode, just restart your Mac normally without pressing any keys during startup.

Graphics Settings

Certain MacBook Pro models from 2011 came equipped with two graphics processing units (GPUs) – an integrated Intel GPU for better battery life and a discrete AMD GPU for higher performance. macOS would automatically switch between the two depending on the task.

Unfortunately, these models were notorious for developing GPU and screen glitching issues. If you have a 15" or 17" 2011 MacBook Pro, you can manually disable automatic graphics switching to force the Mac to only use one GPU.

Here‘s how to do it:

1. Open System Settings/Preferences and click "Battery" (or "Energy Saver" in older macOS versions)
2. Click the "Battery" tab if not already selected
3. Uncheck the box next to "Automatic graphics switching"

The downside to disabling graphics switching is slightly reduced battery life, since your MacBook will be using the higher-power GPU at all times. However, it‘s worth it if it stops the annoying screen flickering!

Reset NVRAM/PRAM

Non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM) and parameter random-access memory (PRAM) are small bits of memory that store certain settings, like display resolution and color profile choices. It‘s possible the screen flickering is being caused by a corrupt setting getting stuck in NVRAM.

On modern MacBooks with Apple silicon, NVRAM is reset automatically any time the Mac is shut down and restarted. However, Intel-based MacBook Pros require a special key combination to manually reset NVRAM and PRAM:

1. Shut down your MacBook Pro and wait 10 seconds
2. Press the power button, then immediately press and hold Option-Command-P-R all together
3. Keep holding the keys down for at least 20 seconds
4. Release the keys and let your Mac finish booting up

After the reset, open System Settings/Preferences and re-configure any custom display settings you had, as they will be reverted to defaults. Check to see if the screen flickering still occurs.

Reset SMC

The System Management Controller (SMC) is responsible for your MacBook‘s power, battery, fans, and other hardware functions. A bug or glitch in the SMC can sometimes cause a flickering display.

As with NVRAM, the SMC is reset automatically on Apple silicon MacBooks whenever the Mac is shut down and powered back on. For Intel models, you can manually reset the SMC with these steps:

1. Shut down your MacBook Pro and plug it in to power
2. Press and hold Control-Option-Shift for 7 seconds
3. While still holding those keys, press and hold the power button for another 7 seconds
4. Release all keys and wait a few seconds
5. Press the power button again to boot up your Mac

After resetting the SMC, use your MacBook Pro as normal to see if the screen flickering has stopped. In many cases, an SMC reset is all that‘s needed to resolve weird hardware issues like this.

When All Else Fails

If you‘ve tried all of the software troubleshooting steps above and your MacBook Pro‘s screen is still flickering and glitching, you likely have a hardware issue that will require professional repair.

The most common hardware-related causes for screen flickering are a loose or failed display cable, a faulty graphics card, or an issue with the logic board. In rare cases, the display panel itself may be defective. In any case, your best bet is to back up your data and take your MacBook to an Apple Store or Authorized Service Provider for diagnosis and repair.

As a temporary workaround, you can use an external display with your MacBook Pro while you wait for an appointment. Just plug in the monitor, then close your MacBook‘s lid to use the external display as your main screen.

The Bottom Line

Screen flickering and glitches on a MacBook Pro is a frustrating issue, but one that can usually be resolved with some patience and basic troubleshooting. Always start by restarting and checking for any updates. From there, experiment with different display settings, run diagnostics, and try Safe Mode to narrow down the cause.

Of course, some hardware problems are inevitable, especially as your MacBook ages. Stay on top of software updates, be careful when traveling with your laptop, and get it serviced promptly if you experience any issues to keep your MacBook Pro in top shape for years to come.

Do you have any other tips or tricks for fixing MacBook Pro screen flickering? Let me know in the comments below!