How to Check Your Monitor's Refresh Rate
Bought a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor but it feels like 60Hz? Test it in two seconds, then fix the Windows setting, cable or port that's holding it back.
A high-refresh monitor running at 60Hz is one of the most common setup mistakes. Windows doesn't always pick the highest rate, and the wrong cable silently caps it. Here's how to check and fix it.
Test it
Open the refresh rate test on the monitor you want to check and wait two seconds. If you have several monitors, drag the browser window to each one and click "Measure again".
Fix it on Windows
- Right-click the desktop and choose Display settings.
- Select the monitor, then open Advanced display.
- Pick the highest rate under Choose a refresh rate.
On a Mac, open System Settings › Displays and choose the refresh rate for that display.
Still stuck at 60Hz?
- Cable: 1440p at 144Hz needs DisplayPort 1.2+ or HDMI 2.0+. Older HDMI cables and ports top out at 60Hz.
- Port: on a desktop PC, plug into the graphics card, not the motherboard.
- Monitor menu: some monitors have an overclock or "DisplayPort version" option that's off by default.
- Battery saver: laptops often drop to 60Hz on battery. Plug in and test again.
While you're at it
Check a new monitor for faulty pixels with the dead pixel test while it's still within the return period, and confirm the resolution and scaling are what you expect.