Your new 144Hz monitor feels no smoother than your old one, and Windows 11 is probably still running it at 60Hz. Windows often picks a safe 60Hz default when you plug in a new display, so you need to check and change the refresh rate yourself.
Quick fix: Open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, then pick your monitor’s advertised rate under Choose a refresh rate. The steps below walk through it, plus what to do when the rate you want isn’t listed.
What Is the Refresh Rate Setting?
Refresh rate is how many times per second your screen redraws the image, measured in hertz (Hz). A higher number means smoother scrolling, mouse movement, and gameplay. Windows 11 controls it from Settings > System > Display > Advanced display. There’s nothing to download. What you can choose depends on your monitor, graphics card, driver, and cable.
Before You Begin
- A PC running Windows 11 (check under Settings > System > About)
- The advertised refresh rate from your monitor’s box, spec sheet, or model page (for example, 144Hz or 165Hz)
- A cable that can carry that rate: DisplayPort, or HDMI 2.0/2.1 for high refresh at 1440p and above
- Monitor plugged into your graphics card’s ports, not the motherboard’s, on a desktop with a dedicated GPU
- A current graphics driver from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Device | Any Windows 11 desktop or laptop with a display |
| OS version | Windows 11 |
| Dynamic refresh rate | VRR-capable display running at 120Hz or higher, plus a graphics driver that supports DRR |
| Cost | Free, built into Windows |
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Open Display settings
- Press
Win + Ito open Settings. - Select System in the left sidebar.
- Click Display.
Expected result: You see your screen’s brightness, scale, and resolution options. If you have more than one monitor, numbered boxes appear at the top.
Step 2: Select the right monitor (multi-monitor setups only)
Each monitor keeps its own refresh rate, so you must pick the right one first. This explains why a second monitor often looks choppier than the main one.
- Click Identify at the top of the Display page. A large number appears on each screen.
- Click the numbered box that matches the monitor you want to change.
Expected result: The selected box turns highlighted. Every setting below it now applies to that monitor.
Step 3: Check your current refresh rate (the 30-second check)
- Scroll down and click Advanced display.
- On a multi-monitor setup, confirm the right screen appears in the Select a display to view or change its settings dropdown at the top.
- Look at the Display information section. Find the Refresh rate (Hz) line.
Expected result: You see the rate your monitor is actually running at right now. If it says 60Hz on a 144Hz monitor, keep going.
Step 4: Change the refresh rate
- Find Choose a refresh rate on the same page.
- Click the dropdown to see every rate Windows has detected for this display.
- Select the highest rate that matches your monitor, such as 144 Hz or 165 Hz.
Expected result: The screen may flash black for a second while it switches.
Tip: You can jump straight to the Display page by pressing
Win + R, typingms-settings:display, and pressing Enter. Then click Advanced display.
Step 5: Confirm with “Keep changes”
A dialog titled “Keep these display settings?” appears right after you change the rate.
- Check that the screen looks normal, with no flicker, lines, or blank areas.
- Click Keep changes.
If you don’t click anything, Windows goes back to the old rate after about 15 seconds. This protects you from a black screen. If your monitor can’t show the new rate, wait for the countdown to finish.
Expected result: Display information now shows the new rate next to Refresh rate (Hz).
Step 6: Confirm the change actually worked
The Settings readout is the official answer. For a visual check, try a browser test:
- Open Edge or Chrome on the monitor you just changed.
- Go to
https://testufo.com. - Look at the text under the moving UFOs. It should read close to your new rate, such as “144 fps”.
TestUFO is a rough motion check, not proof of the display mode. Browser load and frame pacing can make it read lower, so trust Settings (and your monitor’s on-screen info page) if the two disagree. If TestUFO shows 60 while Settings shows 144, check whether the browser window is on the right monitor. Also check whether a laptop battery saver is limiting the browser.
Configuration: Dynamic Refresh Rate vs a Fixed Rate
Dynamic refresh rate (DRR) lets Windows switch rates on its own. It runs high, such as 120Hz, when you scroll or use a pen. It can drop to a lower rate, such as 60Hz, when you read a static page or watch a slow video. The exact switching depends on your hardware and apps. A fixed rate stays at one number all the time.
Does a higher refresh rate drain laptop battery faster? Yes. The panel and GPU work harder at 120Hz or 144Hz than at 60Hz, so battery life goes down. DRR is Microsoft’s compromise between smooth motion and battery life. It matters most on laptops. On a plugged-in desktop, a fixed high rate is simpler.
DRR requires:
- A display that supports variable refresh rate (VRR). Display information shows whether yours does.
- A panel currently set to 120Hz or higher
- A graphics driver that supports DRR (Microsoft’s original DRR guidance named WDDM 3.0; availability depends on your hardware and driver)
Turn Dynamic refresh rate on or off
- Go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display.
- Set Choose a refresh rate to 120Hz or higher.
- Find the Dynamic refresh rate toggle and switch it on or off.
On some laptops, DRR shows up as a Dynamic entry inside the refresh rate dropdown instead of a separate toggle.
Why the toggle doesn’t appear: One of the requirements above is unmet. The toggle shows up only when the panel is set to 120Hz or higher, supports VRR, and has a driver that supports DRR. Most external desktop monitors never show it. That’s normal.
Turn DRR off if you see flicker or brightness shifts, or if you want a locked rate for competitive games.
Tips and Troubleshooting: Refresh Rate Missing or Stuck at 60Hz
If your monitor’s advertised rate isn’t in the dropdown, work through these in order.
Fix #1: Check which display is selected
- Open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display.
- Open the Select a display to view or change its settings dropdown.
- Pick the monitor you’re actually looking at, then check Choose a refresh rate again.
This is the most common mistake on dual-monitor setups. The options for a 60Hz office monitor won’t include 144Hz.
Fix #2: Use the right cable and port
- On a desktop, move the cable from the motherboard’s video port to one on the graphics card. The card’s ports are usually lower on the back of the case.
- Use DisplayPort if your monitor has it. A DisplayPort 1.4 cable can carry 1440p at 165Hz. 4K at 144Hz over DisplayPort 1.4 usually needs Display Stream Compression (DSC), so check that both your graphics card and monitor support it.
- With HDMI, use a port and cable rated HDMI 2.0 or newer. For 4K at 120Hz or higher, you need HDMI 2.1 ports on both the PC and the monitor, plus an Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 cable. Older HDMI 1.4 ports can’t carry high refresh rates at 1440p or 4K, and they top out at 30Hz for 4K.
- On USB-C laptops, cheap adapters and hubs often max out at 60Hz. A proper USB-C to DisplayPort cable or a Thunderbolt docking station avoids this.
- Recheck the dropdown.
Our guide on telling HDMI and DisplayPort cables apart explains the version markings.
Fix #3: Update or reinstall the GPU driver
- Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
- Expand Display adapters.
- If you see “Microsoft Basic Display Adapter”, Windows has no real driver installed. That fallback driver offers only limited resolution and refresh rate choices.
- Download the current driver from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, or check Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates.
- Restart and check the dropdown again.
See our guide to updating your graphics driver in Windows 11 for a clean-install method.
Fix #4: Enable high-refresh mode in the monitor’s own menu
- Press the menu button or joystick on your monitor to open its on-screen display (OSD).
- Look for settings named Overclock, High refresh, DisplayPort version, or HDMI version.
- Turn overclock on. Set the DisplayPort version to 1.4 or the HDMI version to 2.0/2.1.
- Unplug and reconnect the cable, then recheck Windows.
Some 165Hz and 180Hz monitors, such as the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ, only offer 144Hz until overclock mode is turned on in the OSD.
Fix #5: Lower the resolution as a diagnostic
- In Settings > System > Display, drop Display resolution one step, such as from 3840 × 2160 to 2560 × 1440.
- Check Choose a refresh rate again.
- If higher rates appear now, your cable or port is the bottleneck, not the monitor. Go back to Fix #2, then restore your native resolution.
For a full list, go to Advanced display > Display adapter properties for Display 1 > Adapter tab > List All Modes. It shows every resolution and refresh rate combination your GPU sees.
Fix #6: Check the GPU control panel and games for overrides
If the rate changes back after a restart or when you launch a game, other software is overriding Windows.
- NVIDIA: Open NVIDIA Control Panel > Display > Change resolution, and set Refresh rate to match.
- AMD: Open AMD Software > Gaming > Display and review the settings for your monitor and any custom profiles.
- Intel: Open Intel Graphics Command Center > Display and check the refresh rate.
- In the game, open its video settings. Set its refresh rate option to the highest value, and turn off any 60 FPS cap.
Our gaming monitor settings guide covers G-Sync, FreeSync, and in-game frame limits.
If the screen goes black after changing the rate
Don’t click anything. Windows reverts after about 15 seconds. If it stays black, press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B to restart the graphics driver. If that fails, boot into Safe Mode, roll back the graphics driver, and pick a lower rate.
Wrapping Up
On most desktop monitors, pick the highest rate in the dropdown and leave it there. On laptops, leave Dynamic refresh rate on unless you see flicker. It’s the best balance of smoothness and battery life. If your advertised rate still won’t show up, the cable, port, adapter, or dock (Fix #2) is a common culprit, so check those and your monitor’s OSD settings before blaming the monitor. If a rate that used to work starts flickering or blacking out on a known-good cable, suspect the display or GPU hardware.
| Step | Action | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| Check | Advanced display > Display information | All PCs |
| Change | Choose a refresh rate, then Keep changes | All PCs |
| Per-monitor | Select the display first | Multi-monitor setups |
| DRR | Dynamic refresh rate toggle | 120Hz+ VRR laptops |
| Missing rate | Cable/port, driver, monitor OSD | Mostly desktops |