How to Change the Refresh Rate (Hertz) on Your Monitor

Your monitor's refresh rate determines how many frames it displays per second — and getting it wrong can mean choppy visuals, eye strain, or missed performance from hardware you've already paid for. Changing it takes less than a minute once you know where to look, but a few variables determine what's actually available to you.

What "Hertz" Means on a Monitor

Hertz (Hz) refers to your monitor's refresh rate — how many times per second the display updates the image. A 60Hz monitor redraws the screen 60 times per second. A 144Hz monitor does it 144 times. Higher refresh rates generally produce smoother motion, which is especially noticeable in fast-paced games, scrolling, and video playback.

Common refresh rate options you'll see listed:

Your monitor may support multiple refresh rates — but your operating system defaults to one, and it's not always the highest available.

How to Change Hertz on Windows

Windows 10 and Windows 11

1. Right-click on your desktop and select Display Settings
2. Scroll down and click Advanced Display Settings (Windows 10) or Advanced Display (Windows 11)
3. Look for Refresh Rate — a dropdown will show all rates your monitor supports at its current resolution
4. Select your preferred Hz and click Keep Changes when prompted

⚙️ If you don't see a rate you expected — for example, your 144Hz monitor only shows 60Hz — this is usually a cable or resolution issue, not a monitor fault (more on that below).

Via NVIDIA or AMD Control Panel

If you have a dedicated graphics card, you can also set refresh rates through:

• NVIDIA Control Panel → Display → Change Resolution → select your monitor → set refresh rate in the dropdown
• AMD Software (Adrenalin) → Display tab → find your monitor → adjust refresh rate

These panels sometimes expose rates that Windows' built-in settings don't surface, including custom resolutions.

How to Change Hertz on macOS

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
2. Go to Displays
3. If you see a Refresh Rate dropdown, select your preferred Hz
4. On some Macs with ProMotion displays, you may see an "Automatic" option — this dynamically adjusts rate based on content

MacOS handles refresh rate settings differently depending on whether you're using a built-in display or an external monitor. External monitors show more manual options; Apple's own displays may limit what's user-adjustable.

Why You Might Not See Higher Refresh Rates as Options 🖥️

This is where setup variables matter significantly.

Cable type is a common bottleneck. Not all cables carry enough bandwidth to support high refresh rates at high resolutions simultaneously:

If you're using an older HDMI cable on a 144Hz monitor, the operating system may only offer 60Hz because the signal path can't support more at your current resolution.

GPU output matters too. Your graphics card needs to support the refresh rate you want at the resolution you're using. Integrated graphics often cap out at lower refresh rates than dedicated GPUs.

The monitor itself sets the ceiling. No software setting can push a 60Hz panel to 144Hz. The hardware spec is the hard limit.

Resolution and Refresh Rate Trade-Offs

These two settings interact directly. A monitor might support 4K at 60Hz or 1080p at 144Hz — but not necessarily 4K at 144Hz without the right cable and GPU. When you change resolution in display settings, your available refresh rate options will often change too.

This is why it's worth checking refresh rate after confirming your resolution is set correctly — the combination of both determines what's technically possible through your specific cable and port.

Custom Refresh Rates

Both NVIDIA and AMD control panels allow custom refresh rates — values beyond what the manufacturer officially lists. Some monitors tolerate modest overclocking (e.g., pushing a 60Hz panel to 75Hz), though results vary by panel and there's no guarantee of stability or visual accuracy at non-native rates.

Custom rates that your monitor doesn't support can result in a blank screen or signal loss — though this typically self-reverts after a few seconds if you don't confirm the change.

The Variable That Changes Everything

Getting the right refresh rate isn't just about clicking the highest number available. How much difference it actually makes depends on what you're using the monitor for, what your GPU can render at that rate, whether your cable supports the full bandwidth, and whether your eyes or workflow are sensitive to the difference at all.

Someone editing documents at a desk all day and someone playing competitive shooters are looking at the same settings menu — but the right answer for each of them is different.