Default screen stuck in darkened preview mode

David 0 Reputation points
2026-08-07T03:29:44.8933333+00:00

Hello. I have a bug in Windows. Basically, my default screen (with no tabs open) is dark all the time, similar to when I hover over a minimized app to preview it, the background darkens. I tried closing all tabs, resetting, shutting down, updating all firmware, and updating Windows to the latest version, but nothing works.
This is a screen recording of the bug: https://pastes.io/9vThIWk4
My laptop is Asus Vivobook S14 **M5406WA
**My Windows 11 is on the version: 2026-07 Preview Update (KB5101684) (26200.8973)

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Display and graphics
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  1. Hendrix-V 17,185 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-07T07:56:52.1666667+00:00

    Hi David,

    Since you've already updated Windows, firmware, and restarted the device, it may be worth checking whether the behavior is related to Windows visual effects or the Desktop Window Manager (DWM), especially since the screen appears to remain in a dimmed preview-like state rather than showing a typical display driver failure.

    You can try these quick checks:

    1. Press Win + R, type SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe and press Enter.
    2. Under Visual Effects, temporarily disable Enable Peek and Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing, then sign out and back in.
    3. Open an elevated Command Prompt and run: taskkill /f /im dwm.exe then Windows will automatically restart the Desktop Window Manager.

    Since you're using a Preview build (26200.8973), it's also possible that the issue is related to a build-specific change. If the behavior started recently, please submit feedback through Feedback Hub (Windows + F) and include the screen recording so the appropriate team can review the details.

    Please note that this is a peer-to-peer community forum where Microsoft developers don't monitor for feature requests. We can't address product feature requests or design changes.

    Hopefully one of these checks helps narrow down the cause. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-07T03:30:04.7833333+00:00

    This behavior is most consistent with either a display driver problem or an incompatible app, and the preview build can also matter if the issue started after that update.

    Try this in order:

    1. Reset the graphics driver
      • Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B.
      • If it works, the screen should flicker or beep.
      • If nothing changes, restart again and continue.
    2. Check whether Task Manager also flickers
      • Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete. If Task Manager does not appear, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
      • If Task Manager flickers too, the problem is likely the display driver.
      • If Task Manager does not flicker while the rest of the screen looks darkened, the problem is more likely an incompatible app.
    3. If it points to an app, update or remove recently installed apps
      • Go to Start > Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
      • Uninstall apps one at a time, especially anything added around when the issue started.
      • Restart after each uninstall and test again.
      • If the app came from Microsoft Store, update it first. If it came from elsewhere, check the manufacturer site for updates.
    4. Check display mode
      • Press Windows + P, then press P again and Enter to cycle display modes.
      • This helps if the display output mode is misconfigured.
    5. If Explorer appears to be involved
      • A similar Windows 11 case was resolved by going to Settings > System > Recovery and using Reinstall now under Fix problems with Windows Updates.
      • This is intended to repair Windows without affecting files, settings, or installed apps.
    6. Consider the preview update itself
      • There is documented Windows 11 preview-update behavior where File Explorer can briefly flash a white screen in dark mode after a specific preview update, and that issue was later addressed by another update.
      • Since this system is on a Preview Update, if the problem began immediately after installing it, the update may be a factor.

    If the screen is too hard to use while testing, start the PC in safe mode and repeat the checks there.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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