How to Fix Chrome UI Flickering on macOS (Disappearing Icons)

If your instance of Google Chrome on macOS is showing visual glitches — such as flickering toolbar icons or disappearing UI elements when hovering with your mouse, this guide will help you fix it.

The Fix

Step 1: Open a new tab on Chrome and paste the following command: 

chrome://flags/

Step 2: In the search flags section, search for: “ANGLE graphics backend”

Step 3: Change the option from “Default” to “OpenGL” as shown below:

Why This Works

The default ANGLE backend on macOS can sometimes cause rendering issues with Chrome’s hardware acceleration. Switching to OpenGL helps Chrome render the interface more reliably.