Flickering UI on MacBook M1 or external monitor MBP 13 M1 #92586

System Information
Operating system: macOS-12.0.1-arm64-arm-64bit 64 Bits
Graphics card: Apple M1 Apple 4.1 Metal - 76.1

Blender Version
Broken: version: 2.93.5, branch: master, commit date: 2021-10-05 12:04, hash: a791bdabd0
Worked: (newest version of Blender that worked as expected)

Short description of error
When any action in blender (move viewport or oblects) - there is flickering UI. Not way to burn eyes, but noticeable. Problem happens only on external monitor that worked absolutely fine in any other apps.
IMG_2758.MOV - video in slow motion showing the problem. Some times it flicks a lot, some times not much.

Exact steps for others to reproduce the error
Just moving view point is enough to flick UI.
That happens with my first of two files. Second doesnt have that. Attach the file with problem.
domik.blend

Added subscriber: @Archerry_ru

#101731 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#101296 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#100563 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#100332 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#100359 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#98762 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#97942 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#97291 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#93991 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#95234 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#94402 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#93241 was marked as duplicate of this issue

#92898 was marked as duplicate of this issue

Added subscribers: @mano-wii, @iss

@mano-wii can you check?

Just in case - add few things.
My external monitor - HUION KAMVAS 22 Plus. Connected via type-c dongle with HDMI. As I said - work pretty fine in other cases. No other troubles.
Main monitor in Macbook settings - internal one.
Sometimes problem isn't noticable, sometime it does.
When I doing zoom out/zoom in, while moving view side, there can be 1-2 flick, or 10-12.
To check it you need to move view at least for 2 min, and have a straight eye, cuz flicks is only 1-2 frames of 60fps.

Update 2:
Now notice that the problem exist even with only my MBP screen.
Same project, but in "material prewiev" render mode with some lights at scene. Seems like M1 cant handle even that simple scenes, and for somereason makes UI flick.

Added subscriber: @Bryan-Germann

Joined to report the same issue on my M1 Mac with Monterey. It's very noticeable when painting in Texture Paint.

Changed status from 'Needs Triage' to: 'Confirmed'

I can confirm. But it's very random and hard to track.

Added subscribers: @YanSculpts, @OlliPikkarainen

Added subscribers: @blenderrocket, @PratikPB2123

In #92586#1250116, @mano-wii wrote:
I can confirm. But it's very random and hard to track.

See my report at #93241 I can easily reproduce this with the default blender scene.

Added subscriber: @winnertakesteve-1

Added subscriber: @Steve-Hanff

Same here, another thing I noticed is it only happens if there are different views/areas and it does not seem to matter what is in the area.
Just an example, happens on a setup like this too.

Added subscriber: @thecooper8

Added subscriber: @TheGoodBeetle

I made an account just to add that I'm seeing the same bug on an M1 Max MacBook Pro with an operating system version of MacOS 12.1.

In my case, the flickering is pretty much always present and occurs whenever I'm moving the mouse around the viewport while the left mouse button is being held. Different UI elements flicker depending on which workspace is being used, but the flickering is pretty constant, even with the default Blender cube file. It does seem like the flickering is more prevalent in the UV Editing and Texture Painting workspaces, however.

I tried toggling several different system settings on and off to see if it was one of them that might be triggering it, but nothing I reconfigured seemed to affect the behavior. I also use external monitors but I can confirm that the behavior is the same on the external monitors as well as on the built-in screen.

I tried using several different Blender builds, starting with the earliest LTS version I could find with Apple Silicon support (2.93.0) all the way up through the most recent experimental alpha build, and several in between including the main 3.0 release, and the behavior was the same with every version I tried.

I tried to add as much info as I could, but if there's anything else I can add or test that would be helpful, I'd be happy to!

Added subscriber: @chemicalcrux

I am observing this on my M1 macbook. It gets worse as I add more editors -- with just the 3D viewport, it's practically a non-issue, but it gets pretty bad if I open lots of little text editors.

Added subscriber: @Uncle_Dre

I also registered an account for this and would like to add a little information. I am M1 max, version 3.0 and 3.1alpha. My situation is that it will not flicker under normal circumstances, but if an external drawing board is connected and the pen is used as the mouse mode, it will start to flicker. At first, I found this problem in the engraving mode. Later, I found that as long as the pen is used, it will flicker

Added subscriber: @giuseppebufalo

Added subscriber: @fuchs_und_baer

Added subscriber: @bao007fei

Same issue here, Blender 3.0 apple sillicon version on macOS Monterey 12.1

just adding my voice to the choir, as it can be especially bad when I'm doing scripting work, which is a layout that has a lot of editors.

Added subscriber: @imgood

Same for me. Blender 3.0, Apple M1 Pro

Added subscriber: @itselijahciali

Added subscriber: @Sergo_P

Same problem. Please fix this.

Added subscriber: @aluxado

I can confirm too about this bug on MacBook Pro 16" M1 Pro with Blender 3.1 Release Candidate. The Flickering of the UI happen on a basic scene with the default cube, on an external monitor connected with HDMI. However the flicker stop in the moment you open another window (like the preferences) on top of main UI, return to flicker when the window on top is closed.

Added subscriber: @Leda-Lehas

same, tried to upgrade to 3.2 alpha just got worse

Added subscriber: @laflame

same problem, macbook air m1

Added subscriber: @teo3vs

Same problem here on Mac Mini M1, I can add that I've noticed the same issue with Unreal Engine 4. So there could be some issue on Apple's side when a realtime 3D preview window is active.

Removed subscriber: @giuseppebufalo

Added subscriber: @NathanLewis

Like everyone else. Same issue. Noticed while sculpting, and then vector painting. Easy to replicate. M1 MacBook Air 7 Core GPU model. Everything still works, just annoying. I don't know for sure, but I wonder if this has to do with Apple not supporting OpenGL anymore and there being something that is broke with what ever version we have on MacOS now. Curious to see how that pans out with Apple supporting Blender financially and with Devs

Added subscriber: @Jam-Dalu

The same problem here; terrible interface flickering in Blender on MacBook Pro M1 Max. Everything was fine prior to the most recent Apple OS update . The problem is especially bad with external monitors (Thunderbolt 4 & HDMI), however it also presents on the integrated display. I surmise it's a problem with Apple metal because I'm also getting flickering across devices n web3D on safari. I am not seeing this flickering in other apps like Modo or Unity 3-D. Perhaps the Blender viewport is more reliant on Apple metal than those mentioned? Again, for me everything broke after Apple's most recent updates nearest to the date of this post.

Added subscriber: @marioparra

Added subscriber: @bfarley88

I was having the same issue. After changing the MacOS Display option from 120 Herts to 60, the flickering went away. Not sure why that fixed it. MacBook Pro 2020 M1 - UI flickering also occurs at 100Herts - at 50Herts, the entire viewport flickers.

In #92586#1342007, @bfarley88 wrote:
I was having the same issue. After changing the MacOS Display option from 120 Herts to 60, the flickering went away. Not sure why that fixed it. MacBook Pro 2020 M1 - UI flickering also occurs at 100Herts - at 50Herts, the entire viewport flickers.

Just to add to this, since I'm sure everyone's systems are a bit different, I was still seeing the flickering at 60 Hz on the laptop's built-in screen as well as on an external monitor

Added subscriber: @ge53

UI flickers..
using NEW MAC Studio,2022, OS Monterey version 12.3.1 , Apple M1 Max, and LG "UltraFine Display" Monitor at 60 Hz
Blender Version 3.2.0
Any suggestions appreciated!

Added subscriber: @rez

Mine is SO bad it's blending my eyes!

Update: My flickering went away! I didn't do anything in particular though...

This comment was removed by @rez

Since it is apparently not easy to pinpoint the cause, I hope that the work being done on the Metal Backend port will resolve or help resolve this issue.
See #96261 (Metal Viewport ).

Added subscriber: @HansWillemGijzel

Removed subscriber: @HansWillemGijzel

Added subscriber: @HansWillemGijzel

Added subscriber: @fahr

Added subscriber: @KevinCBurke

Also experiencing flickering on MacBook Pro, Apple M1 Max, Metal GPU rendering, Blender 3.1.2

Added subscriber: @Alex-Claydon

Added subscriber: @Adrien-2

Hi,
I'm also experiencing this issue on a M1 Ultra Mac Studio.

Added subscribers: @Robw, @OmarEmaraDev

Added subscriber: @MiDe

Same issue here, on Macbook M1 Pro -> flickering in Wire more and Shaded mode. Was present in 3.1, and is still present in 3.2.
Does not happen on Nvidia RTX2017 PC build -> tested the same thing, but on the external screen for the PC, and no such flickering.

Mine is on a Mac Studio (M1 Max 32GB), short clip of the flickering in the (now merged) #98762

Added subscriber: @jean-martin-barbut

Same issue. Blender 3.2.1. OSX 12.3.1; intel, RX6800XT.

Added subscriber: @alfie-2

Same issue here as well on Blender 3.2.1, macOS 12.4

Hardware Overview:

Model Name:	        MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:	MacBookPro18,4
Chip:	                Apple M1 Max
Total Number of Cores:	10 (8 performance and 2 efficiency)
Memory:	                64 GB
System Firmware Version:	7459.121.3
OS Loader Version:	7459.121.3

Get the issue from the default 2d animation page and move my cursor

Added subscriber: @Cigitia

Added subscriber: @Alaska

Added subscriber: @sionhsu

Hi
My UI keeps flickering, how can I fix it.
The more windows I open, the more flickering,
Is this a problem with APPLE SILICON?
in the intel core Mac is everything fine,
thank you all.

my usage specs
Blender 3.2.2
macOS 12.4 Monterey
Mac Studio M1 Max{F13367776}

In #92586#1402893, @sionhsu wrote:
Hi
My UI keeps flickering, how can I fix it.
Is this a problem with APPLE SILICON?

According to reports by other users, this issue is not limited to Apple Silicon.

As for how to fix it, there currently is no fix, but Germano Cavalcante points out that this issue will hopefully be resolved when the viewport is transitioned to the Metal API. See the quote below.

In #92586#1349009, @mano-wii wrote:
Since it is apparently not easy to pinpoint the cause, I hope that the work being done on the Metal Backend port will resolve or help resolve this issue.
See #96261 (Metal Viewport ).

Added subscriber: @mycoconut

Hi, I also have this problem. The blender window flickers when I move the cursor in it. But if I resize the window just a little, it doesn't flicker anymore until I move the window to an other screen.
Just a silly guess - maybe it happens because of different screen color spaces which obsolete OpenGL or the app cannot properly handle after moving to other screens?
But yeah, looking forward for the #96261 🤓

Added subscriber: @Jeremation

Added subscriber: @dilucious

Added subscriber: @AnonEve

Added subscriber: @Oksanaarthouse

It seems the flickering has disappeared in the 3.4.0 alpha build (local compile, hash fc26e3fe19). Can anyone confirm?

Added subscriber: @Pyer

In #92586#1408438, @Robw wrote:
It seems the flickering has disappeared in the 3.4.0 alpha build (local compile, hash fc26e3fe19). Can anyone confirm?

Nope, It's still there for me in all painting functions (Sculpt, Paint weights/texture/Vertex,...)

Blender 3.4 Intel is working flicker free on M1. Installed Intel for Zen UV.

Blender 3.4 arm64 still flickering for me - M1 Max

Added subscriber: @jonhickley

Just moved to a ARM mac, and am now having the same issue. Very annoying. Hope the devs can take a look at this.

Added subscriber: @DirkLemmers

Added subscriber: @Macwelshman

Added subscriber: @bitdowski

Added subscriber: @JD-Morani

The issues goes away for me if I disable Preferences -> Interface -> Region Overlap.
That being said, even with this setting the lasso tool is flickering a lot still.

Added subscriber: @PocketClouds

Same here with stable 3.3 without external monitor, when you have 2 different viewport (like 3d + sculpting) it start to play

In #92586#1422461, @JD-Morani wrote:
The issues goes away for me if I disable Preferences -> Interface -> Region Overlap.
That being said, even with this setting the lasso tool is flickering a lot still.

it still visible in timeline window.

Added subscribers: @PaulWolfs, @Memento

Removed subscriber: @KevinCBurke

Removed subscriber: @YanSculpts

Added subscriber: @Alexander-Hartmann

Added subscriber: @Ken2008

I have similar but slightly different problem. My UI doesn't flicker but the whole screen flash on and off for couple of seconds sometimes. I'm using M1 Pro MacBook 16. macOS 13.0.1 I always open two blenders on and internal and external monitor(HDMI). the blender version I'm now using is 3.3.1 and 3.2. The flashing can happen either on the internal and external display.

flickering problem solved with upgrading to Mac OS Ventura

In #92586#1447394, @PaulWolfs wrote:
flickering problem solved with upgrading to Mac OS Ventura

Weird. Mine started from Ventura

Added subscriber: @StephenHamacek

@PaulWolfs Hopefully this can get resolved in Monterey. I'm in no hurry to lose all the apps that won't work in Ventura...

I'm having this issue- major UI flickers, mostly when moving cursor from panel to panel - external HDMI and thunderbolt displays on Mac Studio Max, Monterey 12.6.1

Seems to be solved with the metal backend, I can't reproduce it anymore with that enabled.

Same random issue on Monterey intel and blender 3.4. Just hovering panels like properties or outliner, etc. is enough to get this flickering. Usually, on my system, close and reopen Blender make it disappear, id it doesn't a complete power cycle (turn off computer and reboot it) solve it. When the flicker doesn't happen that's fine, it doesn't show up after a while. But when it happens at Blender startup the it doesn't disappear unless your stop/start blender a few times or power cycle the computer.

Removed subscriber: @Alexander-Hartmann

Added subscriber: @LuckyChris

Same here on MacBook M1

But...flickering only if i work with greasepencil

happens in 3.0, 3.4.1, 3.5

Added subscriber: @Fabricio-Lima

Same problem here, macbook m1 pro 14"
working in all latest versions of Blender :(

Disabled region overlap too, it fixes some of the flickers, but timeline still flickering...
very intense problem :(

Added subscriber: @Jeroen-Bakker

Is this issue also reproducable in latest 3.5 when using the metal back-end?
The metal backend can be activated in the systems tab of the user preferences, just below the cycles settings. After changing the setting, you need to restart blender in order for the backend to be initialized.

In #92586#1479224, @Jeroen-Bakker wrote:
Is this issue also reproducable in latest 3.5 when using the metal back-end?
The metal backend can be activated in the systems tab of the user preferences, just below the cycles settings. After changing the setting, you need to restart blender in order for the backend to be initialized.

Oh, it seems that it helped!
I will continue to use it, and will report in case the flickering returns.
Thanks for the advice :)

Tagging it as known issue. OpenGL on Mac has been deprecated for sometime, leading to unreliable drivers . As metal will replace it, it makes less sense to try to spent developer time on it as most is spent on researching what could be the issue.

Added subscriber: @Namaste007

Hello. Same problem here.
Blender 3.4.1 & 3.5 Alpha
MacBook Pro M1, MacOS Ventura 13.1 (22C65)

IMG_2620.mp4

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Flickering UI on MacBook M1 or external monitor MBP 13 M1 #92586