Office Performance Issues

Fix Black Screen Flickering in Word and OneNote Draw Mode

Muhammad Talha Oct 14, 2026 872 views

Question details

The user experiences screen flickering and abnormal system resource consumption while using the drawing tools in Word and OneNote.

Fix Black Screen Flickering When Drawing in Word and OneNote

Product: Microsoft Word and OneNote
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Using the Draw tab to write, sketch, or annotate documents and notebooks.
Observed behavior: The screen flashes black and high CPU or GPU usage is observed, commonly beginning immediately after a graphics-card driver update.

Before you start

Save all your open documents and check your Windows Update history to verify exactly when your graphics driver was last updated.

Solution 1Recommended

Roll Back the Graphics Card Driver

If the flickering started right after a system update, rolling back to the previous stable graphics driver version is the most effective fix.

Graphics driver updates can sometimes introduce rendering bugs in Microsoft Office applications. Reverting to the version that previously worked perfectly typically eliminates the screen flickering.

Open Device Manager

Right-click the Windows Start button and select 'Device Manager' from the context menu.

Locate your graphics card

Expand the 'Display adapters' category to reveal your installed graphics card.

Access driver properties

Right-click the name of your graphics card and select 'Properties'.

Roll back the driver

Navigate to the 'Driver' tab and click the 'Roll Back Driver' button. Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm.

Restart your computer

Reboot your PC to apply the changes, then open Word or OneNote to test the Draw feature again.

Alternative Method: If the 'Roll Back Driver' button is grayed out, Windows does not have a previous version saved. You can try clicking 'Uninstall Device' instead, then restart your PC to let Windows reinstall a default driver.

Solution 2

Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Office

Disabling hardware acceleration forces the CPU to render graphics, bypassing driver-level GPU conflicts.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Experience Smooth Annotation with WPS Office

If Microsoft Office continues to suffer from screen flickering and high CPU usage while drawing, WPS Office is an excellent lightweight substitute. It ensures stable rendering and perfect document compatibility without overloading your system.

1. Download and install: Get the free WPS Office installer from the official website and complete the setup.
2. Open your file: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing Word document directly.
3. Start drawing securely: Navigate to the Draw or Insert tab to annotate smoothly without triggering graphics card glitches.

Provides fully compatible support for Microsoft Word (.docx) formats.Lightweight software architecture prevents high CPU or GPU spikes during drawing and editing.Reliable and smooth built-in ink and annotation tools that do not cause screen flickering.Free to use with a familiar, easy-to-navigate interface for quick migration.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does drawing in Word cause my screen to flicker?

Screen flickering during drawing usually occurs due to a conflict between Microsoft Office's hardware graphics acceleration and your system's graphics card drivers. This mismatch is frequently triggered by a recent graphics driver update.

Will uninstalling my graphics driver break my computer's display?

No. If you uninstall the display driver via the Device Manager, Windows will automatically revert to a basic display driver. Upon restarting, it will attempt to reinstall the most stable default driver for your system.

What should I do if the Roll Back Driver option is greyed out?

If the option is unavailable, it means Windows has deleted the previous driver files or they were never saved. You will need to visit the website of your graphics card manufacturer (such as NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel) to manually download and install an older, stable version.

Does disabling hardware acceleration in Office affect performance?

Disabling hardware acceleration forces your CPU to handle the visual rendering instead of your graphics card. While it may effectively resolve flickering, you might notice slightly slower animation performance or minor lags in Office applications depending on your CPU.

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