If you are trying to use Lossless Scaling to get some more FPS out of your games or just a nice, smooth 60FPS experience with low-end hardware, you might be having some issues. Particularly with the screen sometimes freezes on a single frame when using Lossless Scaling. All while the game keeps running perfectly fine in the background. So if you are having this issue, this guide will show you a few different things you can do to solve the problem.

Takeaways:

  1. Fix Lossless scaling freezing on a single frame while the game is still running fine in the background
  2. Solution for Lossless scaling freezing on a single frame while still running in the background

How to Fix Lossless Scaling Freezing Frame, Black Screen, or Crashing Issues

Lossless scaling is awesome, and even if you are only using it to smooth other game stutters rather than get a huge FPS boost, it does have a tendency to freeze on a single frame in some games. Especially if you are running Flawless Widescreen as well. Thankfully, there are a few decent fixes that should solve this problem for a lot of people, but they may not work for everyone and every game, so keep that in mind.

Switch Capture Method to WGC

This is the most consistent solution and the one everyone should start with.

  • Open Lossless Scaling
  • Go to Settings
  • Change the capture method from DXGI to WGC
  • Restart the game and Lossless Scaling

How to Fix Lossless Scaling, Freezing Frame and Crashing

WGC is more stable, especially when HDR or overlays are involved.

Change VSync and FPS Settings

This configuration has helped reduce or eliminate freezing in most games that I've tried.

  • Turn off VSync in the game
  • Turn on full VSync in Lossless Scaling
  • Set the game's FPS limit to half your monitor's refresh rate (for example, 72 FPS in-game for a 144 Hz display)

This gives Lossless Scaling a stable frame input and reduces stutter.

Adjust HDR Settings

If your system uses HDR:

  • Enable HDR compatibility in Lossless Scaling
  • Use WGC, not DXGI
  • Make sure Windows HDR settings are configured correctly

Improper HDR handling can cause black screens or freezes.

Uninstall Armoury Crate or Similar Software

Some users noticed the problem started after a Windows update that reinstalled Armoury Crate (used on ASUS systems). Removing Armoury Crate fixed the issue.

Other software that may cause conflicts:

  • MSI Center
  • Gigabyte Control Centre
  • Any GPU-related background utility

Try uninstalling or disabling these and test again.

Use Lossless Scaling Version 2.3

Some users found that version 3.1 introduced instability. Rolling back to version 2.3 resolved the issue in certain games, including Skyrim. Try version 2.3 if nothing else works.

Fix Lossless Scaling Freezing Frame and Crashing.

Don't use Lossless Scaling with Flawless Widescreen

If you are trying to use Lossless Scaling while also running Flawless widescreen to get 21:9 support, you will have quite a few crashing issues, so pick which one you want to use and stick with it, don't try to use both.

A Few Housekeeping Checks

  • Make sure your GPU drivers are up to date. If the issue started after a driver update, try rolling back.
  • Disable overlays like Steam, GeForce Experience, Discord, or Rivatuner while testing.
  • If using a large mod list in Skyrim, test with a minimal setup to rule out mod-related conflicts.