How To Fix Screen Tearing: 5 Reliable Fixes for Smoother Gaming
A torn image during a game or video means the display is showing portions of two frames at once. To fix it quickly, first enable the best sync option your setup supports: G-Sync or FreeSync for a VRR monitor, or VSync with a sensible FPS limit for a fixed-refresh display. NVIDIA’s documented G-Sync setup includes selecting the display, enabling G-Sync/G-Sync Compatible, choosing full-screen or windowed support, and applying the change.nvidia+1
Start With Your Setup
Use this decision guide before changing several settings at once.
| Your setup | First setting to try | Next step |
| NVIDIA GPU plus G-Sync/G-Sync Compatible monitor | Enable G-Sync | Cap FPS slightly below monitor refresh rate |
| AMD GPU plus FreeSync monitor | Enable Radeon FreeSync | Set an FPS cap if the game exceeds the VRR range |
| Fixed-refresh monitor | Enable VSync | Use an in-game or driver FPS limiter |
| Tearing only in browser videos | Enable hardware acceleration | Update or reinstall the graphics driver |
| VRR option is missing | Check monitor OSD and cable | Verify refresh rate and driver settings |
Sync The GPU And Monitor
The core reason people need to know how to fix screen tearing is that the graphics card and monitor are operating on different timing schedules. A GPU can finish a new frame while the display is still scanning the previous one, producing a visible line or split across the image.
Variable refresh rate solves this differently from ordinary VSync. Instead of forcing the GPU to wait for the monitor, G-Sync and FreeSync allow a compatible monitor to vary its refresh timing to follow the GPU’s delivered frames. That usually provides smoother motion with less latency than standard VSync, but it depends on compatible hardware and a suitable connection. NVIDIA’s setup guidance confirms that G-Sync must be enabled for the selected display through NVIDIA Control Panel.
Enable NVIDIA G-Sync
For an NVIDIA-based PC, this is the usual path for how to fix screen tearing without relying on in-game VSync alone:
- Turn on Adaptive Sync, FreeSync, or G-Sync Compatible mode in the monitor’s own on-screen display menu.
- Open NVIDIA Control Panel and choose Display > Set up G-SYNC.
- Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible.
- Choose full-screen mode, or windowed and full-screen mode if you play borderless-windowed games.
- Select the intended monitor, enable the setting for that display if presented, then apply the changes.
- In NVIDIA Control Panel’s 3D settings, confirm that the monitor technology is G-Sync Compatible rather than Fixed Refresh where that option is available.
A capped frame rate keeps gameplay inside the monitor’s VRR operating range. Set the cap slightly below the monitor’s maximum refresh rate rather than at or above it; for example, a 144 Hz panel can start with a cap near 141 FPS. This is a starting point rather than a universal magic number, since game engines and driver behavior vary.
Enable AMD FreeSync
For AMD systems, how to fix screen tearing starts with confirming FreeSync is active at both ends of the connection. Enable Adaptive Sync/FreeSync in the monitor menu, then open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition and review its FreeSync status in the display controls. AMD states that its software may enable FreeSync automatically when compatible Radeon graphics and a certified display are detected, but checking the driver status avoids assuming it is active.If the issue is isolated to one game, use AMD’s game-specific settings rather than changing your global profile immediately. A frame limiter remains useful when a game drives FPS beyond the monitor’s maximum VRR range.
Use VSync On Fixed-Refresh Displays
Without a VRR-capable monitor, VSync remains the most accessible route for how to fix screen tearing. Turn it on in the affected game’s graphics menu and test the result before applying wider driver-level changes.
VSync aligns frame presentation with the monitor refresh cycle, but its tradeoff is potential input lag. If gameplay feels delayed, set an FPS cap close to, but not above, the monitor refresh rate and assess whether the balance is acceptable. Competitive players may prefer a VRR-capable setup because it offers more flexibility when frame rates fluctuate.
Set The Right Frame Cap
An FPS limiter is not just a performance tool; it is part of how to fix screen tearing when a game produces more frames than the monitor can display cleanly. Use the game’s own limiter first, because it applies only to that title. If none is available, use the GPU driver’s maximum-frame-rate control.
For VRR displays, stay a few FPS below the maximum refresh rate. For a 165 Hz monitor, a starting cap around 162 FPS gives the adaptive-sync system room to operate before the display ceiling is reached. If your game frequently falls far below the monitor’s VRR floor, smoother settings may require lowering graphics options rather than raising the cap.
Check The Monitor, Cable, And Refresh Rate
A correct driver setting cannot activate a feature that the monitor or cable connection does not expose. Before assuming the graphics card is at fault, make these checks:
- Verify that Adaptive Sync or FreeSync is enabled in the monitor’s OSD menu.
- Confirm Windows is set to the monitor’s intended resolution and highest stable refresh rate.
- Use the appropriate DisplayPort or HDMI connection specified by your monitor and GPU for VRR support.
- Avoid relying on an old or damaged cable when testing VRR, because a different certified cable is a quick way to isolate a connection problem.
- Restart the game after changing display or driver settings.
These checks often resolve cases where the G-Sync or FreeSync option appears unavailable even though the monitor advertises VRR support.
Treat Video Tearing Separately
When gameplay is smooth but online video has a visible split, how to fix screen tearing may have little to do with game settings. Browser rendering can rely on hardware acceleration, and a disabled or malfunctioning acceleration path can cause video-specific artifacts.
Turn hardware acceleration on in the browser settings, restart the browser, and then test another video. If the problem remains, update the GPU driver and disable any browser extensions that change video playback or rendering behavior. Test with a second browser before changing global GPU synchronization settings.
If The Tear Is Still Visible
If you have tried the appropriate method for how to fix screen tearing and the problem remains, work through the following order:
- Confirm the monitor OSD setting and the driver setting are both enabled.
- Check that Windows is using the expected refresh rate.
- Test a different DisplayPort or compatible HDMI cable.
- Apply a frame cap slightly below the refresh-rate ceiling.
- Update the driver, or roll back only if the problem began immediately after a driver update.
- Temporarily return any GPU overclock to stock settings.
- Test another game or browser to establish whether the fault is app-specific.
An older monitor without reliable VRR can still be usable with VSync and an FPS cap. Replacement is a last option, not the first diagnosis.
Read more: How To Fix Screen Tearing: 5 Fixes That Actually Work
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. VSync synchronizes frame delivery to the monitor refresh cycle, which prevents frames from being displayed mid-refresh. Its main downside is that it can add input lag.
For NVIDIA setups, the most dependable arrangement commonly uses G-Sync with a frame cap below the monitor maximum, while in-game VSync is disabled. Driver-level behavior can vary by game and NVIDIA driver version, so test one game after changing the settings rather than applying conflicting settings everywhere.
First confirm that FreeSync or Adaptive Sync is enabled in the monitor OSD, that the cable/port supports the feature, and that the monitor is connected to the dedicated AMD GPU rather than an unsupported display output. Compatible AMD graphics and certified displays may have FreeSync enabled automatically, but status should still be checked in AMD Software.
A cable does not usually create the timing mismatch by itself, but an incompatible, old, damaged, or incorrectly connected cable can stop VRR from working. That leaves the display dependent on VSync or an FPS cap.
Video-only tearing often points to the browser’s hardware-acceleration path, graphics driver, or an extension affecting video rendering. Enable hardware acceleration, restart the browser, and test a different browser before changing global game settings.
An FPS cap can reduce or avoid tearing by preventing the GPU from exceeding the monitor refresh ceiling, but it is most reliable when combined with VSync on a fixed-refresh monitor or with VRR on a compatible display.
Check the monitor’s own Adaptive Sync setting, the G-Sync setting in NVIDIA Control Panel, cable capability, active refresh rate, and whether the FPS cap stays below the monitor’s ceiling. If tearing occurs in just one title, reset that game’s display profile and test again.
