Hi everyone. I haven’t been able to solve this problem and I’m wondering if there’s anyone out there who has had similar problems.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Summary
While playing Diablo IV, the Windows desktop briefly flashes through the game screen, accompanied by a short micro-stutter. This is the main issue and occurs while actively playing in the foreground, in Windowed Fullscreen, when left-clicking/attacking. Separately, it has also been observed that the game flashes spontaneously while running in the background with no input at all. The issue does not occur in any other game.
System specifications
CPU: Intel i5-13600KF
GPU: RTX 4080
RAM: 32GB DDR5-5600
Monitor: ASUS ROG Swift PG34WCDN, 34" QD-OLED, 3440x1440, 360Hz, G-Sync/FreeSync
OS: Windows 11
Storage: SSD-only
Mouse: Logitech G502 Lightspeed
Diablo IV display mode: Windowed Fullscreen (only fullscreen option available besides Windowed)
Core finding
The main issue occurs during active play, in the foreground, fully focused, in Windowed Fullscreen — specifically on repeated left-clicks (auto attack). This rules out any explanation based on background rendering, background FPS settings, or lack of window focus, since the game is the active, focused foreground application at the time the issue occurs.
Reproduction
Start Diablo IV, play in Windowed Fullscreen
Repeatedly left-click (auto attack) → brief flash of the desktop + micro-stutter
Leave the game running in the background (another window active, no input) → the same flash occurs spontaneously
Right-click / skill buttons: issue does not occur
Keyboard-only input (keybind remapped from mouse click to keyboard): issue does not occur
Solutions already tested (none resolved the issue)
Windows: Fullscreen optimizations tested off/on
Windows: Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS) tested off/on
Windows: Enhance Pointer Precision disabled
Windows: Game Mode disabled
Windows: Event Viewer (Application + System) checked around the time of the issue — no errors or warnings, no TDR events (nvlddmkm) either
Windows: Reliability Monitor checked
NVIDIA: In-game overlay disabled
NVIDIA: Instant Replay/background recording not active (overlay was already disabled)
NVIDIA: G-Sync enabled for “windowed and full screen mode”
Mouse: polling rate tested at 1000Hz, 500Hz, and 125Hz (with a different/basic mouse) — no difference
Mouse: G502 Lightspeed tested for double-click issues via multiple online mouse testers — no hardware fault found
Mouse: Logitech G HUB fully closed (lghub.exe, lghub_agent.exe) — no difference, these processes were not actively running anyway
Xbox Game Bar fully disabled (including Captures)
Discord overlay disabled
Corsair iCUE: not active while playing (does not auto-start)
Render API: tested with -force-d3d11 launch argument — no difference
Render API: tested with -force-enable-vulkan launch argument — no difference
NVIDIA Reflex/Low Latency Mode disabled — no difference
FPS cap lowered (e.g. to 165 instead of Unlimited) — this actually made the issue worse
Scan and Repair performed via Battle.net
Confirmed: issue does not occur in any other game on the same system (incl. The Witcher 3)
“Lock Cursor to Window” enabled in the in-game settings — no difference
Screen resolution temporarily lowered and reset back to native resolution (to force Windows to re-register the window) — no difference
Controller/dongle fully disconnected from the system while playing — no difference
Windows 8 compatibility mode tested — not possible/no effect, as the game requires at least Windows 10
Question for Blizzard support
Could you look into how Diablo IV, in Windowed Fullscreen mode, handles the Windows compositor on mouse-click events, since this consistently causes a brief flash to the desktop during active play? All client-side causes (drivers, overlays, mouse hardware, render API, Windows settings) have been ruled out via the steps above. Screen recording and/or a DxDiag log can be provided on request.