Monitor Ghosting or Motion Blur? How to Reduce It

Ghosting and motion blur make moving things look smeared. A cursor, a game character or a scrolling web page can leave a faint trail behind it. Some of this is normal for LCD and OLED screens, but a lot of it can be reduced with the right settings and the right source. Start with a quick check using our Ghosting Test, then work through the steps below.

Common causes

• Overdrive set too low — The pixels change colour too slowly, so the old image lingers for a moment.
• Overdrive set too high — The pixels overshoot the target colour and leave bright or dark halos. This is sometimes called inverse ghosting.
• Refresh rate still at 60 Hz — A high refresh-rate monitor running at a lower speed shows more blur in motion. If this is your problem, check the refresh rate as described in step 2 below.
• Low frame rate — When a game or video runs at 30 fps or less, each frame stays on screen longer and motion looks blurred.
• Panel type — VA panels often show more dark-colour smearing than IPS or TN panels. This is a property of the panel, so settings can only reduce it.
• Motion blur effects in software — Many games and video players add their own motion blur, which can look like ghosting even on a good monitor.

Step-by-step fix

1. Run the test first — Open the Ghosting Test in a full-screen browser window and watch the moving shapes. Write down whether the trails are light, dark or both. This gives you a baseline before you change anything.
2. Set the refresh rate to the maximum — Open your display settings in Windows or macOS and choose the highest refresh rate your monitor supports. Motion looks sharper at a higher refresh rate, so this often helps straight away.
3. Find the overdrive or response time setting — Open the monitor's on-screen menu using its buttons. Look for a setting called Overdrive, Response Time or Pixel Response. The names and menu layouts vary between brands, so check the manual or the manufacturer's website if you cannot find it.
4. Change one step at a time — Start with the middle option, then retest. If you see bright halos behind moving objects, lower the setting one step. If trails are still there, raise it one step. Stop at the setting that gives the cleanest edges.
5. Turn on backlight strobing only if it suits you — Some monitors have a feature called black frame insertion, backlight strobing or a similar motion clarity mode. It can make motion look sharper, but it usually makes the screen dimmer and can cause flicker for some people. Try it, retest and switch it off if the screen looks worse.
6. Check your frame rate and game settings — In games, turn off motion blur, film grain and similar effects. Aim for a steady frame rate. If the game runs well below your monitor's refresh rate, lower the graphics settings until it stays closer to it.
7. Use a good cable and the correct input — Connect with the cable that supports your monitor's full resolution and refresh rate, such as DisplayPort or a recent HDMI cable. Make sure the input you use is the one that gives the full refresh rate.

Tip: Change one setting at a time and retest after each change. If you change several together, you will not know which one made the difference.

Test it

Open the Ghosting Test again after each change. A good result shows moving shapes with clean, sharp edges and no bright or dark halos behind them. A bad result shows a long trail that follows the shape, or a bright outline that appears as the shape passes. If the trail is slightly visible but the edges are clean, that is usually normal for the panel type.

Still not fixed?

If the trails are strong at the highest refresh rate, with the overdrive set to the middle option and with motion effects turned off, the panel may simply be slow. Check the monitor's specifications for its response time, and compare it with the result you see.

Only update the monitor's firmware if the manufacturer recommends it for this problem. Back up your settings first. A failed update can cause faults and may affect your warranty, so follow the manufacturer's instructions exactly.

If the monitor is under warranty and the problem looks worse than the specification suggests, contact the manufacturer. Explain what you have tried and mention the result from the test. Ask whether they recommend a repair, an exchange or a refund. Do not open the monitor yourself.