[Edit: the solution, working for now at least, was to switch to the display server X11 instead of Wayland]
Hi all,
I've been using Zorin on my desktop machine for several months now. Things have been mostly OK except the kernel panic issue where I had to go back to the previous kernel to update a wifi driver. After that, the new kernel was mostly working excepted for some screen flickering issues in my browser (Vivaldi) who are now fixed.
However, I have a new problem: all my instant messaging apps - Slack, Discord, and now Zulip which I just installed today - show similar flickering, and the keyboard typing is delayed in these apps. Sometimes, part of the screen in the apps turns black until I move my mouse.
The only app of this kind that seems to be working fine is, surprisingly, Teams..
Would anyone have suggestions for how to fix these problems? Any help will be much appreciated
In case it is relevant, I have a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, it was quite hard to get it to work and find the right driver for my games, but it is working now, although if I play for too long the game seems to slow down (a question for another topic!)
Are these Programs installed as APT, Snap or Flatpak? Is Fractional Scaling in Settings>Displays active? What Driver do You use for Your Graphics Card? Does Zorin run in Wayland or X11? You can check that with the Terminal Command echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
All these programs are installed as "Flathub" (Discord, Slack, Zulip, actually Signal is the same and has the same flickering problem).
I used to have the same problem with Vivaldi, but now it works fine, it's installed as "Snap store".. is that the same as "snap"? Maybe I should try to install the other apps that way too? But some apps (for example Signal) do not seem to have an alternative to FlatPack..
Fractional scaling was off, I switched it on to see if it would improve things but it didn't so I switched it back off.
Zorin is running in wayland
My graphics card driver is "metapackage from nvidia-driver-535" (see screenshot)
The flickering issue with an NVIDIA GTX 1050 on Zorin OS 18 is a common problem usually caused by a conflict between the open-source nouveau driver and the proprietary NVIDIA driver, or by incorrect power management settings. Since Zorin OS 18 is based on Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble Numbat), it uses newer kernel and display server technologies (like Wayland by default) that can sometimes struggle with older NVIDIA Pascal architecture cards if not configured correctly.
Here are the most likely causes and solutions, ordered from the most effective to the more technical:
1. Switch to the Proprietary NVIDIA Driver
The open-source nouveau driver often causes flickering, tearing, or black screens on GTX 10-series cards.
Open the "Software & Updates" application (or search for "Additional Drivers" in your menu).
Go to the "Additional Drivers" tab.
Wait for the system to search. You should see a list of NVIDIA drivers.
Select the recommended proprietary driver (usually labeled nvidia-driver-535 or nvidia-driver-550). Avoid the "server" version unless you are running a headless server.
Click Apply Changes and reboot your computer.
2. Disable Wayland (Switch to Xorg)
Zorin OS 18 may default to the Wayland display server, which can still have stability issues with NVIDIA cards, leading to flickering. Switching to the traditional Xorg (X11) often fixes this immediately.
Log out of your current session.
At the login screen, click your username.
Before entering your password, look for a gear icon (usually bottom right or top right).
Select "Zorin Desktop on Xorg" (or "GNOME on Xorg").
Enter your password and log in. Test if the flickering persists.
3. Disable NVIDIA Power Management
Sometimes the driver tries to save power by lowering the clock speed aggressively, causing the screen to flicker or blink. You can force the performance mode.
* Add the following line to the file:
plain text
* ```
options nvidia NVreg_EnablePowerManagement=0
Save the file (Ctrl+O, then Enter) and exit (Ctrl+X).
Update your initramfs and reboot:
bash
sudo update-initramfs -u
sudo reboot
### 4. Check Refresh Rate and Cable
While less likely to be the OS's fault, ensure your monitor settings match the hardware capabilities.
* Go to Settings > Displays.
* Verify the Refresh Rate is set correctly (e.g., 60Hz, 144Hz) and not an unsupported value causing the monitor to struggle.
* If using an adapter (e.g., HDMI to VGA), try a direct digital connection (HDMI or DisplayPort) as analog adapters often cause flickering on Linux.
Summary Recommendation: In 90% of cases on Zorin OS 18, simply switching to the proprietary driver (Step 1) and ensuring you are running an Xorg session (Step 2) resolves the GTX 1050 flickering. If the issue persists after these steps, it may be worth testing the cable or checking the NVIDIA forums for specific kernel parameters related to your monitor model.
Hi Leonos, Nope is not AI gen, in your case like others said you should change from wayland to xorg from step 2 and disable the power management mode, before you do grab a timeshift or backup your system to an external hdd, for safe proposes.
Hi both, I think my problem might be fixed, at least for now.
I tried to change some of my software from flathub to Snap, it worked for Zulip but it still had keyboard lag problems. For Slack, I was unable to launch it after installing the Snap version, so I'll go back to the Flathub version.
Then I tried to switch to X11 instead of Wayland, and that seems to have fixed it! I guess I'll stick to that for now... Thanks for the help!
After I upgraded to 18.1 I started having screen going black until I moved the mouse, when I was in the middle of reading or typing something. I figured in the end that it was the xscreensaver kicking in that I had tried to get set up in 17.3 but never got it to work and just forgot about it. Evidently in 18.1 it was working but at all the wrong times and no way I could find to get at or change it's settings. I went to software and uninstalled xscreensaver and the problem went away.
I would have recommend that, too becuase You have a Nvidia Card. Good, that it works now. But I would like to say some thing to this:
Flatpaks and Snaps (yes, these are from Snap Store) are containerized and have limited Permissions. That is intended. Ussing the APT/.deb Versions can avoid that. But not all .deb Versions are in the Repos. You can check the Developers Websites for them.
Vivaldi offers a .deb Version (I have installed that, too). And the Installation adds the Vivaldi Repo, too. So You can get Updates and You don't have to look manually and install them. Discord offers a .deb Version, too. And for Signal, I saw Instructions to add their Repo and then downlad it.
Don't understand me wrong: When Snap's and Flatpaks work fine for You, use them. I don't use Snaps but Flatpaks.
Oh I see, yes I did still have keyboard lags with its Snap version, but once I changed to X11 as a display driver it was fine, for that one and all the other apps. Hopefully I don't have to go back to Wayland!
