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White flash when opening windows
Posted: 27 Feb 2025 08:56
by mussor
Almost everytime I open Configuration window, Customize Keyboard Shortcuts, XY custom copy dialog, or even XY itself, at the very beginnig of showing the windows there is brief white flash (whole or part area of the window) before the content gets properly shown.
Now, I know this is mostly Windows stuff and occurs on many programs/apps. But! I have seen programs that could mitigate or complete eliminate this white flash. The only things I read somewhere regarding this had to do with somehow properly setting some kind of canvas (of the windows). I don't know...
Do you think there is a way of getting rid of it?
I am used to dark mode everywhere and this white flash bang is quite a lot annoying :/
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 27 Feb 2025 11:23
by admin
1) Windows 11?
2) Are these screenshots mockups?
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 27 Feb 2025 12:28
by mussor
1) yes, windows 11
2) screenshots taken out of video - screen capture (OBS studio)
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 27 Feb 2025 12:47
by admin
Can't reproduce, and never heard about this issue. Are you using any 3rd party Windows skins or themes?
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 27 Feb 2025 13:33
by mussor
No, just default Win11 Dark theme.
Really? I have seen the flashes on every win computer I have used recently. There is a ton of posts across web (reddit...) about it. Maybe u use mostly light themes?
Or maybe you have animations enabled? Then sometimes the flash is a bit hidden by it.
Anyway, try opening something like Edge with system dark mode enabled. I bet you will at least see the flash there as well.
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 27 Feb 2025 15:55
by admin
Confirmed. (I had light mode and animations enabled, and I use Win11 only for testing.) And you're right, of course, the web full of complaints about this. But most folks are aware of the fact that MS doesn't fix bugs, it's their DNA.
Unfortunately, I don't think I can do anything about it. It's too low level. There is a small chance that the upcoming 64-bit edition can handle it. At least it seems to be possible: AFAIK File Explorer starts without a white flash, right?
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 27 Feb 2025 16:44
by Horst
The solution to remove the White Flash when opening a browser is simple.
Switch to Firefox
I run it in dark mode and there is no such effect.
There must be some solution for XY, as other file managers (Total Commander and Free Commander)
don't have such a flash on start-up in dark mode.
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 27 Feb 2025 17:56
by admin
Tried a couple of obvious things (so obvious that even AI knows it), but all failed (AI doesn't know about that ... well, maybe it will learn from this statement).
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 28 Feb 2025 08:57
by mussor
what!?! that's new to me, 64bit coming! Looking forward
Horst wrote: ↑27 Feb 2025 16:44
(...)
Switch to Firefox
(...)
heck of course I do use Firefox!

.. Edge was just an example..
admin wrote: ↑27 Feb 2025 15:55
Confirmed. (I had light mode and animations enabled, and I use Win11 only for testing.) And you're right, of course, the web full of complaints about this. But most folks are aware of the fact that MS doesn't fix bugs, it's their DNA.
Unfortunately, I don't think I can do anything about it. It's too low level. There is a small chance that the upcoming 64-bit edition can handle it. At least it seems to be possible: AFAIK File Explorer starts without a white flash, right?
Hold yourself, but shockingly Microsoft recently made a fix for Win Explorer so it does not flash anymore. It had flashed in past, luckily not anymore on Win11.
admin wrote: ↑27 Feb 2025 17:56
Tried a couple of obvious things (so obvious that even AI knows it), but all failed (AI doesn't know about that ... well, maybe it will learn from this statement).
oh, well.. AI. Thanks for investigating.
Programs that does not flash on me (and might a good example): foobar2000, Firefox, Notepad++
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 28 Feb 2025 15:28
by phred
Just throwing out another "white-flash" oddity.
I use Firefox in light mode and it launches on monitor 2, but flashes on monitor 1. And if I open it on monitor 1, the flash is on monitor 2. It started with an update about six months ago. Tried all sorts of suggestions from all sorts of places and nothing worked. I've given up and am now used to seeing it flash.
EDIT: Typos
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 05 Mar 2025 10:12
by admin
Crazy. Looks like a totally solvable issue (at least for MS). And totally embarassing.
Anyway, I'll look at it again with the 64-bit edition.
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 11 Apr 2025 01:17
by milllirem
Adding my vote for fixing this bug (not really admin's fault as he realizes). In the whole ecosystem of Windows 11 apps these days, Microsoft-provided or otherwise, the flashbangs are standing out more on the apps that haven't been fixed yet - as other apps are fixed, the remainers stand out more for visual annoyance. At least this is my experience. I wince whenever I maximize an XY window or show a context menu (same problem there) now.
I'm hoping Windows 12's dwm.exe fixes the underlying problem universally, but there are obviously workarounds as a lot of other apps don't flash now.
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 26 Jun 2025 09:29
by Raf
Win 10 1809: this problem is as old as Windows. I've tried different builds of Windows up to the latest one. Each of them has at least one application that fills the window with white color until it is fully rendered. If the window is open in full screen mode, it all glows white. awful.
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 26 Jun 2025 09:50
by admin
And a waste of energy.
Re: White flash when opening windows
Posted: 09 Jul 2025 12:13
by mussor
For a reference, this is a workaround/fix for Notepad++. Maybe something similar could work for XY as well? Seems like they are temporarily painting a dark background until all controls are loaded.
https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/no ... pull/10639