How to Fix Black Screen Flickering in Microsoft Word 2019
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where the Microsoft Word application briefly flickers black or flashes a black screen during document editing.
- Product
- Microsoft Word 2019
- Device & OS
- Windows laptop
- Scenario
- Typing or navigating within a document after installing Microsoft Office Home and Student 2019.
- Observed behavior
- The application area or the entire screen momentarily flickers black while actively using Microsoft Word.
Before modifying advanced display options, verify that your computer's display drivers are up to date through the Windows Device Manager, as outdated drivers commonly cause visual glitches.
Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Word
Use this solution to stop the flickering by forcing Microsoft Word to rely on software rendering rather than your computer's graphics card.
Hardware graphics acceleration is designed to improve performance by offloading graphics rendering to your GPU. However, compatibility issues between Office 2019 and specific display drivers can result in black flickering. Disabling this feature resolves the conflict without noticeably impacting standard document editing.
Launch Microsoft Word. Click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner of the ribbon, then select 'Options' at the bottom of the left-hand menu.
In the Word Options dialog box, click on the 'Advanced' tab on the left sidebar.
Scroll down to the 'Display' section. Check the box next to 'Disable hardware graphics acceleration'.
Click 'OK' to save your changes, then close and reopen Microsoft Word to ensure the new settings take effect.
Update Windows and Microsoft Office
Apply the latest system and application patches to resolve known performance bugs and graphical conflicts.
Experience Flicker-Free Editing with WPS Office
If graphical glitches and screen flickering continue to disrupt your workflow in Microsoft Word, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a stable, highly optimized environment for all your document needs without heavily taxing your system resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Microsoft Word flicker black when I type?
This is typically caused by a conflict between Word's hardware graphics acceleration feature and your computer's graphics drivers, especially common on laptops running certain Windows updates.
Will disabling hardware graphics acceleration slow down my computer?
No. For standard word processing tasks, disabling this feature will not cause any noticeable decrease in performance, as modern CPUs are more than capable of rendering text and basic document layouts.
What if disabling hardware acceleration doesn't fix the flickering?
If the issue persists, you should manually update your graphics card drivers from your laptop manufacturer's website or check for broader Windows updates that might include bug fixes for display adapters.
