Fix Your Stuff

Repair Guides

Learn how to fix just about anything with our step-by-step guides.

App

Your pocket repair helper.

FixBot

The friendly AI repair assistant.

Repairability

Learn why fixable products make sense.

Teardowns

Get a sneak peek inside the latest gadgets.
Community

Answers Forum

Share solutions and get help from a friend.

Find Your Community

Find teams, events, and fellow fixers.

Help Out

Help make repair knowledge free and accessible for everyone.

Right to Repair

Learn about the Right to Repair movement and how to be an advocate.
Store

Featured

Quality parts and tools backed by our lifetime guarantee.

Tools

Shop our wide selection of precision tools.

Parts

Shop parts backed by our quality guarantee.

iPhone Batteries

Batteries tested and guaranteed plus a kit with everything you need.

Free Shipping on Domestic Orders $75+

The March 2015 update of Apple's 13" MacBook Pro Retina Display, model A1502, features fifth-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and introduces the Force Touch trackpad.

1156 Questions View all | 37 Parts Shop

Options

Screen flickering only on MacOS

Hi, I have a 2015 13 inch Retina MacBook Pro that has a display issue, when booted to macOS (I tried several macOS versions), the display just flickers continuously. Sometimes it's just flickering, other times the display would show corruptions, but:
- The display does not flicker in recovery mode, or in Safe Boot
- The display does not flicker in any other OS like Windows 10, Windows 11, and Ubuntu Linux
- The display stops flickering on macOS the moment I connect to an external display
- The flickering does not change/improve when adjusting the lid angle

In the other OS scenarios I just described or when I use macOS with an external display, the display works PERFECTLY. No flickering, no hanging, brightness control works, it's just in macOS proper it starts acting broken, even went as far as to use it daily on Windows 11 and yeah, the display works perfectly.

Things that I have tried:
- PRAM/NVRAM reset
- SMC reset
- Cleaning the connector on both the screen and motherboard
- Different power adapter
- Different macOS versions (tried El Capitan, Catalina, and Monterey)

Note: the device has no battery. It runs from adapter only.

Answer this question I have this problem too

Is this a good question?

Yes No
Score 0
Add a comment

1 Answer

Filter by:
Most Helpful Newest Oldest
Most Helpful Answer

Options

(The device has no battery. It runs from adapter only)

This will force the unit into a safe mode which will greatly slow down it's performance and it is not recommended to use it this way for long periods of time, basically just for testing purposes. The unit is getting barely enough power to run the system with no battery installed, so this may or may not be what is causing the flickering on the screen. You will need to install a new battery ASAP before it causes even more issues and hopefully that will solve the problem.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 1

2 Comments:

I have tried with a battery, issue is still there.

by

@rainegillingham Why are you running the system without a battery if you have one there? You'll need to get the backlight circuitry checked, there maybe a dying component within there.

by

Add a comment

Add your answer

Raine Gillingham will be eternally grateful.
View Statistics:

Past 24 Hours: 14

Past 7 Days: 14

Past 30 Days: 14

All Time: 14