How to Fix Display Artifacts in Microsoft Word for Windows
Question details
The user is experiencing visual glitches and artifacts within the Microsoft Word interface.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- Windows
- Scenario
- Editing or viewing documents in Microsoft Word on a Windows environment.
- Observed behavior
- Random visual artifacts and graphical distortions appear in the document area and application menus.
Before troubleshooting, ensure you have saved all open documents and check if the visual glitches also occur in other Microsoft Office applications like Excel or PowerPoint.
Update Graphics Driver and Disable Hardware Acceleration
Outdated or incompatible display drivers are the most common cause of graphical artifacts in Office. Updating drivers and disabling hardware acceleration forces Word to render using software, bypassing graphical bugs.
Microsoft Word utilizes hardware graphics acceleration to improve rendering performance. However, conflicts with older or buggy graphics drivers can result in random artifacts, screen tearing, or unreadable menus.
Right-click the Windows Start menu and select Device Manager. Expand Display adapters, right-click your graphics card, and select Update driver. Alternatively, visit your computer manufacturer's website to download the latest video driver.
Launch Microsoft Word. Click on File in the top-left corner, then select Options at the bottom of the left pane.
In the Word Options dialog box, click on Advanced in the left sidebar. Scroll down to the Display section, check the box for 'Disable hardware graphics acceleration' (if available in your version), and click OK.
Close Microsoft Word completely and reopen it to see if the display artifacts have been resolved.
Test Microsoft Word in Safe Mode
Running Word in Safe Mode helps determine if a third-party add-in or startup program is interfering with the display rendering.
Switch to the 64-bit Version of Office
Mismatches between a 32-bit Office installation and a 64-bit Windows operating system can occasionally result in performance and rendering issues.
Experience Glitch-Free Document Editing with WPS Office
If Microsoft Word continues to exhibit display artifacts due to deep-rooted Windows compatibility issues or graphics driver bugs, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a lightweight, highly compatible, and free alternative designed to run smoothly on both older and modern Windows PCs without heavy dependencies on complex hardware acceleration.
- 1. Download the installer: Visit the official WPS website and download the free WPS Office suite for Windows.
- 2. Install quickly: Run the lightweight installer to set up the software in seconds.
- 3. Open your files instantly: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing Word documents with full format compatibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do display artifacts only appear in Microsoft Word and not other Windows applications?
Microsoft Office applications like Word rely heavily on dedicated hardware graphics acceleration to render text, menus, and document elements smoothly. If your graphics driver has a specific bug related to Office rendering logic, the visual glitches will be isolated to Word or other Office apps, while basic Windows apps remain unaffected.
Will switching to 64-bit Office delete my existing documents?
No, your documents are saved safely on your hard drive or in the cloud independently of the application. Uninstalling 32-bit Office and installing the 64-bit version will only change the software itself, leaving your files completely intact.
How can I report persistent display bugs directly to Microsoft?
Even with artifacts present on the screen, you can report the issue to Microsoft by clicking on File, then selecting Feedback (or Help > Feedback). Provide a clear description, attach screenshots of the artifacts, and include your system and graphics driver information to help them investigate.
