Many users have reported screen flickering on their newly purchased Surface Pro devices, rendering the devices unusable. If you’re one of them, you can try the following troubleshooting guide to see if it helps.

  1. Check if it’s a screen scramble
  2. Update your graphics drivers
  3. Check for Windows updates
  4. Repair corrupt system files

Before we proceed any further, please make sure that your Surface Pro 4 is in a cool environment with enough airflow, as overheating may cause your Surface Pro to flicker. Also, make sure that all the cables are connected properly. Once confirmed, go on the troubleshooting guide. (please note that the following screenshots are taken on Windows 11, but the instructions work on Windows 10 as well)

1. Check if it’s a screen scramble

After careful examination by Microsoft, some Surface Pro devices are confirmed to exhibit screen scrambling, though it may be referred to as “flickering” by users. In this case, Microsoft offers a replacement for devices purchased within 3 years, free of charge. Therefore, you can refer to Microsoft Support and check if you’re experiencing the scramble symptom. Once confirmed, you may order a replacement.

However, some reported that the Surface Pro devices they replaced were having the same scrambling issue, and some of the affected users filed a lawsuit against Microsoft, though it didn’t move forward.

If the flickering issue is not caused by hardware defects, please move on to the next tip.

2. Update your graphics drivers

One of the main reasons for the Surface Pro 4 screen flickering is related to the display drivers. Hence, the first thing you should do is update your graphics card drivers.

To update your display card driver, here’s what you can do:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and X at the same time, select Device Manager.
  2. Double-click to expand the category Display adapters. Then right-click your graphic card driver and click Update driver (the name of the device can be different on your computer).
  3. Then click Search automatically for updated driver software.
  4. Wait for Windows to find the latest driver available for you.
  5. When the driver update is done, restart your computer for the change to take effect.
  6. Then check and see if the problem is fixed.

Either way, you can use Driver Techie to scan and repair outdated, corrupt, or missing drivers. Driver Techie simplifies the process to update your drivers (only three clicks for Pro users). It works in most cases where you have a driver-related issue. You can download Driver Techie by Clicking Here or following the guide below.

To use Driver Techie to find you the latest graphics driver:

  1. Download and install Driver Techie, then launch it.
  2. Click Scan Now.
  3. After the scan, select all the drivers you need to update and click Update All (for Pro subscribers), and all your drivers will be updated automatically. (Please note that you can only update the driver one at a time if you use a free version. To see how to manually update the drivers one by one, please check this post.)

Driver Techie involves the direct human review of the driver database by our engineers, which ensures you always have the safest and latest device drivers. You can rest assured that all your device drivers are in good hands.

Furthermore, if you’ve subscribed to Driver Techie Pro, and need our technical support to help fix the flickering Surface Pro, please feel free to contact <support@drivertechie.com>.

3. Check for Windows updates

Generally, we recommend you keep your system updated, as it fixes some known system bugs. Hence, if your Surface Pro 4 is still flickering, check if there are updates available. If so, download and install them.

To do so:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I together to open Settings.
  2. From the left sidebar, select Windows Update, and then click the Check for updates button on the right.
  3. If there is any update available, install it and restart your Surface Pro.

Once complete, check if the flickering issue persists. If so, move on to the next tip.

4. Repair corrupt system files

If there are corrupted or missing files on your system, your Surface Pro 4 is likely to flicker as well.In this case, you can do an SFC scan to detect and resolve any faulty system files. This works for many of those affected by the screen flickering issue. Here’s what you can do:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R together to invoke the Run prompt, type cmd, and press Shift, Ctrl, and Enter together to launch the Command prompt.
  2. Paste the following command lines and press Enter to execute:
    sfc /scannow

  3. Wait until the verification is 100% complete. The scan results will be shown after this process is finished.

Once SFC finishes, check if there’s any issue found and fixed. If you get further instructions from the results, perform it as well. (Please do not close the Command prompt.) After that, paste the following lines in the Command prompt to run the DISM scan.

  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

If RestoreHeath ends with errors, you can try the following command. Please note that this will take you up to 2 hours to complete.

  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

If RestoreHealth gives you Error: 0x800F081F, restart your computer and invoke the command prompt again, then run the following command.

  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore

Once done, restart your Surface Pro 4 for changes to take effect. Hopefully, the screen flickering issue will be fixed.

Conclusion

A scrambled screen can sometimes be described as flickering, so you can check if you’re experiencing this first. If so, contact Microsoft Support for a replacement or further assistance. If it’s not the scramble problem, then check updates for your drivers and operating system. In addition to that, you can also run the SFC and DISM commands to fix system files.

Note: Due to hardware defects, we cannot ensure that all the problematic Surface Pro devices can be fixed, but you can still have a try.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment down below.