Fixes for Windows 11 Desktop Keeps Refreshing

Do you have a Windows 11 desktop that keeps refreshing itself without warning? Then your dissatisfaction is understandable. Such frequent Windows refreshes might quickly detract from your productivity and damage your computer experience.

This could be caused by anything from a malicious app to the existence of malware. If the button on your mouse is stuck, briefly unplugging it may help you confirm this. If that doesn't work, try the solutions listed below to keep your Windows 11 desktop from refreshing abruptly.

1. CLOSE BACKGROUND APPS

To begin, open the Task Manager on Windows and go through the list of apps that are currently operating in the background. Apps that consume a lot of CPU and resources may cause Windows to refresh at irregular intervals.

To open the Task Manager, use Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Check the CPU and memory use for each app on the Processes tab. Select End task from the list when you right-click on the one with the highest use. But first, double-check that you've saved your work.

Cloud storage apps such as OneDrive and iCloud, which are continually syncing data in the background, may be the source of the problem. Aside from that, you can always close and restart a few resource-intensive apps.

2. RUN SFC AND DISM SCAN

Have you uninstalled a number of apps or deleted any old files and folders? This could cause problems with the system files in Windows 11. On Windows, you can run a scan with System File Checker to replace those system files with their cached versions.

Step 1: Press Windows key + X to open the menu from the Taskbar and select the Windows Terminal (Admin) option.

Step 2: Type the command mentioned below and press Enter.

"SFC /scannow"

A notification will show after the scan is completed, indicating whether the scan was successful.

If the SFC scan fails to reveal a problem with the system files, do a DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scan instead.

Step 1: Press Windows key + X and select Windows Terminal (Admin) from the list.

Step 2: In the console, run the following commands one by one and press Enter after each of them.

"DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth"

Restart your PC after running the above commands and check your desktop if it keeps refreshing.

3. CHANGE POWER PLAN

Windows 11 gives you with a few different power plans, just as earlier versions. Switching to a High-performance power plan fixed the desktop auto-refreshing issue for several users. Here's how to do it.

Step 1: Press Windows key + I to launch the Settings app. From the System tab, click on the Power & battery settings.

Step 2: Use the drop-down menu next to Power mode to select Best performance.

4. DISABLE WINDOWS ERROR REPORTING SERVICE

Windows Error Reporting is a background process that detects and reports software issues to Microsoft. When a service operates unpredictably and causes resource congestion, it's shocking. To test whether this helps, temporarily disable the Windows Error Reporting service.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type in services.msc in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Services window, scroll down to find ‘Windows Error Reporting Service’ and double-click on it to open the Properties.

Step 3: Use the Startup type drop-down to select Disabled and hit Apply followed by OK.

5. UPDATE DISPLAY DRIVER

The desktop icons may keep flashing or the screen may flicker if there is a problem with the current display driver on your PC. To get around this, consider updating your PC's display drivers by following the procedures below.

Step 1: Click on the Search icon on the Taskbar, type in device manager, and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Device Manager window, expand Display adapters. Then right-click on your graphics card and select the Update driver option.

From there, follow the on-screen instructions to update the Display drivers.

6. SCAN FOR MALWARE

Malware or viruses can also cause Windows 11 to behave strangely at times, forcing it to refresh automatically on occasion. To rule out this possibility, run a full system scan with Windows Defender or another antivirus tool, and then check to see if the problem has been repaired.

7. TRY CLEAN BOOT

If you still can't stop Windows 11 from refreshing, it's possible that third-party apps or services running in the background are to blame. A clean boot is a fast way to see if this is the case.

Step 1: Press the Win + R to open the Run dialog, type msconfig.msc, and press Enter.

Step 2: Under the Services tab, mark the box that reads Hide all Microsoft services box and click Disable all button. That will disable all the third-party and relatively non-system services on your PC.

Step 3: Next, head over to the Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager.

Step 4: Under Startup, select the unwanted programs and click on Disable. Remember, you just need to disable the apps. Avoid disabling any essential services.

Only critical apps and services will start when your PC restarts. If the problem is no longer present in the clean boot state, you can check for and uninstall any recently installed apps and programmes.

Follow the instructions above to activate all Startup programmes and services, then reboot your PC to return to normal mode.

REFRESHING IN EVERY SENSE

These infrequent refreshes can cause your desktop screen to flicker unnecessarily, consuming more CPU and memory. Regardless, one of the remedies listed above could be able to assist you get things back to normal on Windows 11.