How to Check Monitor Refresh Rate

You bought a 144 Hz (or 165 Hz, or 240 Hz) monitor, but does it actually run at that speed? A surprising number of high-refresh monitors sit at 60 Hz for years because of a wrong cable, the wrong port, or a setting that was never changed. Here's how to check your monitor refresh rate on Windows and Mac, change it, and confirm you're getting what you paid for.

What Is Monitor Refresh Rate?

Refresh rate is how many times per second your monitor redraws the image, measured in Hertz (Hz). A 60 Hz monitor draws 60 frames per second; a 144 Hz monitor draws 144. Higher refresh rates mean smoother motion and less visible screen tearing and ghosting.

Don't confuse it with frame rate (fps), which is how many frames per second your graphics card produces. Smooth motion needs both a high refresh rate and a high frame rate: the monitor can't display frames the GPU never sends, and a slow monitor can't show fast frames smoothly.

How to Check Your Monitor Refresh Rate on Windows

On Windows 10 and 11:

1. Right-click the desktop and choose Display settings.
2. Scroll to Advanced display (or Advanced display settings).
3. Select your monitor at the top if you have more than one.
4. Look at Choose a refresh rate or the Display information line — it shows the current refresh rate in Hz.

That number is what your monitor is actually running at right now, which may be lower than its maximum.

How to Check Your Monitor Refresh Rate on Mac

On macOS:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS) and go to Displays.
2. Select your external monitor.
3. The refresh rate appears under the display's settings; click it to see the available rates.

Note that some Macs and adapters limit external monitors to lower refresh rates — if your 144 Hz monitor only shows 60 Hz on a Mac, the cable, dock, or Mac model may be the bottleneck.

How to Check Refresh Rate in Your Monitor's OSD

For ground truth, check the monitor itself. Open the monitor's on-screen display (the physical buttons) and look for an info or information page — most gaming monitors display the current refresh rate and resolution of the incoming signal in real time. If the OSD says 60 Hz while Windows says 144 Hz, believe the OSD: the monitor is telling you what it's actually receiving.

How to Change Your Monitor Refresh Rate

Once you've found the setting, raising it is straightforward:

1. In Advanced display settings, open the Choose a refresh rate dropdown.
2. Pick the highest value listed (for example 144 Hz).
3. Confirm the change — the screen may flicker briefly.

If the high rate isn't listed, the bottleneck is elsewhere (see below). After changing it, re-check the monitor's OSD to confirm the new rate is actually being received.

Why You Might Be Stuck Below the Maximum Refresh Rate

If your 144 Hz monitor only offers 60 Hz, one of these is the cause:

• Wrong cable: an old HDMI cable may cap you at 60 Hz; use a cable rated for high bandwidth (DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.1).
• Wrong port: some ports or a motherboard video output limit refresh rate; plug into the graphics card.
• Dock or adapter: many USB-C docks cap external displays at 60 Hz.
• Resolution too high: at 4K, some cables and ports max out at 60 Hz; lowering resolution can unlock higher rates.
• GPU or driver limits: an older GPU or outdated driver may not offer the full rate.

How to Test 60Hz vs. 144Hz (and See the Difference)

To actually feel the difference, run a motion test:

1. Set the monitor to 60 Hz, then drag a window or move the cursor quickly — notice the stutter and blur.
2. Switch to 144 Hz and repeat — motion should be visibly smoother and text stays readable while scrolling.
3. For an objective check, an online refresh-rate test (such as TestUFO) shows side-by-side motion at different rates so the difference is obvious.

Once you've seen 144 Hz, it's hard to go back — which is why confirming your real refresh rate is worth the two minutes.

What Refresh Rate Do You Need?

A quick guide to matching refresh rate to use:

• 60 Hz: fine for office work, browsing, and casual video.
• 75–100 Hz: a noticeable step up in everyday smoothness.
• 144 Hz: the sweet spot for gaming and a big jump in perceived smoothness.
• 240 Hz and above: for competitive esports, where every millisecond matters.

For most people, 144 Hz is the point of diminishing returns — beyond it, the gains are real but smaller.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my monitor is really running at 144Hz?

Check the monitor's own OSD information page — it reports the refresh rate of the signal it's actually receiving. If the OSD shows 144 Hz, it's running at 144 Hz regardless of what any website claims.

Can a bad cable limit my refresh rate?

Yes. A cable that isn't rated for the required bandwidth caps the refresh rate — often at 60 Hz, especially at high resolution. Use a DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.1 cable rated for your resolution and refresh rate.

Does a higher refresh rate reduce screen tearing?

It reduces how noticeable tearing is, because frames are drawn faster and misalignments are smaller. But the real fix for tearing is adaptive sync (FreeSync or G-SYNC) — see our screen tearing guide.

The Bottom Line

Refresh rate is how often your monitor redraws the screen, and many high-refresh monitors run below their max because of a wrong cable, port, or setting. Check it in Windows' Advanced display settings or your monitor's OSD, set it to the highest available rate, and fix any bottleneck (cable, port, dock). A quick 60Hz-vs-144Hz test shows exactly why it's worth getting right.