Experiencing strange visual glitches or artifacting in your Chrome browser? You're not alone! Many users, especially those with NVIDIA graphics cards, have reported this frustrating issue. Fortunately, there's a potential fix that can save you from prematurely blaming your hardware.
This article delves into a solution shared by a Reddit user, u/Speriatdemoarte, on the r/chrome subreddit, offering a straightforward way to address artifacting specifically within Chrome and other Chromium-based applications.
The root cause of this issue often lies in a conflict between NVIDIA drivers and Chrome, as well as other Chromium-based applications like Steam and Discord. This conflict manifests as visual artifacting, which can range from minor distortions to more severe graphical glitches, impacting your browsing experience.
The suggested solution involves changing Chrome's rendering settings to use OpenGL. Here's a step-by-step guide:
chrome://flags and press Enter. This will take you to Chrome's experimental features page.Why OpenGL? OpenGL is a cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. By forcing Chrome to use OpenGL for rendering, you might bypass the problematic interaction with the default rendering settings and your NVIDIA drivers.
While OpenGL seems to work for many users, it's not a universal fix. As u/Speriatdemoarte mentioned, other available options within the ANGLE graphics backend settings may work better for you. So, if OpenGL doesn't resolve the artifacting, experiment with the other options until you find one that works.
Another suggested solution from the original Reddit post involves rolling back your NVIDIA drivers to an older version. This can be a viable option if the artifacting started after a recent driver update.
Caution: Ensure you download drivers from the official NVIDIA website to avoid malware or incompatible software.
If neither of the above solutions works, consider these additional troubleshooting steps:
Dealing with artifacting can be a frustrating experience, but by trying the solutions outlined in this article, you can hopefully resolve the issue and restore a smooth browsing experience in Chrome. Remember to experiment with different rendering options and consider rolling back your NVIDIA drivers before resorting to more drastic measures. And, of course, always keep your software up to date for optimal performance and stability.
