How to Fix Screen Tearing While Gaming on Windows on Windows
Screen tearing, horizontal lines, or image splitting during gaming? Fix screen tearing in games on Windows 10 and 11 with VSync, frame limiters, and driver settings.
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Main Troubleshooting Guide
How to Fix Black Screen on Startup →Complete symptoms, causes, and step-by-step solutions
Symptoms
You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:
- •Horizontal lines or "tears" visible during camera movement in games
- •Image appears to split into two or three offset sections
- •Tearing worse at high frame rates above the monitor refresh rate
- •Tearing visible in some games but not others
- •Desktop applications show tearing during fast scrolling
- •Tearing started after disabling VSync or installing a new GPU
- •G-Sync or FreeSync enabled but tearing still occurs
Common Causes
- ⚠GPU rendering frames faster than the monitor can display them (FPS > refresh rate)
- ⚠VSync disabled in game settings or GPU driver control panel
- ⚠Windowed mode or borderless fullscreen not using hardware composition correctly
- ⚠G-Sync/FreeSync not properly enabled or not working in fullscreen mode
- ⚠Outdated GPU driver with broken frame pacing
- ⚠Windows desktop composition (DWM) interfering with game rendering
- ⚠Monitor connected via cable that doesn't support adaptive sync (need DisplayPort for G-Sync)
Solutions
Solution 1: Enable VSync in Game Settings
- 1Open the game's graphics settings
- 2Look for "VSync" or "Vertical Sync" — enable it
- 3VSync forces the GPU to wait for the monitor's refresh cycle before displaying a new frame
- 4This eliminates tearing but adds slight input lag (1-2 frames)
- 5If VSync causes stuttering: try "Triple Buffering" if available (reduces stutter)
- 6For competitive games where input lag matters: use a frame limiter instead
Solution 2: Enable G-Sync or FreeSync
- 1For NVIDIA GPUs: open NVIDIA Control Panel → Display → Set up G-SYNC
- 2Check "Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible" → select "Enable for windowed and full screen mode"
- 3For AMD GPUs: open AMD Software → Gaming → Display → enable AMD FreeSync
- 4Ensure your monitor supports adaptive sync (check monitor settings menu)
- 5G-Sync requires DisplayPort cable (not HDMI, unless monitor specifically supports HDMI G-Sync)
- 6FreeSync works over both DisplayPort and HDMI on compatible monitors
- 7In games: set framerate limit to 3 FPS below your monitor's refresh rate for best results
Solution 3: Use GPU Driver Frame Limiter
- 1NVIDIA: open NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings → "Max Frame Rate"
- 2Set it to your monitor's refresh rate (e.g., 60, 144, 165)
- 3AMD: open AMD Software → Gaming → Graphics → "Frame Rate Target Control"
- 4Set target to your monitor refresh rate
- 5This caps the frame rate so the GPU doesn't produce excess frames
- 6Combined with G-Sync/FreeSync: set limit to refresh rate minus 3 FPS
- 7This eliminates tearing while minimizing input lag
Solution 4: Fix Desktop and Windowed Mode Tearing
- 1For tearing in windowed or borderless windowed mode:
- 2Windows 11: this is mostly fixed by the new compositor — make sure Windows is updated
- 3Windows 10: try running games in exclusive fullscreen instead of borderless
- 4NVIDIA: Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings → "Preferred refresh rate" → "Application-controlled"
- 5Check: Settings → System → Display → Advanced display → make sure refresh rate matches your monitor's max
- 6If using multiple monitors at different refresh rates: this can cause tearing on the secondary monitor
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