How to Fix Screen Tearing on Windows 10 and PC Games

Screen tearing happens when the display shows parts of two or more frames during one refresh. It usually appears as a horizontal split or misaligned band while the camera, window, or video is moving. The most effective fixes are to use the correct display refresh rate and then synchronize frame delivery with V-Sync or variable refresh rate (VRR).

Before changing game settings, check whether the problem affects the whole desktop or only one game. If you see flashing, colored blocks, random pixels, or corruption even when nothing is moving, that is more likely a driver, cable, monitor, or GPU problem than ordinary tearing.

1. Use the recommended resolution

Start with the monitor's native resolution. Microsoft recommends using the option marked Recommended because lower or non-native resolutions can look stretched or soft.

1. Open Settings > System > Display.
2. If you use multiple monitors, select the display that is tearing.
3. Under Scale and layout, set Display resolution to the option marked Recommended.

See Microsoft's Windows display-resolution guidance.

2. Set the correct refresh rate

A monitor running at an unintended refresh rate can make motion look worse and can complicate synchronization. In Windows 10, go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings, choose the affected monitor, and select a refresh rate the display supports. Some Windows 10 builds expose the list through Display adapter properties > Monitor.

Use the highest stable rate supported by your monitor and connection rather than randomly lowering it. Microsoft's refresh-rate instructions also note that the available rates depend on the display.

3. Turn on V-Sync in the game

For a fixed-refresh monitor, V-Sync is the simplest direct fix for tearing. It synchronizes the application's frame presentation with the display refresh. NVIDIA's own control-panel documentation states that turning Vertical sync on is useful for eliminating tearing.

1. Open the game's video or graphics settings.
2. Find V-Sync, Vertical Sync, or a similarly named option.
3. Turn it on, apply the change, and retest the same scene.

V-Sync can add latency, and frame pacing may feel uneven if the GPU cannot keep up with the monitor. If your monitor supports VRR, use the next method instead of relying only on fixed-refresh V-Sync. See NVIDIA's Vertical sync reference.

4. Enable G-SYNC or FreeSync when your monitor supports VRR

VRR lets the display vary its refresh timing to follow the GPU's frame delivery, reducing or eliminating tearing and stutter within the monitor's supported VRR range.

NVIDIA G-SYNC

Open NVIDIA Control Panel > Display > Set up G-SYNC, check Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible, choose full-screen or windowed and full-screen mode, and apply it to the correct display. NVIDIA documents these steps in its G-SYNC setup guide.

AMD FreeSync

First enable FreeSync or Adaptive-Sync in the monitor's on-screen menu if required. Then open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, search for Display, select the correct monitor, and confirm AMD FreeSync is enabled. AMD says FreeSync is normally enabled by default on compatible systems. See AMD's current FreeSync setup instructions.

5. Update the graphics driver, or roll it back if the problem just started

Microsoft recommends Windows Update as the normal source for hardware-driver updates. You can also open Device Manager > Display adapters, right-click the GPU, and choose Update driver. If tearing began immediately after a driver update, open the GPU's Properties > Driver tab and test Roll Back Driver when that button is available.

Use Microsoft's driver update and rollback instructions, or install a compatible driver directly from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, or your PC manufacturer.

6. Check the monitor, cable, and connection path

If the expected refresh rate or VRR option is missing, verify the display side as well as Windows. Make sure Adaptive-Sync, FreeSync, or the monitor's equivalent setting is enabled in its on-screen menu. Reseat the display cable, test another known-good cable or GPU port, and temporarily bypass adapters, docks, or switches. On a desktop with a discrete graphics card, connect the gaming monitor to the graphics card's video output rather than a motherboard output unless your system is intentionally configured otherwise.

7. If tearing happens in only one game

Reset that game's per-app graphics overrides, confirm its selected resolution and refresh rate match Windows, and test both exclusive fullscreen and borderless/windowed modes. If the game has a frame-rate limiter, choose a limit your system can sustain consistently; a limiter can reduce large frame-rate swings, but it is not a substitute for V-Sync or VRR when the goal is to eliminate tearing.

Windows 10 support note

Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. The settings above still work on Windows 10 PCs, but Microsoft no longer provides normal free security updates or technical support for the operating system. If the PC is eligible, consider moving to Windows 11; otherwise review Microsoft's Windows 10 end-of-support options.