Help :( My surface pro 4 has horizontal lines across the screen!

Anonymous

Hello. I'm having a problem with my Surface pro 4 lately.

my surface display screen has a horizontal line across the top of the screen when I use my Surface for a while (around 10-20 minutes without light usage like web browsing but 1-5 minutes for heavy usage like rendering or gaming) also the lines will keep appears more and more the longer I use it.

as you can see at the first and second picture, you can see multiple line across the top of my screen already. and when the screen has around 6-7 lines then the screen came to this.

![](https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/35c1c9e4-e66b-40e9-bc4a-c3bf72fdfc3b?platform=QnA)The whole screen has lines all over it and is has some desync display like this all the time. :(

seems like the more heat it has the more of this symptom appears. the only way I can fix it that I know right now is 1) turn of the device for a while then turn it on again 2) put it in a cool place like a fridge for a minute to cool down.

does anyone has this kind of problem like I have right now? also does anyone knows what causes it? and how to fix it?

Ive been into this problem for many months now and this surface pro 4 is my 4th (refurbish) replacement already. I wasted 7-20 days on waiting for each replacement and it ruined lots of my work schedule and my income which is terrible! Id love to sell it away just to buy other brand instead of struggling with this :(

and sorry for my English which isn't so good but I hope anyone will be able to give me an opinion or answer soon

thank you.

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Anonymous

Solution: External cooling.

I was having the same issue, but today found the source. It seems the issue is either the internal cooling system is underperforming or the on-board graphics controller has gained increased sensitivity to heat.

For the first year of using my SP4, I had no such issue. I constantly monitor internal temperature and have never run hotter than mid-60s. Recently however after using my device for an extended period unplugged or a shorter amount of time while plugged in, the lines and screen desync occur.

I tested the heat damage idea by using my SP4 while plugged in for half of the day today. I watched videos, used the pen, and had multiple programs running with no screen issues. The key here is that I set up a desk fan to blow cold air onto the SP4.

So to prevent the lines and display desync, you need some kind of fan or external cooling for your SP4. I'd say start with a small/cheap USB fan, and if that isn't powerful enough move to something bigger. Be sure the fan is aimed at the top left corner of the back because that's where most of the heat localizes.

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56 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-12-01T01:45:33+00:00

This is 100% not a software issue, and the disturbing part is that it is in fact a high number of people having the issue, and it has nothing to do with software.

I have upgraded, downgraded, uninstalled, reinstalled, changed this, allowed that, basically done every thing I possibly could to change the outcome to a point where this wasn't happening. Nothing worked. Nothing.

As a student, it has made my ability to do my cartography labs harder,because it overheats. It has made it difficult to get work done, because at some point I'm gonna have to plug it in.

A hardware component issue like this can happen, and it has happened in the past. There's a reason why recalls exist.
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Anonymous

2017-11-30T23:08:01+00:00

I proved that this is a hardware issue by getting the double image even when in the UEFI.

It seems that the screen issue comes on when the Pro is charging and also working - even though the CPU isn't working that hard

If I unplug the charger and give it a few moments, the screen reverts to normal

Amazon delivered the Arctic USB fan today. However even with the fan blowing across the back of the Pro, the screen went double when on charge.

As the Pro is out of warranty, MIcrosoft offered to take it in and give me a reconditioned replacement if I paid £300. The replacement would only have a 3 month warranty. No-way am I throwing more money to Microsoft.

What an expensive mistake it was to buy the Pro 4.. If anyone cures this problem, please share how they did it
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Anonymous

2017-11-24T07:53:51+00:00

I updated about two weeks ago. The screen problem started a week later. I have all sorts of problems. F0r a while all works fine and then the screen can have double image with overlay of windows that are fixed and will not go away. Sometimes the screen flickers a lot. Sometimes the screen has streaks on it

I thought the problem might be worse when the charger was attached, but I am not sure.

When I use the Pro with the hub and an second screen, the second screen works fine

Yesterday, with the second screen attached I removed the surface display from device manager and then restarted. At the moment all is well, but its only been a couple of hours

I have an i7 processor with 16Mb RAM and 1Tb disc.

On other threads I have seen that this is a hardware issue, and rolling back updates makes no difference so I have not (yet) uninstalled the latest update

Thanks
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Anonymous

2017-10-25T02:29:45+00:00

I Live in Brasil and i have the same issue.

What I do? send or not send?

Last time I ever purchase MS product too.
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