Screen tearing: what causes it and how to fix it (PC, console, video)
When the camera turns, the picture splits along a horizontal line and the top half lags or leads the bottom. That's screen tearing, and it's almost always a settings problem, not a broken screen.
What you're actually seeing
The screen doesn't swap the whole picture at once; it paints it line by line, top to bottom, every refresh. If the graphics card swaps in a new frame while the screen is a third of the way down, the rest is painted from the new frame. Where the two meet you see a tear line. It's most obvious when panning sideways, because neighbouring frames differ most. More tears appear when the game runs far above the refresh rate (several swaps per refresh) and they wander when it runs just below.
Fixes, in the order to try them
| Fix | Stops tearing? | Cost | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| VRR: G-Sync, FreeSync, HDMI 2.1 VRR | Yes, while fps is inside the screen's VRR range | Almost no extra lag | Always, if the screen and graphics card or console support it |
| Frame cap a few below refresh (e.g. 141 on 144 Hz, 117 on 120 Hz) | Keeps VRR working at the top of its range | None worth worrying about | With VRR on a PC |
| V-Sync (in game or driver) | Yes | Extra lag (a frame or more) and judder when fps drops below refresh | No VRR available, slower games, emulators |
| Fast Sync (Nvidia) / Enhanced Sync (AMD) | Yes | Less lag than V-Sync, but uneven pacing unless fps is well above refresh (2x or more) | Old or light games that run at hundreds of fps |
| Cap at the refresh rate or half (60 or 30 on a 60 Hz TV) with V-Sync | Yes | Lower frame rate, but even | A game that wobbles between 40 and 60 on a fixed-rate screen |
Want to see why these behave differently? The interactive flip-book lesson plays V-Sync, V-Sync off and VRR side by side in slow motion, including where each tear lands.
Setting it up on a PC
- Check the screen's refresh rate first. Windows: Settings > System > Display > Advanced display > Choose a refresh rate. Monitors often ship at 60 Hz even when they can do 144. Use DisplayPort, or an HDMI port and cable that support the full rate.
- Turn on VRR. Enable FreeSync / Adaptive-Sync in the monitor's own menu, then Nvidia Control Panel > Set up G-SYNC, or AMD Adrenalin > Gaming > Display > AMD FreeSync. For windowed games, also Windows Settings > Display > Graphics > Variable refresh rate.
- Nvidia's usual G-Sync recipe: G-Sync on, V-Sync on in the Nvidia Control Panel and off in the game, and a frame cap a few below refresh (games with Reflex can apply it for you). The control-panel V-Sync only kicks in at the very top of the range, so it adds no lag the rest of the time.
- No VRR? Turn V-Sync on in the game. If the game can't hold the refresh rate, a steady cap at half (30 on 60 Hz, 72 on 144 Hz) looks smoother than V-Sync bouncing between rates.
Consoles and TVs
Most console games already use V-Sync or their own sync, so tearing on PS5 or Xbox is usually a game that drops V-Sync when it falls behind. Turning on VRR fixes most of it, if the TV supports it: PS5 Settings > Screen and Video > VRR; Xbox Settings > General > TV & display options > Video modes > Allow variable refresh rate. On the TV, VRR is often per HDMI input and needs the input's "enhanced" or HDMI 2.1 mode on. See VRR, G-Sync and FreeSync explained for ranges and LFC.
Tearing outside games
| Where | Usual cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Video in Chrome, Edge or Firefox | Old graphics driver, or hardware acceleration misbehaving with this driver | Update the graphics driver; then try toggling the browser's "Use graphics acceleration when available" and restart it |
| Only on the second monitor | Two screens at different refresh rates (60 + 144 Hz), especially with VRR on one | Update drivers; try matching refresh rates or play the video on the main screen; older Windows versions handled mixed rates badly |
| Video player in a window | The player isn't using the system's compositor | Full-screen, or enable the player's own V-Sync / "hardware decoding" option |
| Linux desktop on X11 | No compositor or driver tear-free option | Use a Wayland session (normally tear-free), enable the compositor's V-Sync, or the driver's TearFree option (Intel / AMD) or ForceCompositionPipeline (Nvidia) |
| Everywhere, even the mouse cursor | Rare: a faulty cable, a monitor overdrive setting or a failing panel shows as lines that stay put rather than a tear that moves with motion | Try another cable and port; a tear only appears when things move |
Tearing vs stutter vs input lag
These three are linked: removing tearing with plain V-Sync can add stutter (repeated frames when the game misses a beat) and lag (frames waiting for the beat). VRR avoids most of both. If the game still looks jerky with no tear lines, read why a game stutters even with high FPS; to put numbers on the lag each choice adds, try the input lag calculator.
Related
Monitor stuck at 60 Hz · Coil whine at high FPS · Game stutters even with high FPS · HDR looks washed out on PC · VRR, G-Sync and FreeSync explained · 60 vs 120 vs 144 Hz · Reflex and Anti-Lag
Questions
What causes screen tearing?
The graphics card swaps in a new frame while the screen is part-way through drawing the old one, so the top and bottom of the screen show different frames with a visible line between them.
Does V-Sync fix screen tearing?
Yes. It makes the graphics card wait for the start of each refresh. The trade-off is extra input lag and judder when the frame rate can't keep up with the refresh rate.
Why do I still get tearing with G-Sync or FreeSync on?
Usually the frame rate is above the screen's maximum, where VRR stops working. Cap it a few frames below the refresh rate, and with Nvidia also turn V-Sync on in the control panel. Also check VRR is enabled in the monitor menu and you are on DisplayPort or a supported HDMI port.
Can a monitor or cable cause screen tearing?
True tearing is a timing problem, not a hardware fault. Lines that stay put when nothing moves, flicker or sparkles point to a cable, port or panel problem instead.
Why do YouTube videos tear in my browser?
Most often an outdated graphics driver, a hardware acceleration bug, or two monitors running at different refresh rates. Update the driver first, then try toggling hardware acceleration.
Is screen tearing bad for my screen?
No. It's only what you see; it doesn't harm the screen or graphics card.
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