How to Change the Hz of Your Monitor (Refresh Rate Settings Explained)

Your monitor's refresh rate — measured in Hz (hertz) — determines how many frames it displays per second. A monitor running at 60Hz refreshes the image 60 times per second. One running at 144Hz does it 144 times. The difference is visible: higher Hz means smoother motion, less eye strain during fast movement, and a more responsive feel overall.

Changing your monitor's Hz is straightforward on most systems, but the actual result depends on your monitor's hardware limits, your GPU, your cable, and your operating system. Here's what you need to know.

What "Changing Hz" Actually Does

When you adjust refresh rate in your OS settings, you're telling your graphics card how fast to push frames to your display. The monitor then syncs to that rate — but only up to its maximum rated Hz.

A 60Hz panel cannot display 144Hz no matter what you set in software. Conversely, a 144Hz monitor plugged into an older GPU via HDMI 1.4 may be limited to 60Hz because the cable standard can't carry enough bandwidth for higher refresh rates at certain resolutions.

So: the Hz you can actually achieve is the lowest ceiling among your monitor's max rate, your GPU's output capability, and your cable's bandwidth.

How to Change Monitor Hz on Windows

1. Right-click the desktop → Display settings
2. Scroll to Advanced display settings
3. Select the correct monitor (if you have multiple)
4. Click Display adapter properties for Display X
5. Go to the Monitor tab
6. Under Screen refresh rate, open the dropdown and select your desired Hz
7. Click Apply

Only supported rates will appear in the dropdown. If 144Hz isn't listed, the bottleneck is either your cable, GPU output port, or the monitor itself.

Windows 11 also shows refresh rate directly in Settings → System → Display → Advanced display without needing to open adapter properties.

How to Change Monitor Hz on macOS

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions)
2. Go to Displays
3. Hold the Option key and click Scaled to reveal advanced options (on older macOS)
4. On newer macOS versions, a Refresh Rate dropdown appears directly in the display settings panel
5. Select your preferred Hz

Apple Silicon Macs with ProMotion displays (like Studio Display or connected high-refresh monitors) handle this slightly differently — some refresh rate options only appear when a compatible external display is connected.

How to Change Monitor Hz on Linux

The process varies by desktop environment, but the general path is:

• GNOME: Settings → Displays → Refresh Rate dropdown
• KDE Plasma: System Settings → Display and Monitor → refresh rate selector
• Via terminal using xrandr for precise control over rates and resolutions

xrandr is particularly useful if your desired refresh rate isn't showing up in the GUI — sometimes custom modelines need to be added manually. 🖥️

Why Your Desired Hz Might Not Appear

This is the most common frustration. Here's what limits your available options:

DisplayPort generally supports higher refresh rates than HDMI at equivalent versions. If you're running 1440p or 4K at high refresh rates, this distinction matters more than at 1080p.

Overclocking Your Monitor's Refresh Rate

Some monitors can be pushed beyond their rated Hz using software like CRU (Custom Resolution Utility) on Windows or via xrandr on Linux. This is sometimes called monitor overclocking.

A 60Hz panel might run stably at 75Hz. A 144Hz panel might hit 165Hz. Results vary significantly by panel — some are stable, some show artifacts, and some simply won't POST at the higher rate. There's no way to predict the outcome without testing, and it's not officially supported by manufacturers.

This is a useful option for users who want to extract more performance from existing hardware, but it requires comfort with driver-level utilities and some tolerance for trial and error. ⚙️

The Variables That Determine Your Real-World Result

The "right" refresh rate setting isn't universal — it shifts based on:

• What you're doing: Competitive gaming benefits from 144Hz+; general web browsing at 60Hz is imperceptible to most users
• Your GPU's output: A mid-range GPU driving a 240Hz monitor may not maintain frame rates that justify the refresh rate
• Panel type: IPS, TN, and OLED panels respond differently to high refresh rates in terms of motion clarity
• Resolution: 4K at 144Hz demands far more from your system than 1080p at 144Hz
• Cable you're using: Many users discover their cable is the limiting factor only after troubleshooting

A user with a 165Hz monitor, a modern GPU, and a DisplayPort 1.4 cable is in a very different position than someone with the same monitor using an HDMI 1.4 cable from an older laptop.

One More Thing Worth Checking 🔍

Some monitors ship set to 60Hz by default — even when the panel supports 144Hz or higher. It's worth verifying your current refresh rate after making any change. On Windows, you can confirm it in Task Manager → Performance → GPU, or by using online tools like testufo.com, which displays a visual test at your current frame rate.

The steps to change Hz are simple. Whether the rate you want is achievable — and whether it actually improves your experience — depends entirely on the specifics of your display, your GPU, your cables, and what you're using the monitor for.