What to do if Taskbar Keeps Flickering in Windows 10

We are all familiar with the Windows taskbar, which is the small, long bar at the bottom of the desktop, consisting of the start menu, the application area, the language options strip and the system tray.

Two types of icons are displayed on the taskbar: pinned application icons and icons for the currently open applications. You can pin the frequently used apps or programs to the taskbar for easy access. Taskbar icons can also show you the activity of certain apps such as a download in progress or a note for unread messages. In this case, the static icons would appear in a different color but they are back to static after you open the app. Why the icons keeps flashing even after opening and how to fix Windows 10 taskbar flickering? Here are several ways you can try to resolve this issue.

Basic troubleshooting steps

1. Unpin some apps

Too many pinned apps affects the loading time after boot up. Right-click on the icon and select Unpin from taskbar.

2. Reboot your PC

The problem of taskbar flickering often occurs as a result of hardware or system failure and restarting Windows 10 is the simplest way that may fix the issue.

Four fixes for flickering taskbar

1. Find and uninstall problematic apps

You probably have installed third-party applications from unknown sources and if there exists any alerts, the app icon will automatically flashes.

In this case, you can run the Windows in safe mode to find if an application is interfering with the UI. In safe mode, Windows shows only default applications and if the error of taskbar flickering disappears, then a problematic third-party app is the main cause.

Step 1: Boot Windows in safe mode

1. Press Windows+R to open run command, type msconfig in the open box, and then click OK.

2. Select Boot, check Safe boot option and click OK.

Then you can restart your PC in safe mood, if the flickering error still exists, then you need to remove the problematic apps.

Step 2: Uninstall problematic apps

Press Windows key to open the start menu and recently added apps are on the top of the list. Identify the unsafe app, right-click on it and select uninstall in the menu.

2. Scan malware and virus

Malware or virus may threat your PC and causes problems. You can use Windows defender to scan your system.

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open settings. Select Update & Security >Windows security >Virus & threat protection.

Step 2: In the pop-up window, click on Quick scan.

Wait until the scan complete. If there are any threats, click on take action and the defender will deal with the error.

3. Update display driver

If you are using outdated display drivers, this flickering issue may occur. To update display driver, please follow the below instructions.

Step 1: Press Windows+X to open start menu context and select Device Manager.

Step 2: In the Device Manager window, expand Display adapters, right-click on the driver and select Properties. Then click Update Driver under Driver tab and hit OK.

Reboot your PC and check if the taskbar stops flashing.

4. Update Windows 10

Press Windows+I to open settings, select Update& Security> Windows Update > Check for updates.