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G-SYNC stops working after the monitor wakes from sleep

Last verified October 2026Tested against GeForce 616.92 - the driver in the reproducible case NVIDIA was given in September 2026, Game Ready 621.01 WHQL (21 October 2026) - current WHQL release; lists no fix for this and no open issues at all, Reported on drivers as far back as 359.06 and as recently as 445.87 and 446.14, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11 25H2 build 26200.9457, G-SYNC module monitors, G-SYNC Compatible monitors and FreeSync monitorsGood evidence

Check NVIDIA's G-SYNC indicator before anything else: G-SYNC usually stays ticked in the control panel while the panel runs at a fixed refresh rate, so the setting tells you nothing. If it is genuinely off, changing the refresh rate down and back up, or powering the monitor off and on before you launch the game, restores it without a reboot. NVIDIA acknowledged this on its own forum in September 2026 and has not fixed it - Game Ready 621.01 of 21 October 2026 lists no open issues and no fix for it. Rule out the two cases where the driver turns G-SYNC off deliberately first.

Start here

  1. Turn on the G-SYNC indicator and confirm VRR is actually off
  2. Rule out the cases where the driver turns G-SYNC off on purpose
  3. Change the refresh rate down and back up

This is the awkward middle case between two problems that look similar. The monitor wakes and shows a picture, so it is not a wake failure. The game is in full screen, so it is not the borderless-windowed setting pair. The display is simply running at a fixed refresh rate again, and nothing in the settings says so. Nobody owns this page: the NVIDIA driver, the monitor's own sleep behaviour and the Windows display stack each hold a piece of it, and no vendor documents the combination.

Symptoms

  • Games felt smooth before the monitor slept and show tearing or uneven frame pacing after it woke
  • The G-SYNC indicator appears in games before the monitor sleeps, and not after
  • G-SYNC is still ticked in the NVIDIA Control Panel, so nothing looks wrong in the settings
  • The G-SYNC section disappears from the NVIDIA Control Panel until the monitor is powered off and on
  • On a monitor with a G-SYNC status LED, the LED shows the inactive colour
  • Restarting the PC always fixes it, and it comes back the next time the display sleeps

Why this happens

G-SYNC is off on purpose, and the sleep was a coincidence

Two of these are documented behaviour rather than bugs, and a wake from sleep is a common moment to walk into either. On a multi-monitor system the driver disables G-SYNC while hardware-accelerated video is playing on another display, because compositing displays at different refresh rates makes the video stutter - and it re-enables G-SYNC once the video is paused or closed. Separately, displays set to different refresh rates stutter on their own, and NVIDIA's stated resolution there is to set every display to the same refresh rate. Check this before chasing a driver bug.

Rule out the cases where the driver turns G-SYNC off on purpose

The display link comes back, but VRR is not re-armed

Every report follows one shape: the monitor sleeps, the desktop returns looking completely normal, and G-SYNC no longer engages until something forces the display mode to be applied again. Some reporters see the G-SYNC section vanish from the NVIDIA Control Panel until the monitor is power-cycled, which is the same gap seen from the other side. NVIDIA has published no cause - as of September 2026 it was still asking readers for reproduction steps - so treat the mechanism as unestablished. The useful part is the pattern: anything that re-applies the display mode brings VRR back.

Change the refresh rate down and back up · Power the monitor off and on after it wakes · Reset the graphics driver with Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B · Stop the display link dropping in the first place

Fixes

Turn on the G-SYNC indicator and confirm VRR is actually off

about 5 min

The check box records what you asked for; the indicator shows what the display is doing. They disagree in exactly this failure.

Applies to: Any G-SYNC or G-SYNC Compatible display on a current NVIDIA driver

  1. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel, click Display on the menu bar, and select the G-SYNC indicator item. Its wording depends on your monitor and may read "Show indicator for G-SYNC", "Show indicator for G-SYNC Compatible" or "Show indicator for G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible".
  2. Launch the game the way you normally play it, in the same window mode, and look for the indicator on screen.
  3. Let the monitor sleep, wake it, and launch the game again without restarting the PC. If the indicator showed before the sleep and does not show after, you are in the right article.
  4. While you are in there, confirm the basics are set the way NVIDIA documents: Enable G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible ticked under Display > Set up G-SYNC, and Monitor Technology set to G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible under Manage 3D Settings. If those were never right, the sleep is not your problem.

Confirmed by the vendor.

Source: NVIDIA, NVIDIA, NVIDIA GeForce Forums

Rule out the cases where the driver turns G-SYNC off on purpose

about 5 min

NVIDIA documents two situations in which G-SYNC is correctly inactive. Both are easy to walk into right after a wake.

Applies to: Multi-monitor systems in particular

  1. Close or pause any video playing on another display - a browser tab, a media player, a video call - then check the indicator again. On multi-monitor systems the driver disables G-SYNC during active hardware-accelerated video playback and re-enables it when the video is paused or closed.
  2. Open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, select each display in turn, and confirm every display is set to the same refresh rate. NVIDIA's stated resolution for mismatched refresh rates is to make them match.
  3. On the same page, note whether Dynamic refresh rate is switched on. Microsoft says it needs a VRR display running at 120 Hz or more, and that it can limit the maximum refresh rate of games that were not designed for VRR.

Confirmed by the vendor.

Source: NVIDIA, Microsoft

Change the refresh rate down and back up

about 2 min

Forcing Windows to re-apply a display mode re-arms VRR. This is the most consistently reported way to get G-SYNC back without restarting.

Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10

  1. Open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display and select the affected display.
  2. Next to Choose a refresh rate, pick a lower rate and let the screen settle.
  3. Set it back to the rate you normally use.
  4. Check the indicator again. One reporter says this works even while a game is already running, so you do not have to close anything first.

Reported to work by 3 users; not confirmed by the vendor. 1 report it did not help.

Source: NVIDIA GeForce Forums, Microsoft

Power the monitor off and on after it wakes

about 2 min

This re-trains the display link from the monitor's side, which a wake from deep sleep does not always do cleanly.

Applies to: Reported on both DisplayPort and multi-display setups

  1. After the monitor has woken, and before you launch the game, switch the monitor off at its own power button.
  2. Wait a few seconds, switch it back on, and wait for the desktop to reappear.
  3. Launch the game and check the indicator. The order matters: the reporter who documented this for NVIDIA in September 2026 stressed that the power cycle has to happen after the wake and before the game starts.

Reported to work by 4 users; not confirmed by the vendor.

Source: NVIDIA GeForce Forums, NVIDIA GeForce Forums

Reset the graphics driver with Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B

about 1 min

Microsoft documents this keystroke as a graphics driver reset. It is the cheapest thing on this list to try, and it is also the least reliable.

Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10

  1. Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B. Microsoft says you should hear a beep or see the screen flicker if it worked.
  2. Check the indicator again. One reporter restored G-SYNC this way using a driver-restart utility; another, on driver 442.19, says a driver restart did nothing for them. Move on to the refresh-rate change or the monitor power cycle if it does not help.

Reported to work by one user; not confirmed by the vendor. 1 report it did not help.

Source: Microsoft, NVIDIA GeForce Forums

Known issues

  • NVIDIA staff opened a thread on its G-SYNC Pulsar forum in September 2026 about G-SYNC and Pulsar no longer working after monitor sleep, asking readers for repro steps because NVIDIA could not reproduce it reliably. A reader then posted a case that reproduces 100% of the time on driver 616.92 with Windows 11 25H2. Game Ready 621.01 of 21 October 2026 does not fix it: its Open Issues section reads N/A and its Fixed Issues list does not mention it.

    Affects GeForce 616.92 - the driver in the reproducible case, Game Ready 621.01 WHQL (21 October 2026) - no fix listed, and no open issues listed either, Windows 11 25H2, build 26200.9457 · Status: open

  • The same symptom has been reported since January 2015, with the last post on that thread in April 2024. One reporter said driver 364.72 fixed it; it was then reported again on 375.95, 441.66, 442.19, 445.87 and 446.14. So a driver update is worth trying but is not the answer, and a version that fixes it is not a guarantee the next one will.

    Affects Reported fixed in 364.72, Reported again on 375.95, 441.66, 442.19, 445.87 and 446.14 · Status: workaround only

If none of this worked

If the monitor stays black after you wake the PC and never shows a picture at all, that is a wake failure rather than a VRR failure - a different problem with a different fix, covered separately on this site. If G-SYNC never engages in a borderless window but is fine in full screen, two settings have to agree and neither is a driver bug. If your frame rate sits pinned near 320 on a 360 Hz G-SYNC Pulsar monitor, that is NVIDIA bug 6408986, fixed in 621.01. And if the display loses signal at random rather than specifically after sleeping, a marginal or non-certified DisplayPort cable comes up repeatedly as a different cause with similar symptoms - swap the cable before blaming the driver, though note that one reporter went through three without it helping.

Common questions

Does updating the driver fix this?
Not reliably. Game Ready 621.01 of 21 October 2026 lists no open issues at all and lists no fix for this, and NVIDIA was still asking readers for reproduction steps in September 2026. Update anyway - it costs nothing and the symptom has been fixed before - but have a workaround ready, because it has also come back after being fixed.
Is this only a G-SYNC problem, or does FreeSync do it too?
Reports cover G-SYNC module monitors, G-SYNC Compatible monitors and FreeSync monitors, and one reporter saw it on a FreeSync panel on the same PC that showed it on a G-SYNC one. The workarounds are the same either way, because what they all do is force the display mode to be applied again.
Why does the NVIDIA Control Panel still say G-SYNC is enabled?
Because the setting and the state are different things. The check box records what you asked for, not what the display is currently doing, which is why NVIDIA ships a separate on-screen indicator for the state. Several reporters saw the G-SYNC section vanish from the control panel entirely until they power-cycled the monitor - the same gap, seen from the other side.
Is a reboot the only guaranteed fix?
It is the only one every reporter agrees on, which is exactly why this page exists. Reporters who found a faster route describe the refresh-rate change and the monitor power cycle most often, and one reporter on driver 442.19 found that neither worked for them.

Did this fix work?

If a step is wrong, outdated, or did not help, telling us is the fastest way to get it corrected. Reports are reviewed before new articles.

Report a problem with this page

Related problems

Sources

  • Release 620 Driver for Windows, Version 621.01 - Release Notes (RN-08399-621.01_v01)Official

    NVIDIA · Release notes · checked Oct 27, 2026

    • Version 621.01 WHQL is dated 21 October 2026 and its Open Issues section reads N/A
    • The Fixed Issues list in 621.01 does not mention G-SYNC failing after a monitor wakes from sleep
    • On multi-monitor systems the driver disables NVIDIA G-SYNC during active hardware-accelerated video playback and re-enables G-SYNC if the video is paused or closed
    • Displays set to different refresh rates can stutter even when G-SYNC is not used, and NVIDIA's stated resolution is to make sure all displays are set to the same refresh rate
    • 621.01 lists the 360 Hz QHD occasional black flash (4846825) and the 360Hz G-SYNC Pulsar drop to 320FPS (6408986) under Fixed General Bugs
  • To know if G-SYNC is enabled for your gameOfficial

    NVIDIA · Documentation · checked Oct 27, 2026

    • NVIDIA documents an on-screen indicator that shows whether G-SYNC is turned on, enabled from the Display menu of the NVIDIA Control Panel
    • The menu item's wording depends on the connected monitor and may read Show indicator for G-SYNC, Show indicator for G-SYNC Compatible, or Show indicator for G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible
  • To set up G-SYNCOfficial

    NVIDIA · Documentation · checked Oct 27, 2026

    • G-SYNC is turned on from the NVIDIA Control Panel under Display > Set up G-SYNC, using the Enable G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible check box
    • A per-model option named Enable settings for the selected display model applies the G-SYNC setting to the display selected under Select a display
    • NVIDIA also requires Monitor Technology to be set to G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatible on the Manage 3D Settings page
  • Troubleshooting blank screens in WindowsOfficial

    Microsoft · Support page · checked Oct 27, 2026

    • Microsoft documents Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B as a way to reset the graphics driver, and says you should hear a beep or see a screen flicker if it worked
  • Change the refresh rate on your monitor in WindowsOfficial

    Microsoft · Support page · checked Oct 27, 2026

    • In Windows 11 the refresh rate is changed at Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, next to Choose a refresh rate
    • Dynamic refresh rate is a switch on the same Advanced display page, requires a display that supports VRR and a refresh rate of at least 120 Hz, and can limit the maximum refresh rate of games not designed for VRR
  • [LCD Monitor] When turning off the screen or when there is no HDMI/Display signal, a noticeable fan noise can be heard from inside the screen.Official

    ASUS · Support page · checked Oct 27, 2026

    • ASUS documents a DisplayPort Deep Sleep function in the monitor's own on-screen menu on its G-SYNC module monitors, naming the PG27UQ, PG35VQ, PG65UQ and PG32UQX
    • ASUS says that if the monitor cannot be awakened after entering deep sleep mode, press any button on the monitor to wake it up, or disable the deep sleep function
  • no G-SYNC/Pulsar after monitor sleepCommunity report

    NVIDIA GeForce Forums · Forum · checked Oct 27, 2026

    • An NVIDIA staff account opened this thread in September 2026 about the issue where G-SYNC/Pulsar is no longer working after monitor sleep, and asked readers for repro steps because NVIDIA was having trouble getting a reliable reproduction
    • A reader posted a case that reproduces 100% of the time on GeForce driver 616.92, Windows 11 25H2 build 26200.9457, an RTX 4080 SUPER and an ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQNGV on DisplayPort with three displays attached
    • That reporter's first workaround is to power the monitor off and back on after it wakes from sleep but before launching the game
    • That reporter's second workaround is to leave the Windows desktop at 240 Hz and let the game switch the monitor to 360 Hz on launch
  • G-Sync dissapears after display sleeps, forced to rebootCommunity report

    NVIDIA GeForce Forums · Forum · checked Oct 27, 2026

    • A thread of 92 replies running from January 2015 to April 2024 in which more than a dozen different people report G-SYNC no longer engaging after the display sleeps
    • The reports span G-SYNC module monitors, G-SYNC Compatible monitors and FreeSync monitors, including BenQ XL2420G, Acer XB271HU, ASUS PG279Q, ASUS PG248Q, ASUS VG259Q, AOC G2590FX, Alienware AW3420DW and LG 38GL950G
    • Changing the refresh rate in the control panel to a lower value and back restored G-SYNC for several reporters, one of whom says it works even while already in a game
    • Powering the monitor off and back on restored G-SYNC for several reporters, including one on an LG 38GL950G
    • Restarting the graphics driver with a third-party utility restored G-SYNC for one reporter, while another reporter on driver 442.19 says neither the refresh-rate change nor the driver restart worked
    • One reporter found a Deep Sleep option in the monitor's own menu and says turning it off stopped the problem recurring
    • One reporter observed the G-SYNC indicator appearing in games before the display slept and stopping afterwards until the PC was restarted, on drivers 445.87 and 446.14
    • Reporters describe the G-SYNC section disappearing from the NVIDIA Control Panel entirely until the monitor is power-cycled, and one describes a monitor status LED showing the inactive colour
    • The symptom was reported fixed in driver 364.72 and then reported again on later drivers including 375.95, 441.66, 442.19, 445.87 and 446.14, with one reporter tracing its first appearance to 359.06
    • Marginal or non-certified DisplayPort cables are raised in the thread as a separate cause of similar symptoms, and one reporter says changing cables three times did not help in their case
    • Reporters consistently say restarting the PC restores G-SYNC, and that it is lost again the next time the display sleeps