SSMS 18.0 redraw issues when switching between multiple query windows
SSMS 18.0 redraw issues when switching between multiple query windows
Repro:
1. Open SSMS
2. Open a new query window and enter and execute a command, such as:
SELECT @@SPID;
- Open a second query window
- Using your mouse, switch back and forth between the two open query windows by clicking on their tabs.
- After several clicks (five to ten?), the content of the first window (query and result pane) may appear to be displayed in the second window, but you can't interact with any of the text.
- Switching back and forth a few more times may clear up the issue temporarily.
- The same issue may carry over to additional query windows which are opened, after switching between the various windows several times.

This issue was fixed (or better, mitigated) in SSMS 18.5
As you can see, SSMS will automatically prevent the Visual Studio Shell from using the h/w acceleration.
While I hear that for some of you this workaround did not help, it seems that for the vast majority of the people here it was beneficial, so the workaround has been baked into SSMS 18.5.
Thanks,
-Matteo
119 comments
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Carlo Lodola commented
System Model HP EliteBook 830 G5
Name Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620
Driver Version 24.20.100.6226
SQL Server Management Studio 15.0.18118.0Disabling graphics acceleration worked for me too.
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Jiri Dolezal commented
Confirming that Ctrl + TAB works as workaround. But hopefully this is not acceptable for MS and it's gonna be repaired in next version of SSMS.
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Steve Brown commented
Problem still exists and can cause disaster. Tab between a 'Select' query tab and a 'Delete' query tab several times... then click 'Execute' and just hope that what you see is what is going to execute. I'm using Windows 10 Pro and SSMS 18.1 (15.0.18131.0). Workaround is to not click tabs but use Ctrl-Tab instead. Or, Tools, Options, Environment, General, and uncheck "Use hardware acceleration if available". Why isn't this a top priority bug fix?
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pbradshaw commented
Here's the thing: I never experienced the problem in SSMS 16.x or SSMS 17.x … even though I have "user hardware graphics acceleration if available" set in those, just like in SSMS 18.x.
So, without changing anything locally, the experience is significantly worse on 18.x … to the point 18.x is nearly unusable (between this and the hang when clicking "..." to try and restore a database, I've had to abandon it). This is seriously unusable and unacceptable.
The problem also doesn't seem to happen with Ctrl-Tab, only when clicking on the tabs.
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Russell W Young commented
I have the same problem on 18.0 and 18.1
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Glenn Burnett commented
As Bart mentioned, the issue is still present in 18.1. Disabling hardware acceleration does prevent the issue. It would be great if this could be resolved, or at least have the option disabled by default, as some users may not even realize what is happening when the issue occurs.
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Bart Edgerton commented
Still happening in 18.1... SSMS is not useable with this MAJOR ISSUE!!!!!!
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Tom Braceland commented
I gave up trying to fix this annoying trait with 'New' V18 I installed on May 15, 2019. I use 4 to 5 query tabs at time and having to close, open, click here, no refresh, blank tab etc was nonsense. I uninstalled the 'New" version and re-installed the prior V18.0 Preview 4 I was using. Works perfectly...as it should.
I should not have to do all kinds of searching and fixing issues that should not be issues. Get it together Microsoft. Please fix it. -
AD commented
I have also seen this happen. I can't reliably reproduce it, but it's definitely annoying when it happens. And I never had it happen with 17.9.
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James Wheeler commented
Having the same issue. It works fine for a while then anytime you click a tab it either doesn't update the content or updates only some of the content.
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SQLFerret commented
same issue on my personal machine, dual monitor on the primary monitor I am facing this issue, didn't see it on 17.9
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Dean J. commented
This is an old issue going back to the first SSMS re-write with version 2014, and happens for me mostly when closing a tab (when there are multiple open). Closing a tab will of course make the next open one now active, but either all of the previously-closed tab's text will still be shown, or part of it.
See the following issues that were imported from the old "Connect" site...I logged some info back then on both of these, but MS never did anything about it.
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Anonymous commented
I am also experiencing this problem with the latest SSMS 18.0 - switching between tabs creates a corrupted mish-mash of contents of the two tabs, instead of cleanly switching from one to the other. I hope this can be addressed soon. I personally did not have this problem with SSMS 17.x or prior - this is a new problem to me with SSMS 18.0
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pbradshaw commented
Interestingly, I don't see the problem nearly as frequently (or at all so far) when using Ctrl-Tab to switch tabs, but see it VERY frequently when switching by clicking on tabs with the mouse.
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Everett Mills commented
I have an HP Elitebook 850 G4, with Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 and Discrete
AMD Radeon R7 M465 graphics. All of my drivers are up to date. This issue is present for this configuration. Disabling the hardware acceleration does stop it, but it does need to be fixed. -
Chuck Hamilton commented
Disabling graphics acceleration worked for me too. Hardly a "fix" though. Microsoft needs to fix it for real. My graphics adapter is Intel 5500, driver version 20.19.15.5058.
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Glenn Burnett commented
Per suggestion of @ami_levin on Twitter, disabling "Use hardware graphics acceleration if available" in Tools > Options > Environment > General seems to "fix" the issue.
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Glenn Burnett commented
Updating Intel video drivers from 24.20.100.6286 to 25.20.100.6472 did not resolve the issue on the Windows 10 laptop.
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Glenn Burnett commented
I've experienced this issue on multiple occasions on a Windows 10 Enterprise machine. Am also testing on Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2012 R2 virtual servers; have not yet seen same issue on virtual servers. Windows 10 Enterprise machine is a Dell laptop with Intel graphics.