Screen Tearing: What It Is and How to Fix It

What is screen tearing

A monitor does not change the whole picture at once. It redraws the screen from top to bottom, a fixed number of times per second (the refresh rate). Your graphics card, meanwhile, finishes frames whenever it can, at a rate that goes up and down with what is on screen.

When the card hands over a new frame while the monitor is partway through a refresh, the top of the screen still shows the old frame and the bottom shows the new one. NVIDIA describes it this way: when a single refresh shows two images, an obvious tear line appears at the break. Anything moving sideways is cut and shifted at that line.

What it looks like

• One or more horizontal cuts across the picture, where the image above and below do not line up.
• Most obvious when you turn the camera quickly left and right in a game, or in fast sideways scrolling.
• The line jumps to a different height from moment to moment. A line that stays in exactly the same place, even on a still image, is not tearing: see lines on screen.

Tearing is not a fault in the panel and it does not damage anything. It is the display and the graphics card being out of step, which is why every real fix is about synchronization.

Tearing, stutter or something else

Several motion problems get called tearing. Pin down which one you have before changing settings, because the fixes are different.

How to check for screen tearing, step by step

1. Confirm the refresh rate. Open the refresh rate test on the monitor you play on and check that it shows the rate you expect (for example 144 Hz, not 60 Hz). If it does not, fix that first with the refresh rate guide.
2. Turn on a frame rate counter in your game (most games have one in their settings or performance overlay). Tearing depends on how the frame rate compares with the refresh rate, so you need both numbers.
3. Make a baseline. Stand still in the game, then turn the camera quickly left and right. Note whether you see horizontal cuts and roughly how often.
4. Change one thing at a time (VRR on, VSync on, a frame rate cap) and repeat the same camera sweep. Keep the change that removes the cuts with the least lag.
5. With an NVIDIA card, you can also run NVIDIA's Pendulum demo, which RTINGS suggests for checking that G-SYNC is actually working.

Why screen tearing happens

The frame rate and refresh rate are not synchronized

This is the root cause. With VSync off and no variable refresh rate (VRR), the card sends each frame the moment it is ready, and the monitor keeps refreshing on its own fixed clock. Tearing can appear at any frame rate, above or below the refresh rate.

VRR is off somewhere in the chain

VRR (G-SYNC, FreeSync, VESA Adaptive-Sync or HDMI VRR) only works when the monitor, the port, the cable path and the graphics driver all have it enabled. Common gaps:

• The monitor menu. RTINGS notes the setting may be labeled VRR, Adaptive-Sync or G-SYNC depending on the model.
• A picture preset on the monitor. AMD warns that some presets and custom settings on a display can disable FreeSync, and then the option disappears from AMD Software.
• The wrong port. On most monitors NVIDIA only certifies G-SYNC over DisplayPort; some also support it over HDMI (RTINGS). Apple says not to use an HDMI cable or adapter for Adaptive Sync on a Mac.
• The graphics driver. NVIDIA's G-SYNC needs to be switched on in the NVIDIA Control Panel for monitors that are not certified, and the G-SYNC display has to be the primary display.

The frame rate leaves the VRR range

Every VRR monitor has a range, for example 48 to 144 Hz. AMD Software shows the range under Display Specs; AMD's own example shows a 48 to 60 Hz range. Above the top of the range the monitor cannot refresh any faster, so tearing comes back unless VSync or a frame rate cap holds the game inside the range. AMD's advice: if your game regularly exceeds the display's refresh rate, turn on V-Sync or cap your frame rate. Below the bottom of the range, Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) shows each frame two or more times to stay inside the range; RTINGS explains that the graphics card multiplies frames automatically in that case.

Windowed and borderless games on Windows

Older DirectX 10 and 11 games in windowed or borderless mode may not use the presentation method that allows VRR. Windows 11's Optimizations for windowed games moves compatible games to the newer flip model, which Microsoft says enables features such as variable refresh rate on supported displays.

VSync vs G-SYNC vs FreeSync: which to use

There are only two ways to stop tearing: make the graphics card wait for the monitor (VSync) or make the monitor wait for the graphics card (VRR). NVIDIA sums up the classic trade off: VSync removes tearing but causes stutter whenever the frame rate falls below the refresh rate, and it adds input lag.

AMD describes Enhanced Sync as an alternative vsync mode that reduces visual tearing without limiting frame rates. It is a middle ground for screens without VRR.

The names, decoded

• VESA Adaptive-Sync: the open DisplayPort protocol, introduced in 2014, that lets the refresh rate follow the source. VESA now certifies displays under an AdaptiveSync Display logo that shows the maximum frame rate reached at native resolution in factory settings.
• AMD FreeSync: AMD's program built on Adaptive-Sync and HDMI VRR, working over DisplayPort and HDMI. AMD's current tier table lists LFC for all three tiers (FreeSync, Premium, Premium Pro), with higher minimum refresh rates for the upper tiers and HDR requirements for Premium Pro.
• NVIDIA G-SYNC: monitors with an NVIDIA G-SYNC processor inside. G-SYNC Compatible means a VRR monitor without that chip that NVIDIA has validated; it needs a Pascal or newer GeForce card and Windows 10 or later.
• HDMI VRR: the HDMI Forum's VRR, part of HDMI 2.1. RTINGS notes it is the only VRR format the PS5 supports, while the Xbox Series X|S supports both HDMI VRR and FreeSync.

How to fix screen tearing

Work down this list. Most people are done after step 3.

1. Turn on VRR in the monitor menu

Open the monitor's on screen menu and look for FreeSync, Adaptive-Sync, G-SYNC or VRR. If it is greyed out, switch the picture mode back to a standard or gaming preset; some presets disable it.

2. Use the right port and a direct connection

Plug straight into the graphics card with DisplayPort unless you know your monitor supports VRR over HDMI. Skip adapters, docks and switches while testing.

3. Enable it on the computer

NVIDIA (from NVIDIA's Control Panel help):

1. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel. Under Display, click Set up G-SYNC.
2. Tick Enable G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible.
3. Choose Full screen mode, or Windowed and full screen mode if you play in windowed or borderless mode.
4. For a monitor that is not certified, select it and tick Enable settings for the selected display model.
5. Under 3D Settings, Manage 3D Settings, make sure Monitor Technology is set to G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible.

RTINGS notes that certified G-SYNC Compatible monitors have it switched on automatically, so you may only need to confirm it.

AMD (from AMD's support article): open AMD Software, type Display in the search box and open Display Settings. The AMD FreeSync status and tier appear under Display Options, where you can switch it on. FreeSync is on globally by default for supported displays. Per game, go to Gaming, Games, pick the game and set AMD FreeSync to AMD Optimized or On.

Windows 11, windowed games: go to Settings, System, Display, Graphics, and under Default settings turn on Optimizations for windowed games, then restart the game.

Mac with an external display: Adaptive Sync needs macOS Monterey or later and a supported Mac (any Mac with Apple silicon, plus some Intel models). In System Settings, Displays, select the external display and choose Variable or Adaptive from the Refresh Rate menu. Use Thunderbolt, USB-C or DisplayPort, not HDMI.

Consoles: turn on VRR in the console's video output settings and connect to an input on the TV or monitor that supports the right format (HDMI VRR for PS5; HDMI VRR or FreeSync for Xbox Series X|S).

4. Keep the frame rate inside the VRR range

If your frame rate often goes above your maximum refresh rate, set a frame rate cap slightly below the maximum in the game or the driver, or turn VSync on as AMD recommends. Either way the game stays in the range where VRR works, and tearing at the top end stops.

5. No VRR on your screen

• Turn VSync on in the game if smoothness matters more than the lowest lag, and keep the frame rate at or above the refresh rate to avoid stutter.
• On AMD, try Enhanced Sync as a compromise.
• If you keep VSync off for the lowest lag, a higher refresh rate helps: each torn refresh is on screen for a shorter time (6.9 ms at 144 Hz instead of 16.7 ms at 60 Hz).

Fixes that do not help

• A new cable of the same type. Tearing is timing, not a damaged signal. A cable only matters if the current one or its port stops VRR or high refresh rates from working at all.
• Lowering graphics settings to raise the frame rate. Without sync, more frames above the refresh rate still tear.
• Reinstalling Windows or buying a new graphics card before checking the settings above.

Is screen tearing a defect?

Almost never. Any monitor tears when frames are sent out of step with its refresh, which is expected behavior, not a fault. It becomes a support matter only when a monitor advertises VRR and it does not work as advertised:

• You have VRR on in the monitor menu, the driver shows it as active, you use a port the manufacturer lists for VRR, and the game runs inside the VRR range, yet tearing continues. RTINGS says that if tearing persists after setup, the monitor most likely does not support G-SYNC properly.
• VRR causes blanking, black screens or constant flicker. Apple's advice for a flickering Adaptive Sync display is to turn variable refresh off or check compatibility with the display maker.

Before contacting support, update the monitor firmware if the maker offers one, update the graphics driver, and test over DisplayPort. Then contact the manufacturer or the seller with the model number, the port, the graphics card and the VRR range shown by your driver. Return windows and warranty terms differ by seller and brand, so check the documents that came with the monitor.

How to avoid tearing on your next monitor

• Buy VRR and check it works on the port you will use. RTINGS lists the VRR range per connection in each monitor review.
• Look for tested logos. VESA's AdaptiveSync Display logo requires more than 50 automated tests, including refresh rate, flicker, frame drops and jitter, run in factory default settings. NVIDIA and AMD each publish lists of monitors they have validated.
• Check the low end of the range. A range that starts low, or LFC, keeps VRR working when a demanding game dips.
• For consoles, you need HDMI VRR (and FreeSync is a bonus on Xbox). Both consoles are limited to 120 fps, per RTINGS.
• Match your graphics card. Native G-SYNC features need an NVIDIA card; FreeSync works with AMD, and many FreeSync monitors also work as G-SYNC Compatible.