How I Resolved a Long-Standing Flickering Issue While Gaming on Windows 10
If you’ve ever experienced the frustration of your screen flickering or switching between tabs while trying to immerse yourself in a game, you’re not alone. For years, I encountered this irritating problem on my Windows 10 PC, and after countless attempts to resolve it, I finally found the solution. Here’s a detailed account of my journey that might assist someone else facing a similar challenge.
The Problem
My gaming sessions were plagued by frequent and unpredictable screen flickering. Whenever I launched a game, various programs and tabs would randomly pop up, sometimes taking focus away from the game itself. This issue not only disrupted my gaming experience but also caused certain games to crash, forcing me to restart and sometimes losing significant progress. The frequency of the flickering varied—occasionally it would only happen every few hours, while at other times, I might see it multiple times a minute.
After trying a myriad of standard troubleshooting steps, including updating my graphics drivers, testing different monitors, and adjusting display settings between fullscreen and windowed mode, nothing seemed to work. It became evident that the problem was specifically tied to gaming; no other applications were affected.
The Investigation
Frustrated yet determined, I decided to dig a bit deeper into the issue. A few weeks ago, during one of the flickering episodes, I checked the Windows Event Log. To my surprise, I discovered that a process named dwm.exe had crashed at the exact time of the flickering. This particular process is known as the Desktop Windows Manager, which controls the visual effects on the desktop.
I conducted further research on the dwm.exe crash and stumbled upon a slew of common advice—reinstalling Windows or swapping hardware components—which felt excessive and unlikely to address the root cause.
Then, I came across a post suggesting that outdated firmware for Xbox controllers could lead to similar issues. Given that I primarily use an Xbox controller for gaming, this made perfect sense. I recalled instances when the flickering coincided with my controller inputs, hinting that the controller might be part of the problem.
The Solution
To remedy the situation, I downloaded the Xbox Accessories app from the Windows Store to update my controller’s firmware. After completing the update, I eagerly returned to my games. To my delight, I noticed an immediate improvement. No more flickering screens, no more unexpected focus shifts, and most importantly
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