Flickering Bug After Effects

[arnar?_?]

Okay, so I have a huge problem that I've been trying to fix for days, whenever I click on anything inside of my project the whole screen just flickers and when I use effects, it flickers, basically just when I do anything, it flickers like crazy, even when I'm previewing. There's a video attached to this post where you can see the problem, I really hope someone can help me🙏

[nishu_kush]

Hi there, sorry to hear about the issue. Please share the following details so that we can understand the issue better:

1. What are your system specifications (CPU, GPU, RAM, OS version)?

2. What's the version of After Effects?

3. Are there multiple monitors that are connected to your computer?

A few things to try:

1. Ensure to update your GPU drive to the latest.

2. Run After Effects in Safe Mode with third-party plug-ins disabled and see if that brings any change.

Let me know. Moving this thread from Bugs to Discussions for troubleshooting.

Thanks,
Nishu

[Camillaco]

One of the first things you should do is disable hardware acceleration in After Effects. Go to Edit > Preferences > Display and uncheck Hardware Accelerate Composition, Layer, and Footage Panels. Restarting After Effects after making this change might resolve the issue. In my case it did.

Another factor to consider is your monitor's refresh rate. If it's set too high or too low, it can cause visual instability. Try setting it to a standard rate like 60Hz in your display settings and see if the flickering stops.

Features like AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-SYNC can interfere with After Effects, causing display glitches. If you're using one of these technologies, try disabling it in your monitor's settings or in your GPU's control panel.

[arnar?_?]

Hey, thanks for That, it really helped but there's one problem about the refresh rate, it says I cant change the refresh rate and it's just stuck on 100hz, please lmk if you know a way to fix that

[nishu_kush]

Which monitor are you using? Have you tried reaching out to their support channels?

Thanks,
Nishu

[Lee_0104]

Not sure if its a bug or if my settings are wrong. This started happening with the new update - v 25.2.2. Whenever I try to move an item (image, text, etc) the composition box flickers. At first, I tried turning off adaptive resolution - thereafter, whenever I tried to move something, it showed Interactive Render Quality (6) and the flicker was still happening. Not sure if this is the issue or if its something else.  I've also turned off hardware accelerate. Nothings worked. I've checked my computer - nothing wrong with it (posted specs). Tried closing and opening the programme again. Tried opening older projects. The flicker still happens
(I've posted a video below of what's happening and my current settings - ignore the lofi playing in the back lol, from yt not after effects).

Please help!

Device specs

[nishu_kush]

Thanks for sharing the details and screen recording. Is there a dedicated GPU installed on your computer? If yes, is the driver updated?

Let us know.

Thanks,
Nishu

[Yoyenah]

The composition box flickers every time I try to apply a transition or hover my cursor above the layer. It makes my eyes uncomfortable, and it's been pretty hard to work with. I've tried unchecking the hardware box in the preference display setting, restarting my computer, and checking to see if Adobe and my GPU are up to date, but nothing works. 

I've also tried to install older versions of AE, but that wasn't doing anything either.

This just started happening today after the most recent update. 25.2.2 I think.

I appreciate the help. 

My refresh rate is at 60Hz, and I do not have any additional monitors. Here are my device and monitor specs: 

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hello @Yoyenah,

Hi, I'm Kevin from Adobe Support, a moderator here. Thanks for the message. I see you have a newer Ultra CPU. From what I understand, these CPUs are not supported with After Effects yet. That could be the issue. If so, sorry about that. I hope a team member or community member might be able to offer a solution shortly.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Yoyenah]

Thank you, Kevin. I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly.

Do you think it would work better if I tried to install an older version of AE? It worked perfectly a couple months before.

[Yoyenah]

@Kevin-Monahan 

[Ana Teresa_Bessa2393]

Whenever i move the cursor or any object inside After Effects, it flicker. How to solve it?

[BenCrombieNestCommerce]

Video of problem. 

Hi, I've encountered this problem with my new work laptop (specs below). The preview window flickers whenever I scrub the timeline or edit anything in the comp. As you can see there's nothing in the comp in the video so this isn't the result of files/footage. I've tried several suggestions but nothing has worked.

What I've tried so far:

-purged memory & disk cache

-disabled/enabled Mercury GPU Accelation

-Disabled Hardware Accelerate composiotn, layer & footage in Preferences > Display

-No G-sync or Freesync options as the graphics are Intel Arc.

-GPU drivers are up to date

-No options for OpenGL acceleration found

-Changed display refresh rate to 60Hz

-disabled adaptive brightness in Intel Graphics Command Center

None of this has worked. any suggestions?

Laptop specs:

Asus Zenbook S14 UX5406SA

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 (2.2GHz)

GPU: Intel Arc 140V GPU (16GB)

Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X

OS: Windows 11 64-bit

Full Specsheet 

[Warren Heaton]

@BenCrombieNestCommerce:

Yeah, that flicker in the Panel Background is pretty bad.

Is this happening in After Effects 25.2.3?  Or are you running the public beta where we can change the Panel Background Color under View > Panel Background Color?

If you choose Help > System Compatibility Report, is anything flagged as red?

Have you tried rolling the graphic driver one version back?

What happens if you start After Effects in Safe Mode?

- Warren

[Debby@Myl]

Hello @arnar?_? ,

I have the exact same problem! For the last two days (10/06/25), the composition panel of AE has been flickering when I move my mouse over it. Even when I move my mouse over other panels!!! However, the worst flickering occurs when I manually move the time indicator. It's like disco lights; it doesn't stop flashing!!! The only time everything works properly is when the video is playing.

Hello @nishu_kush,
1. I disabled hardware acceleration with no result. 
2. I ran After Effects in Safe Mode with third-party plug-ins disabled, no result. 

3. I ran After Effects in Safe Mode and reset preferences, and no result.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: 

After Effects version: 25.2.2 (Build 2)

RAM: 32GB
CPU: 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1365U 1.80 GHz

GPU: Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics  / GPU Driver: Fully updated

Multiple monitors in use: No, just one

OS: Windows 10 Enterprise, v.22H2 / OS Build: 19045.5854

Plz help!!!! 

[sahil_3872]

The same situatuon here

[mike_2576]

Bei mir auch. Alles schon versucht. Inzwischen bezweifle ich, dass es tatsächlich an AE liegt. Ich habe gestern einen neuen Lenovo erhalten und Intel-Updates installiert. Das neue AE-Update wurde gestern schon installiert und es lief alles wie gewohnt

[mike_2576]

Same with me. I've tried everything. I now doubt it's actually AE. I got a new Lenovo yesterday and installed Intel updates. The new AE update was installed yesterday, and everything worked as usual.

[sahil_3872]

even i got a new lenovo bro, is the problem with lenovo's???

[sahil_3872]

same, i talked with a rep. - download the 2024 version , solves the issue 

[mike_2576]

What did you download exactly if I may ask?

[Debby@Myl]

I have Dell and it's the same for me too. 

[mike_2576]

I downloaded and installed the 2024 version from AE and I agree that the issue is fixed. Downside is that I cannot open projects from the recent version

[MarekMularczyk]

Recently, on a friend's computer, Compositon panel starts flickering whenever performing any of these:

• trying to move a layer
• placing a cursor over a layer

It happens on different versions, not just the last one.

Any ideas?

[BenD123]

roll back AE 2025 is a hot mess

[nishu_kush]

What are their computer specs? If not already, have them try the latest version of After Effects (25.3). If that doesn't help, a screen recording of the issue would help us understand it better.

Looking forward to your response. 

Thanks,
Nishu