Screen Flickering or Gone Dim? Don't Panic.
A flickering or unusually dark screen looks alarming — but it's very often one of the easiest things to put right, and rarely means the screen itself has failed. Before you imagine the worst, let's work through the simple causes first, in order.
If the Screen Is Too Dark
Nine times out of ten, the brightness has simply been turned down — sometimes by accidentally brushing a key.
- Look along the top row of keys for two little sun symbols (one bigger, one smaller). Hold the Fn key and tap the bigger sun a few times to brighten the screen.
- Or click the battery icon near the clock and drag the brightness slider up.
Windows can dim the screen by itself to save power when on battery. If it brightens the moment you plug in the charger, that's all it is — and you can switch the behaviour off in Settings → System → Display.
If the Screen Is Flickering
Flickering usually comes down to one of three things, easiest first:
1. Give It a Proper Restart
As ever, the humble restart fixes a surprising amount. Click Start → Power → Restart and see whether the flicker clears.
2. Update the Display Driver
The driver is the small piece of software that lets Windows talk to the screen. An out-of-date one is the most common cause of flickering. The safe way to update it is your laptop maker's own free tool:
| Brand | Free Official Tool |
|---|---|
| HP | HP Support Assistant — support.hp.com |
| Dell | Dell SupportAssist — dell.com/support |
| Lenovo | Lenovo Vantage — from the Microsoft Store |
Open the tool, let it check for updates, and install anything to do with "display" or "graphics". Then restart.
3. Check It's Not a Loose Connection
If the flicker comes and goes when you gently open and close the lid, the cable behind the screen may be a little loose. That's an inside job — and a sign to stop and ask for help rather than prod about yourself.
Ask our IT Man — free and friendly. Tell us your laptop's make and model and when the flicker happens (always, or only when you move the lid?). A short description — or a photo — helps us point you the right way. There's no charge for asking.
In a Nutshell
A dim screen is almost always just the brightness; a flickering one is almost always the display driver. Brighten it, restart, and update the driver with your maker's free tool. If it still misbehaves when you move the lid, that's our cue to step in — don't open the laptop yourself.
