How to Check Monitor Refresh Rate
Monitor refresh rate is how many times per second your screen redraws its image, measured in Hertz (Hz). A 144Hz monitor refreshes 144 times per second — producing significantly smoother motion than a standard 60Hz display. Checking your actual refresh rate (not just what your monitor is capable of) is important because Windows may default to 60Hz even on a 144Hz panel. There are four reliable ways to check.
Method 1: Free In-Browser Test (Fastest)
Our Refresh Rate Test measures the actual frame rate your browser is rendering by counting requestAnimationFrame callbacks per second. This reflects what you're actually seeing — not what Windows thinks the monitor is set to.
Visit the tool and wait 3 seconds for the reading to stabilise. If you get 60Hz on a 144Hz monitor, Windows may not have been configured correctly. See Method 2 to fix it.
Method 2: Windows Display Settings
This is the authoritative Windows source — it shows what GPU output rate is configured.
- Right-click an empty area of your desktop
- Click Display settings
- Scroll down and click Advanced display settings
- Under "Choose a refresh rate", you'll see your current Hz — and a dropdown to change it
- If 144Hz (or higher) isn't listed, check your cable and GPU drivers
Method 3: Windows Task Manager
Task Manager shows refresh rate per display, useful when you have multiple monitors.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
- Click the Performance tab
- Select GPU from the left sidebar
- Each connected monitor is listed at the bottom with its resolution and refresh rate
Method 4: macOS System Preferences
- Click the Apple menu → System Preferences (or System Settings on macOS Ventura+)
- Click Displays
- Hold the Option key and click Scaled to reveal all available resolutions and refresh rates
- Select your preferred resolution and the highest available Hz option
60Hz vs 144Hz vs 240Hz: What You Actually See
| Refresh Rate | Frame Interval |
|---|---|
| 60 Hz | 16.7 ms |
| 75 Hz | 13.3 ms |
| 144 Hz | 6.9 ms |
| 165 Hz | 6.1 ms |
| 240 Hz | 4.2 ms |
| 360 Hz | 2.8 ms |
With your monitor running at the correct Hz, a higher refresh rate directly reduces your display latency. Pair it with a well-tuned mouse — use our Mouse Polling Rate Test to confirm your mouse is reporting at 1000Hz or higher, so your input device isn't the bottleneck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my 144Hz monitor running at 60Hz?
Several common reasons: (1) You're using an HDMI 1.4 cable, which caps at 60Hz for 1080p. Use HDMI 2.0+ or DisplayPort instead. (2) Windows hasn't been set to 144Hz — go to Display Settings → Advanced display settings → Refresh rate. (3) Your GPU driver may have reset settings after an update. (4) The monitor's OSD may have a frame limiter enabled.
Is 144Hz worth it over 60Hz for gaming?
Yes, significantly. Moving from 60Hz to 144Hz reduces the time between frames from 16.7ms to 6.9ms. In double-blind testing by TechPowerUp, 91% of participants preferred 144Hz over 60Hz for gaming within the first 10 minutes. The difference is immediate and obvious, especially in fast-paced games.
Does refresh rate affect gaming performance (FPS)?
Refresh rate doesn't create more FPS — it determines the maximum frame rate your monitor can display. If your GPU renders 200fps but your monitor is 60Hz, you'll only see 60 frames per second. Your FPS also needs to be high enough to benefit from a high refresh rate: 144fps is needed to fully use a 144Hz monitor.
How do I force my monitor to run at 144Hz?
Right-click desktop → Display settings → scroll to Advanced display settings → change 'Choose a refresh rate' dropdown to 144Hz. If 144Hz doesn't appear, check your cable (use DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0+), update GPU drivers, and confirm the monitor's max resolution at 144Hz in the manufacturer specs.
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