Desktop keeps refreshing in Windows 11 and 10: how to fix it

Step 1: Driver or app? The Task Manager test

Microsoft’s screen-flickering guide uses a simple test to split the problem in two. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and watch it for a minute.

What you see	Likely cause	Go to
Task Manager flickers or refreshes along with everything else	Display driver	Fix the display driver
Task Manager stays steady, but the desktop and taskbar keep flashing	An app, often by crashing File Explorer	Check whether Explorer is crashing

Step 2: Check whether Explorer is crashing

When the desktop and taskbar vanish and redraw every few seconds, File Explorer (explorer.exe) is often crashing and being restarted. Windows records that, so you can confirm it instead of guessing:

1. Right-click Start, open Event Viewer, and go to Windows Logs > Application.
2. Look for repeated Application Error entries with Event ID 1000 and Faulting application name: explorer.exe, or Event ID 1002 saying the shell stopped unexpectedly and explorer.exe was restarted.
3. Open an entry and read the Faulting module line. If it names a DLL from a third-party program (an antivirus, cloud sync tool, shell extension or audio utility), that program is your prime suspect.

Reliability Monitor gives the same information on a timeline: press Win + R, type perfmon /rel and look for red crosses for Windows Explorer. If Explorer crashes when you right-click files rather than on its own, see Windows Explorer crashes on right-click.

Fix the display driver

1. Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B. Microsoft lists this shortcut as a way to reset the graphics driver; the screen goes black briefly. If it doesn’t help, restart the PC.
2. If the problem started after an update, right-click Start, open Device Manager, expand Display adapters, right-click your graphics adapter and choose Properties. On the Driver tab select Roll Back Driver, then Yes, and restart.
3. If Roll Back Driver is greyed out, there’s no older driver to go back to. Choose Update driver instead, or get the latest driver from your PC or graphics card maker.
4. Still flickering? Choose Uninstall device, tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device, and restart. Windows reinstalls a driver automatically.

If the graphics process itself is also using a lot of memory, Desktop Window Manager high memory covers that side.

Find the app that’s causing it

When Task Manager doesn’t flicker, Microsoft’s advice is to uninstall recently installed apps one at a time, restarting after each: Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select the three dots next to the app, Uninstall. When Windows 10 launched, Microsoft said it had received reports of some third-party software causing Explorer.exe to crash repeatedly; antivirus suites, iCloud and an IDT audio utility were named at the time. Running more than one antivirus product at once is worth checking too.

If you can’t tell which app it is, a clean boot finds it:

1. Search for msconfig and open System Configuration.
2. On the Services tab, select Hide all Microsoft services, then Disable all.
3. On the Startup tab, select Open Task Manager and disable each startup app.
4. Restart. If the desktop is steady, turn services and apps back on in small groups until the refreshing returns.

Remember to undo the clean boot afterwards by selecting Normal startup on the General tab. For more on what launches with Windows, see where startup programs live.

A workaround some PC makers suggest

Lenovo’s support article for a constantly flashing screen suggests disabling the Problem Reports and Solutions Control Panel Support and Windows Error Reporting Service services in services.msc. That stops Windows’ crash reporting rather than fixing the cause, so treat it as a temporary measure while you track down the app or driver, and set both back to their previous startup type (normally Manual) afterwards.

Test the desktop background

A desktop that changes picture by itself isn’t the same as one that refreshes, but it’s worth ruling out. In Settings > Personalization > Background, switch Personalize your background from Slideshow or Windows spotlight to Picture or Solid color and see whether the refreshing stops. No Microsoft source links these options to this problem, so treat it as a quick test, not a known cause.

Test a new user account

In one Microsoft Q&A thread about a constant Explorer refresh loop, the problem didn’t happen in a new user account, which pointed to a damaged profile. Create a test local account in Settings > Accounts > Other users (or Family & other users on Windows 10), sign in and watch the desktop. If it’s steady there, move your files to a new account rather than spending hours repairing the old one.

Repair system files

If nothing above helps, repair Windows’ own files from an administrator Command Prompt:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Restart when both finish. Our guide to running sfc /scannow explains the results. If SFC says a repair is pending, see system repair pending.

Related guides

• Windows Explorer crashes on right-click: how to find the cause and fix it
• Desktop is unavailable in Windows: how to fix it
• Taskbar icons missing in Windows 11 or 10: how to get them back
• Desktop Window Manager high memory: why it happens and 5 fixes

Official sources

• Troubleshoot screen flickering in Windows (Microsoft Support)
• How to perform a clean boot in Windows (Microsoft Support)
• Personalize your desktop background (Microsoft Support)