Macos Sequoia Screen Flickering Chrome [Solved]

Issue	Common Cause	Recommended Fix
Screen Flickering	GPU Hardware Acceleration conflict	Disable Hardware Acceleration in Chrome Settings
Visual Glitching	Incompatible ANGLE Graphics Backend	Switch ANGLE backend to OpenGL or Metal
Stuttering Video	Outdated Graphics Drivers/Browser	Update macOS Sequoia and Chrome to latest versions

What is macOS Sequoia Screen Flickering in Chrome?

macOS Sequoia screen flickering in Chrome refers to a visual bug where the browser window flashes, stutters, or displays black artifacts. This typically occurs during video playback or when scrolling through heavy web pages.

The issue is primarily rooted in how Chromium-based browsers interact with the updated graphics stack in macOS Sequoia. Changes to the Metal API and display management often conflict with Chrome’s internal rendering engine.

Users often report that the flickering stops when they switch to Safari or move the Chrome window to an external monitor. This confirms that the problem is a software synchronization issue between the browser and the OS.

Step-by-Step Solutions

1. Disable Hardware Acceleration

The most effective fix is to prevent Chrome from using the system’s GPU for rendering tasks. This forces the CPU to handle the visual output, bypassing the driver conflict.

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the three dots in the top-right corner and select Settings.
3. Click on System in the left sidebar.
4. Toggle off Use graphics acceleration when available.
5. Relaunch the browser.

2. Change the ANGLE Graphics Backend

Chrome uses the ANGLE (Almost Native Graphics Layer Engine) to translate graphics calls. Switching the backend can resolve Sequoia-specific flickering.

1. In the Chrome address bar, type chrome://flags and press Enter.
2. Search for “Choose ANGLE graphics backend”.
3. Change the setting from “Default” to OpenGL or Metal.
4. Restart Chrome to apply the changes.

3. Clear GPU Cache via Terminal

Sometimes, corrupted shaders or GPU cache files persist even after a restart. You can manually clear these using the macOS Terminal.

rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/Default/GPUCache

Ensure Chrome is completely closed before running this command. Once executed, restart your Mac and open Chrome again to see if the flickering persists.

4. Disable “Automatic Graphics Switching”

If you are using a MacBook Pro with dual GPUs, the flickering might occur when the system switches between integrated and discrete graphics.

1. Go to the Apple Menu > System Settings.
2. Navigate to Battery.
3. Click Options.
4. Toggle off Automatic graphics switching.

Note: This may decrease battery life, but it provides a more stable visual experience by forcing the high-performance GPU to remain active.