How to Check Your Monitor Refresh Rate on Windows and Mac

Fastest check: on Windows, open Settings, go to System, then Display, then Advanced display, and read the refresh rate listed for your monitor. On a Mac, open System Settings, choose Displays, and read the Refresh Rate setting. If the number is lower than the figure on the monitor’s box, the screen is almost certainly running below its rated speed, and the sections below explain why and how to fix it.

Checking takes a minute, and it is worth doing after any new monitor, graphics card, cable or driver update. A surprising number of high-refresh panels spend their lives at 60 Hz because nobody opened the settings page.

Check the refresh rate on Windows 11

1. Right-click an empty area of the desktop and choose Display settings, or open Settings and select System, then Display.
2. If you have more than one monitor, click the one you want to check in the preview at the top. The numbered boxes match the numbers the Identify button shows.
3. Scroll down and open Advanced display.
4. Under the chosen display, read the line named Choose a refresh rate. The value in the drop-down is what the monitor is running now.
5. Open the drop-down to see every rate the current resolution allows. Pick the highest one that suits your needs and confirm the prompt that appears.

The same page also shows the connected adapter and, in many cases, the colour bit depth. If the drop-down lists fewer options than you expect, change the resolution first, because available refresh rates depend on the resolution selected.

Check the refresh rate on Windows 10

1. Right-click the desktop and open Display settings.
2. Select the right monitor from the preview, then scroll to Advanced display settings.
3. Choose Display adapter properties for the display you picked.
4. Open the Monitor tab. The Screen refresh rate drop-down shows the active rate and lets you change it.

Some Windows 10 builds also show the refresh rate on the Advanced display page directly, while older ones only offer the adapter properties route. If the Monitor tab is greyed out or missing, a graphics driver may not be installed correctly, so install the driver from the graphics card maker before continuing.

Check the refresh rate on a Mac

1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings, then Displays.
2. Click the display you want to check.
3. Find the Refresh Rate drop-down. Some models label it differently or place it under an advanced button.
4. If you use an external monitor, check that the Mac model and the cable support the rate; some connections limit what is offered.

On certain Mac laptops the built-in screen can switch rate automatically to save power, so the setting may read Adaptive. Choose a fixed rate if you want predictable behaviour. Scaling choices on external screens can change which rates appear, so pick the native resolution first and then look at the refresh options.

Diagnostic table: which method tells you what

The strongest approach combines two: the operating system value, and either the monitor menu or a visible motion test. Matching numbers on both sides mean the chain is working.

Use the on-screen menu as ground truth

The operating system tells you what it believes it is sending. The monitor’s own menu is a second witness. Open the physical buttons or joystick on the monitor and look under information, status, gaming or display settings for a line that reports the incoming signal, often as resolution and hertz. Some monitors also offer an on-screen refresh rate counter that stays visible while you play.

If the monitor reports 60 Hz while Windows shows 144 Hz, the operating system is probably sending a mode the monitor is not accepting, or a second display is confusing the readout. If the menu reports the higher number, the signal chain is fine and any remaining roughness comes from frame rate or settings. Keep in mind that the monitor menu varies widely; some budget models offer no readout at all, in which case the browser check below is your fallback.

Browser motion check

A browser test page that moves an object across the screen at a fixed rate can reveal whether the display is behaving at its full speed. Open the page in a recent browser, make sure the browser is not in battery saver mode, and compare the motion with the same page after switching the monitor to a lower rate. A faster rate shows a visibly smoother trail and, on many pages, a counter that matches the active rate.

Treat browser results as an indication only. Browsers can cap animation under certain power settings, some systems throttle background tabs, and a page running on a secondary monitor can inherit the primary monitor’s rate in some configurations. If the page and the settings disagree, run the check with the monitor as the only screen.

The related guide on monitor refresh rate versus frame rate explains why a smooth-looking test does not guarantee that a game will reach the same figure.

Cable and interface limits

If the higher refresh rate never appears, bandwidth is the first suspect. Each video connection has a maximum amount of data it can carry, and the demand grows with resolution, refresh rate and colour depth. A 1080p signal at 144 Hz is easy for most connections, while 4K at 144 Hz asks a lot more of the link.

Many monitors list a different maximum on each input, so the same panel can do 144 Hz on DisplayPort and only 60 Hz on one of its HDMI ports. Always match the port to the manual.

Worked example: why a 1440p monitor shows only 60 Hz

Assume a 1440p monitor rated at 144 Hz, connected by a spare HDMI cable to a graphics card, with Windows reporting 60 Hz. Estimate the data need: roughly 2560 by 1440 pixels, 24 bits per pixel and 144 refreshes per second comes to near 14 Gbps once blanking is included. A standard older HDMI link could manage 1440p at 60 Hz but not this, and this particular monitor’s HDMI port might also be limited by its own electronics. The fix in this scenario is to move to DisplayPort, since the card and monitor both have it, then select 144 Hz in Advanced display. The calculation shows the problem is bandwidth rather than a faulty screen, which saves a pointless return.

Step-by-step verification checklist

1. Note the rated maximum refresh rate from the monitor manual and which port reaches it.
2. Connect with a certified cable directly to the graphics card, not a motherboard output.
3. Select the right input in the monitor menu.
4. Open Windows or macOS display settings and set the highest listed rate at the native resolution.
5. Confirm the rate in the monitor menu if it has a readout.
6. Run a browser motion check with only that monitor active.
7. If you use two screens with different rates, read how to fix a dual monitor refresh rate mismatch.

If a monitor is rated lower than you want, you may see guides about pushing it past its specification. Read whether you can overclock a monitor’s refresh rate safely before trying, since results vary and unsupported modes can cause artefacts.

When to stop and ask for support

If every cable, port and driver combination still tops out below the rated figure, and the monitor menu agrees with the lower number, the evidence points to the monitor or its firmware. Gather the model number, the cable used, the operating system version and a photo of the menu readout, then contact the maker. Do this inside the return window if the purchase is new.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Windows show 60 Hz on my 144 Hz monitor?

The usual cause is that the higher rate was never selected. Windows often starts at 60 Hz after a new install or monitor swap. Open the advanced display page and pick the higher rate from the list. If it is not listed, the cable, port or graphics driver is limiting the signal, so try a certified cable, a different port on the graphics card and an updated driver.

Is the refresh rate the same as frames per second?

No. Refresh rate is how many times per second the monitor redraws the screen, measured in hertz. Frames per second is how many images your computer produces. A game running at 90 frames per second on a 144 Hz monitor still redraws 144 times a second, but only 90 of those show new pictures. Both numbers need to be high for smooth play.

Can the monitor menu show the real refresh rate?

Many monitors have an information or refresh rate overlay in their on-screen menu, which reports what the monitor is receiving rather than what Windows thinks it is sending. This makes it a useful second opinion. Not every model offers the readout, so check the manual if you cannot find it under the information or gaming settings.

Does a laptop screen change its refresh rate automatically?

Some do. Laptops with dynamic refresh settings can lower the rate on battery to save power and raise it under load or while scrolling. If your laptop shows a lower number than the panel specification, check the power mode and the display setting that controls dynamic refresh, then plug in the charger and look again.

How do I know the cable is the problem?

If the monitor is rated for a higher rate but Windows never lists it, and the monitor works fine at lower rates, the cable or port is a strong suspect. Try a different certified cable, move to another output on the graphics card, and avoid adapters. If the higher rate then appears, the earlier link was the limit.