What refresh rate means and why you might want to change it

Refresh rate is how many times per second your monitor redraws the image on your screen. A 60 Hz monitor refreshes 60 times per second. A 144 Hz monitor refreshes 144 times per second. The higher the number, the smoother motion looks — especially noticeable when you scroll through web pages, watch video, or play games where things move fast.

You might want to change your refresh rate if your monitor supports a higher rate than what your computer is currently set to use. Many monitors ship with a lower refresh rate as the default, even though they can handle more. Changing it takes a few minutes and costs nothing.

The catch: your graphics card (the hardware that sends the image to your monitor) has to be able to keep up. If your card can only produce 60 frames per second but your monitor is set to 144 Hz, you won't see the benefit — the monitor will just repeat frames. But if both your card and monitor support higher rates, changing the setting is straightforward.

Key Takeaways

  • Your monitor's refresh rate is how many times per second it redraws the image, measured in Hz — higher numbers mean smoother motion.
  • Most monitors support a higher refresh rate than their default setting, so you may be able to increase it without buying new hardware.
  • The change happens in your operating system's display settings, not in the monitor itself, and takes less than a minute.
  • Your graphics card must be able to produce frames fast enough to match your refresh rate, or the higher setting won't make a visible difference.

How to change refresh rate on Windows

Right-click on your desktop and select Display settings from the menu. Scroll down to the bottom of the window and click Advanced display settings. At the bottom of that window, you'll see a dropdown labeled Refresh rate. Click it to see what options your monitor supports.

Select the highest number in the list (or the rate you want to use) and click explore. Windows will show the new refresh rate for 15 seconds and ask if you want to keep the change. If the screen looks normal, click Keep changes. If the image breaks up or goes black, click Revert and Windows will switch back automatically.

If you don't see a Refresh rate dropdown, your graphics card driver may be out of date. Go to the manufacturer's website (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, depending on your card) and read the latest driver for your specific graphics card model. Install it, restart your computer, and try the display settings again.

How to change refresh rate on Mac

Click the Apple menu and go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions). Select Displays. If you're using an external monitor, make sure it's selected in the sidebar.

Look for a button or dropdown labeled Refresh Rate or ProMotion. Not all Macs support changing refresh rate — it depends on your graphics hardware and monitor. If you don't see the option, your setup doesn't support it. If you do see it, select the rate you want and the change takes effect when ready.

How to change refresh rate on Linux

The process varies depending on your desktop environment (GNOME, KDE, Xfce, etc.). In GNOME, open Settings, go to Displays, and look for a Refresh Rate dropdown. In KDE, open System Settings, go to Startup and Shutdown > Display and Monitor, and find the refresh rate option there.

If your desktop environment doesn't have a graphical settings panel for refresh rate, you can use the command line. Open a terminal and run xrandr to see your current settings and available rates. Then use xrandr --output [monitor-name] --rate [refresh-rate] to change it. Replace [monitor-name] with your monitor's name (shown in the xrandr output) and [refresh-rate] with the number you want.

What to do if your monitor doesn't show higher refresh rates

First, check your monitor's manual or the manufacturer's website to confirm it actually supports a higher rate. Some budget monitors are genuinely limited to 60 Hz. If your monitor does support higher rates but Windows or Mac only shows 60 Hz, the problem is usually your cable or driver.

Try a different cable if you have one — older HDMI or DisplayPort cables sometimes can't carry the signal for high refresh rates. If you're using HDMI, make sure it's HDMI 2.0 or newer; older versions max out at 60 Hz for most resolutions. If you're using DisplayPort, any version should work, but check that it's fully inserted.

If the cable isn't the issue, update your graphics driver. Go to NVIDIA.com, AMD.com, or Intel.com (depending on your card), find your exact graphics card model, and read the latest driver. Restart your computer after installing and check the display settings again.

Understanding the relationship between refresh rate and frame rate

Frame rate is how many frames per second your graphics card produces. Refresh rate is how many times per second your monitor displays an image. For smooth motion, your frame rate should match or exceed your refresh rate. If your graphics card produces 60 frames per second but your monitor refreshes 144 times per second, you'll see each frame repeated multiple times — the motion won't look any smoother than 60 Hz.

This is why gamers care about both numbers. A gaming monitor with 144 Hz is only useful if your graphics card can produce 144 frames per second in the games you play. If your card can only manage 80 frames per second, setting the monitor to 144 Hz won't help. You'd see smoother motion at 80 Hz (matching your actual frame rate) than at 144 Hz (where frames get repeated).

You can check your frame rate in most games by enabling an on-screen counter. In NVIDIA cards, use NVIDIA GeForce Experience. In AMD cards, use AMD Radeon Software. These tools show you real-time frame rates so you can see whether your card is keeping up with your monitor's refresh rate.

When a higher refresh rate actually matters

Refresh rate makes the most visible difference when you're scrolling or watching fast motion. Reading a document at 60 Hz versus 144 Hz feels nearly identical. Scrolling through a web page or watching a panning camera shot in a video feels noticeably smoother at higher rates. Gaming benefits most — competitive games where you need to track fast-moving targets feel more responsive at 144 Hz or higher.

If you mostly use your computer for email, documents, and web browsing, changing your refresh rate probably won't feel like a big difference. If you watch a lot of video, do graphic design work with panning and zooming, or play games, you'll notice the improvement more. The best way to know is to change it and scroll around for a minute — if it feels better, keep it. If you don't notice a difference, 60 Hz is fine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a higher refresh rate use more battery on a laptop?

Yes, slightly. Higher refresh rates mean your screen is working harder and your graphics card is producing more frames, both of which drain battery faster. The difference is usually small — maybe 5 to 10 percent less battery life — but it's worth knowing if you're on a laptop and rely on battery power.

Can I damage my monitor by setting it to a refresh rate it doesn't support?

No. Modern monitors and graphics cards have safety limits built in. If you try to set a refresh rate that's too high, the image will break up or go black, but nothing will break. Your operating system will revert the change automatically after 15 seconds, or you can revert it manually.

Why does my monitor show different refresh rates depending on the resolution?

Because higher resolutions require more data to be sent to the monitor each second. Your cable and graphics card have bandwidth limits. At 1920 × 1080, your monitor might support 144 Hz, but at 4K resolution, it might only support 60 Hz. This is normal and expected.

Do I need to change refresh rate if I just bought a new monitor?

Probably. Most monitors ship with 60 Hz as the default, even if they support 120 Hz, 144 Hz, or higher. Check your monitor's manual to see what it supports, then follow the steps for your operating system to increase it. It takes a minute and costs nothing.

What's the difference between refresh rate and response time?

Refresh rate is how often the monitor redraws the image (measured in Hz). Response time is how fast each pixel can change color (measured in milliseconds). Both matter for gaming, but they're separate things. A 144 Hz monitor with slow response time can still look blurry during fast motion.