It’s no secret that Mac computers are beloved by their users for their sleek and intuitive design. But every so often, you might encounter a problem that ruins the experience: screen flickering when streaming Netflix.
At first glance, it may seem like an insurmountable issue, but there are actually several ways to put an end to this pesky problem—all without needing to take your computer in for professional repairs.
In this article, we’ll discuss 10 tips and tricks to help you stop the screen from flickering while watching movies on your Mac.
1. Restart Your Device: The simplest solution is usually the best one. Restarting the laptop can often do wonders in resolving any small glitches or issues with connecting to devices and programs.
By restarting the computer, you can clear all of its active memory functions and start fresh. Once it’s back up, try streaming Netflix again and see if the flicker has disappeared.
2. Close Unnecessary Programs: If restarting didn’t solve the issue, consider closing out any unnecessary programs or applications that may be running in the background of your device, as they could be taking up valuable processing power needed for streaming video services such as Netflix.
3. Clean Up Disk Space: Over time even newer computers accumulate bits of excess information which can begin clogging up RAM memory which will cause slower system performance overall, leading to potential visible display problems.
To avoid this, check how much disk space is available on hard drives. There is no need to bother knowing what are other volumes on Mac and other temporary storage.
Instead, clean out standard files by deleting unnecessary documents/images/music data, and try to keep your machine running as smoothly as possible by ensuring that there’s ample space for all applications including streaming video services like Netflix.
4. Reinstall the App: If none of these quick fixes have worked so far, reinstall the Netflix app itself rather than update it through Apple’s App Store; updating rarely solves connection issues, while reinstalling tends to do more good than expected.
5. Check Your Internet Speed: Make sure that your network is providing enough bandwidth for HD streaming; many people find their connection is too slow for uninterrupted service even though their router or modem is just fine otherwise.
Checking with your ISP can let you know if you need an upgrade or not; most online streaming services like Netflix require at least 25 Mbps of download speed for HD quality programming content.
6. Update Your Operating System: It is always advisable to keep up on updates for operating systems whenever possible; many new versions come with bug fixes which could help resolve small display quirks like screen flickers while watching videos via Netflix.
7. Adjust Video Quality Settings: Many times, simply adjusting video quality settings within the app can help reduce flickering displays while streaming movies or shows over Wi-Fi networks with slower connection speeds.
Reducing video resolution from 1080p to 720p usually helps alleviate problems associated with poor connection speeds while still providing decent viewing experiences overall due to lower resource use per frame rate requirement.
Compare 1080p streams that tend to require more data usage per frame rate being shown, versus 720p streams, where data usage per frame rate isn’t as much as high definition videos demand.
8. Refresh Your Network Connection: Flickering screens can sometimes be caused by a weak connection between your computer and router or modem unit.
Give them both a simple refresh by unplugging all cords briefly before plugging them back in again and trying another stream of film or TV show on Netflix.
9. Reset SMC and PRAM: One more potential fix is resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) and Parameter RAM (PRAM) on the laptop.
This can help resolve a variety of system performance issues, including display problems when streaming content from apps such as Netflix.
To reset these, you need to shut down your Mac completely, connect an external keyboard or mouse if needed, then press and hold Command + Option + P + R keys simultaneously until you hear two startup chimes (or one long chime). Then release the keys and allow the MacBook to boot up normally.
10. Disable Third-Party Monitor Software: If you’re using monitor software to oversee system performance (such as iStat Menus or MenuMeters), then try disabling these temporarily and see if this helps reduce any flickering issues when you watch Netflix.
This type of software can sometimes add unnecessary strain on processor resources which has been known to cause display problems, especially when attempting to stream HD video over slow connections.
Conclusion
Hopefully one of the above solutions resolves your Mac’s screen flicker issue while watching Netflix; if none of them do, then it may be time for a more serious hardware upgrade such as increasing RAM memory or getting a faster connection speed from your ISP.
