Immediate Fix: Disable Hardware Acceleration
The primary cause of SourceTree screen flickering is a conflict between the software’s rendering engine and your Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Disabling hardware acceleration usually resolves the issue instantly.
Since SourceTree is built on the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), you can force it to use software rendering by modifying your environment variables or configuration files.
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Update GPU Drivers | Ensure your Intel, NVIDIA, or AMD drivers are current. |
| Disable HW Acceleration | Force SourceTree to use software-based UI rendering. |
| Restart SourceTree | Always kill the process in Task Manager before testing. |
To apply a quick fix via the command line, use the following bash command to navigate to your local settings directory and verify your config path:
# Check for SourceTree local app data directory
ls $LOCALAPPDATA/Atlassian/SourceTree/Technical Explanation
Screen flickering in SourceTree occurs because the application relies on hardware-accelerated WPF rendering. This technology offloads UI drawing tasks to your GPU to improve performance.
However, when there is a driver mismatch or a conflict with “G-Sync” or “FreeSync” settings, the buffer swap timing fails. This results in the UI rapidly alternating between rendered frames, which users perceive as flickering.
This issue is particularly prevalent on laptops with dual-GPU setups (Integrated Intel graphics vs. Dedicated NVIDIA cards), where SourceTree struggles to determine which processor should handle the interface.
Alternative Methods
Method 1: Adjust NVIDIA/AMD Global Settings
If the flickering persists, you should manually assign the “Integrated Graphics” to SourceTree. Open your GPU Control Panel and find the SourceTree.exe executable. Change the preferred graphics processor from “High-performance” to “Integrated.”
Method 2: Update Embedded Git
Sometimes the flickering is caused by a constant refresh loop triggered by an outdated version of Git. Ensure your embedded Git version is up to date.
# Check your current Git version within SourceTree
git --versionNavigate to Tools > Options > Git and click on Update Embedded Git to ensure the background processes are stable.
Method 3: Clear Compositioning Cache
Corrupted UI cache files can also lead to rendering artifacts. You can clear the compositioning cache by deleting the relevant temporary folders in your AppData directory.
Close the application and delete the sub-folders found in:
%LocalAppData%\Atlassian\SourceTree.exe_Url_[RandomString]