Flickering / Flashing / Refreshing UI?

What OS/JDK do you use? I don't observe this issue on my system.

The best way to get it resolved is to file a proper bug report with all the details and logs and https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/newIssue?project=IDEA.

Both are windows 10, latest updates. 64bit JDK 12.0.2

Is that the JDK version you see in the About dialog?

I also have Windows 10. How do I reproduce the issue? Can you share a video showing it?

What video cards/drivers do you use in the systems where this problem occurs?

I upgraded to the latest Java JDK and still the same issue, didn't think that would be an issue.

One machine is NVIDIA dedicated GTX 1060, the other is an Intel integrated Core i7 Chipset graphics so unlikely the graphics cards/drivers are the issue either.

One had non-full screen gysnc enabled, i tried disabling it, same issue. laptop doesn't have that nor using external monitor. 

Seems like it somehow might be related to toggling between active windows but i can't seem to really isolate and reproduce it that way with consistency. 

Installing the latest Java JDK from Oracle (13.0.2 in my case) and using the choose runtime plugin solved this issue for me.

I have exactly same behavior as @Jvarianides described. Having it since 2019.3. Updating to latest 2019.3.3 did not solve the issue.

When I open multiple projects, first opened project works fine, no issues, no flickering, totally fluent workflow.

If I open second in New Window then suddenly the newly opened window is flickering all the time, not responsive, can't type (nor code neither even in terminal tab), nothing happens if I try opening folders in Project tree. It does responds to clicks in main toolbar (File, Edit, etc..)  but no response in working area + Project tree.

If I switch back to first opened window (or leave both windows open each in separate screen and just go over it with mouse) then it responsive as before, open folders/packages in Project tree (regarding of its complexity), freely can code, type in anywhere, responsive to mouse clicks, switching between open files, open new files. Totally responsive behavior.

Going back into "second opened" window, it still flickering, no response to any user input. 

Needless to say that anything else in my PC also very responsive, no overall slowness in machine performance.

My machine specs:

This freeze / flickering issue is extremely annoying. I cannot put a finger on specific project where it happens, very randomly. It can even happen on the same project that I opened first if I open it as second project. 

IF I chose to open project in same window "This window", then no problems. Totally fluent work, no freezing or screen flickering.

Also important to notice, it happens even on projects that are not java projects. For example "docker files" projects, "helm  charts" projects. Tried to disable many different plugins but unsuccessfully.

It feels like, threads which run second, third, etc... windows are in starvation by caused by Intellij process it self.

Thank you for writing about maximized window, while it doesn't work for you, it solved my problem. 

In my case intellij global search flickers sometimes. It almost always does that if I am running my project AND testcafe, however sometimes it just picks a random time to flicker. It makes it completely impossible to work! Getting out of maximized window solved it for right now. 

I am on windows 10,

I've solved the IDE window flickering with JetBrains Rider/IntelliJ by disabling MPO (multiplane overlay support). It's a new feature in Windows 10 introduced in an update.

You can disable MPO by using this reg file to modify Windows DWM settings. Enjoy!

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm]
"OverlayTestMode"=dword:00000005

i am facing same problem on my mac too, it's so annoying.

@2017-1-60-084 if you started facing this after updating your OS to Ventura, then please follow JBR-4959.

Otherwise please share your OS and IDE version and indicate what exactly triggers the issue in your case. Thank you!

I am experiencing the flickering too.

I am on a Mac Studio, with a Studio Display, running Mac OS 13.0.1 (22A400).
The flickering started about a Month ago, coinciding with my new Studio Display.
The flickering happens mostly when I do copy/paste (not always, but a handful of times per day).
It lasts for about half a second.

It happens both in WebStorm and PhpStorm. Both are running the latest version (2022.2.3)

I am running the apps on full-screen mode. I will try with "normal" windows like other posts suggest.

Bumping the thread. I have the same issue on MacOS 11.5.2 and PyCharm 2022.2.4. The flickering started after I upgraded PyCharm from version 2021 couple days ago. It seems to be random. Comes every 10-20 minutes or so. Rather annoying.  

Chub Vasilii what you're facing might be IDEA-300331 or IDEA-302092 , please upvote the issue that better describes what you're seeing. As a workaround please try disabling Metal rendering: open Help | Edit custom VM options, add -Dsun.java2d.metal=false line and restart the IDE.

Ekaterina Valeeva It helped me, Thanks!

Ekaterina Valeeva Thanks for the idea, but it seems to not have completely helped with Community Edition 2024.1 : in my case the flickering impacts the Terminal pane worst (secondary window of a project into which I redocked that pane from the main, and have many terminal tabs from Git/Bash for Windows there).

The flickering causes the terminals to disappear and reappear over a split-second, so if I'm clicking into it – I often get the re-appearing text highlighted as it scrolls under the clicked mouse pointer, and so I lose my clipboard data which I was going to paste into the terminal.

I think with the described setting the flickering did become less frequent/annoying – seems limited to when I click into document panes and IDEA re-renders the project structure etc., and when the mouse pointer just hovers over document name tabs (this one is quite reproducible with one gesture).

UPDATE: I've now double-checked that such flickering does not happen when the Terminal pane is docked in the original IDEA window (the one with the burger menu and others), and actually seems to have ceased after I've re-docked it back and forth a few times. So not 100% reproducible :\

Jimklimov sorry for the delay in response. Sadly I cannot identify the root cause without having some additional details from you, that is: 

• complete IDE logs captured via main menu Help | Collect logs and diagnostic data
• screen recording demonstrating the flickering

You can share that information via our upload service, just let us know the upload ID. Thank you!