How to Fix Screen Tearing in Linux Mint with NVIDIA or Intel Drivers

Screen tearing on Linux Mint can significantly detract from your viewing and gaming experience, causing unsightly horizontal lines and visual disruptions. This guide provides practical, effective solutions to eliminate screen tearing, ensuring smooth and fluid visuals on your system, whether you’re using NVIDIA or Intel graphics. From permanent system-level adjustments to quick user-level fixes, we’ll cover everything you need to achieve a tear-free display.

1. Configuring Xorg for Persistent Tear-Free Output

This method offers a robust, permanent solution by directly modifying your Xorg configuration files. It’s the most effective approach for a lasting fix, ensuring that your display settings are applied consistently at boot.

1.1 Identify Your Graphics Hardware: Begin by determining whether you’re using an NVIDIA or Intel graphics card. Open your terminal and execute the following command:

lspci | grep VGA

This command will reveal your graphics hardware. The output will help you choose the correct configuration file in the following steps.

1.2 Create or Edit Your Xorg Configuration File: Based on your graphics hardware, create or edit the appropriate configuration file. You’ll need root privileges to perform these actions.

• For Intel Graphics: Create or edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf. Open the file in a text editor with root access using a command like: sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf
• For NVIDIA Graphics: Create or edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nvidia.conf. Open the file in a text editor with root access using a command like: sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nvidia.conf

1.3 Add the Necessary Configuration: Within the configuration file, insert the corresponding code snippet based on your GPU type.

• For Intel Graphics, add the following section: Section "Device" Identifier "Intel Graphics" Driver "intel" Option "TearFree" "true" EndSection
• For NVIDIA Graphics, you can add options such as: Section "Device" Identifier "Nvidia Card" Driver "nvidia" Option "ForceFullCompositionPipeline" "On" EndSection The TearFree option for Intel and ForceFullCompositionPipeline for NVIDIA instruct the X server to enable tear-free rendering.

1.4 Save and Reboot: Save the changes to your configuration file and reboot your system. This action ensures that the newly configured settings are loaded during the startup sequence.

Caution: Always maintain a bootable Linux Mint USB drive to revert changes if your system encounters issues. Incorrect configurations can sometimes prevent the graphical interface from loading. If this occurs, boot from the USB, mount your system drive, and either remove or rectify the problematic configuration file.

2. Enabling Tear-Free Output Using Xrandr (Quick User-Level Fix)

This method provides a quick, user-specific fix that you can easily implement. It’s ideal for a temporary solution or for testing purposes.

2.1 Identify Your Display Output: Use the xrandr command in your terminal to list all available video outputs. Note the exact name of your active display output, such as HDMI-1 or eDP-1.

xrandr

2.2 Create or Edit .xprofile: If the .xprofile file doesn’t already exist in your home directory, create it. Use your preferred text editor to open it.

nano ~/.xprofile

2.3 Add the Xrandr Command: Add the following line to your .xprofile file, replacing HDMI-1 with the name of your display output obtained in Step 2.1.

xrandr --output HDMI-1 --set TearFree on

This command activates tear-free rendering for the specified output each time you log in.

2.4 Save and Restart: Save the .xprofile file and restart your computer. This will activate the tear-free settings upon your next login. Note that this approach is user-specific and may not affect all sessions or display managers.

3. Configuring NVIDIA PRIME and Kernel Parameters (Hybrid Graphics)

For laptops or desktops that have both Intel and NVIDIA graphics cards (Optimus/PRIME systems), screen tearing can arise when switching between GPUs. PRIME synchronization addresses this by synchronizing the output between the two graphics processing units.

3.1 Verify Kernel and X Server Compatibility: Confirm you are running a compatible kernel (4.5 or newer) and X server (1.19 or newer). These versions are essential for PRIME synchronization support.

3.2 Edit the GRUB Configuration: Open the GRUB configuration file with root privileges.

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

3.3 Modify the GRUB Parameters: Locate the line that begins with GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=. Add nvidia-drm.modeset=1 to the existing parameters. For example:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nvidia-drm.modeset=1"

3.4 Update GRUB and Reboot: Save your changes, and update GRUB:

sudo update-grub

Reboot your system.

3.5 Verify PRIME Synchronization: To confirm that PRIME synchronization is active, run either of the following commands:

• cat /sys/module/nvidia_drm/parameters/modeset (Output should be Y)
• xrandr --verbose (Look for PRIME Synchronization: 1 on your display output)

Alternative Method (If GRUB Doesn’t Work): If the GRUB method proves unsuccessful, create a modprobe configuration file.

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/zz-nvidia-modeset.conf

Add this line to the file:

options nvidia_drm modeset=1

Then, update your initramfs and reboot:

sudo update-initramfs -u
sudo reboot

4. Force Composition Pipeline in NVIDIA Settings (NVIDIA Proprietary Driver)

For users running the proprietary NVIDIA driver, the NVIDIA X Server Settings tool offers the ability to force a composition pipeline, which frequently resolves tearing issues.

4.1 Open NVIDIA X Server Settings: Open the NVIDIA X Server Settings tool with root privileges. In Linux Mint, use:

sudo nvidia-settings

4.2 Navigate to Display Configuration: Go to “X Server Display Configuration.” Select your display, and check both “Force Composition Pipeline” and “Force Full Composition Pipeline.”

4.3 Apply and Save: Click “Apply,” and then click “Save to X Configuration File” to make these settings permanent.

Note: On laptops using PRIME, you may encounter an error saying, “prime displays cannot be controlled by nvidia-settings.” If this happens, follow the PRIME synchronization method described above.

5. Update Kernel and Drivers

Outdated kernels or graphics drivers can contribute to screen tearing. Updating these components can often resolve or alleviate tearing issues by providing better hardware support and fixing bugs.

5.1 Check Kernel and Driver Versions:

• To check your kernel version, use: uname -r
• To check your graphics driver version, use your package manager or driver management tool.

5.2 Update Kernel and Drivers: Update to the latest recommended kernel and graphics drivers for your specific Linux Mint version. For NVIDIA users, newer drivers (e.g., version 545 or later on Mint 21.3) have shown improvements. Use the “Driver Manager” application or run the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

5.3 Reboot and Test: After updating, reboot your system and test to see if screen tearing has been eliminated.

Troubleshooting and Additional Tips:

• Backups: Always create a system backup or Timeshift snapshot before making major configuration changes.
• Revert: If you lose access to the graphical interface, boot from a live USB and revert any recent changes.
• Other Adjustments:
  • Adjusting display scaling or switching desktop environments (e.g., from Cinnamon to Xfce) can sometimes resolve persistent tearing.
  • For Intel graphics, uninstalling xserver-xorg-video-intel may help, though results vary.
  • Switching display or window managers (e.g., from Muffin) can affect tearing, especially on Intel.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can effectively eliminate screen tearing on your Linux Mint system, leading to a smoother, more enjoyable visual experience. Whether you’re a gamer, a video enthusiast, or simply someone who values a clean display, these methods offer solutions for both NVIDIA and Intel graphics cards. From modifying Xorg configurations to utilizing PRIME synchronization and updating drivers, you now have the tools to banish screen tearing and get the most out of your Linux Mint setup.