Ubuntu 20.04 screen tearing during video playback

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents

1. Symptom & Impact
2. Environment & Reproduction
3. Root Cause Analysis
4. Quick Triage
5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
6. Solution – Primary Fix
7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
9. Rollback Plan
10. Prevention & Hardening
11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

Visible horizontal tearing appears during scrolling, video playback, or animation rendering.

Environment & Reproduction

Artifacts occur more frequently on high refresh displays or mixed multi-monitor setups.

Root Cause Analysis

Missing compositor sync, unsuitable driver options, and presentation pipeline mismatch.

Quick Triage

Test with compositor settings, alternate browser acceleration mode, and session type changes.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Collect xrandr output, GPU driver status, and compositor logs while reproducing tearing.

Solution – Primary Fix

Enable proper sync options for your GPU driver and apply compositor settings that reduce tearing.

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Switch to another session protocol and align monitor refresh rates for consistent composition.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

Playback and desktop animations run smoothly without persistent tearing artifacts.

Rollback Plan

Revert custom graphics config if input lag or instability increases after tuning.

Prevention & Hardening

Keep GPU stack updated and avoid experimental compositor tweaks on production endpoints.

Related Errors & Cross-Refs

Connected to external monitor detection, driver branch issues, and high CPU compositor load.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

View all Ubuntu 20.04 LTS tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

Consult Ubuntu graphics docs and GPU vendor notes on compositor synchronization options.