Office Performance Issues

Fix Microsoft Access Control Tip Flickering at 150% Display Scaling

Emma Brown Sep 25, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user experiences flickering control tips on text boxes in Microsoft Access when the Windows display scaling is set to 150%.

Fix Microsoft Access Control Tip Flickering at 150% Display Scaling

Product: Microsoft Access
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Using Microsoft Access with a high-DPI monitor or accessibility settings where Windows display scaling is increased to 150%.
Observed behavior: Control tips on text boxes flicker continuously instead of displaying normally. The issue does not occur at 125% scaling.

Before you start

Ensure your Windows operating system and Microsoft Office suite are updated to the latest versions, as Microsoft frequently patches high-DPI scaling rendering issues.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Access

Turning off hardware graphics acceleration can resolve UI rendering conflicts between Access and Windows display scaling settings.

Hardware graphics acceleration utilizes your computer's GPU to render graphics and UI elements. While this generally improves performance, it can cause rendering bugs like flickering tooltips at specific display scaling intervals.

Open Access Options

Launch Microsoft Access and open any database. Click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner, then select 'Options' at the bottom of the left sidebar.

Navigate to General Settings

In the Access Options dialog box, select 'General' from the left-hand navigation pane.

Disable Acceleration

Scroll down to locate the 'User Interface Options' section. Check the box labeled 'Disable hardware graphics acceleration'.

Apply and Restart

Click 'OK' to save your changes, then completely close and reopen Microsoft Access to ensure the new graphics settings take effect.

Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Access

Missing Option Note: If you cannot find this option in newer versions of Office, Microsoft may have removed it from the graphical interface. You may need to disable it via the Windows Registry.

Solution 2

Adjust Windows Display Scaling to 125%

If disabling hardware acceleration does not work, temporarily changing the Windows display scaling can bypass the flickering issue.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Experience Smooth, Glitch-Free Productivity with WPS Office

While Microsoft Access may experience UI flickering at higher scaling levels, WPS Office provides a highly stable, lightweight, and compatible suite for your everyday document, spreadsheet, and presentation needs. It is fully optimized for modern high-DPI displays on Windows.

1. Download the Installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installer for Windows.
2. Install WPS Office: Run the downloaded file and follow the quick on-screen instructions to install the suite.
3. Open Your Files: Launch WPS Office and instantly open your existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files with perfect formatting.

Optimized for high-DPI screens without UI flickering or scaling issues.Fully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx).Lightweight design that consumes fewer system resources than traditional office suites.Familiar user interface allowing for seamless migration with zero learning curve.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do control tips flicker in Microsoft Access only at 150% scaling?

Flickering often occurs because the application's graphics rendering engine struggles to interpolate UI elements accurately at specific non-standard or high scaling percentages, leading to continuous screen redraw loops. Hardware graphics acceleration can exacerbate this conflict.

Will disabling hardware graphics acceleration slow down Microsoft Access?

For standard database tasks, you will not notice any performance decrease. Hardware acceleration primarily affects complex animations and advanced 3D rendering, which are rarely used in standard Access environments.

What if the 'Disable hardware graphics acceleration' option is missing?

In recent Office updates, Microsoft removed this checkbox from the Options menu for many users. You can still disable it by modifying the Windows Registry at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Graphics and setting DisableHardwareAcceleration to 1.

Does WPS Office include an alternative to Microsoft Access?

WPS Office focuses on the core productivity tools you use most: Writer (Word), Spreadsheets (Excel), and Presentation (PowerPoint). It does not include a direct relational database management alternative to Microsoft Access.

Office App Problems