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Difficulty: Display Settings Must Read Estimated time: 6 minutes

How to Enable High Refresh Rate (144Hz+) in Windows

Over 80% of new high-refresh-rate monitor owners run their display at standard 60Hz without knowing it. Here is how to unlock 144Hz, 165Hz, or 240Hz in Windows.

Bright high resolution monitor display showing fast gaming visuals

1. Cable Requirement Check: DisplayPort vs HDMI

Before changing software settings, verify your video cable connection. Standard older HDMI cables often cap display frequency at 60Hz or 120Hz at 1080p resolution.

Always connect your monitor using a DisplayPort cable (or high-speed HDMI 2.1 cable) connected directly to your dedicated GPU.

💡 Why 144Hz Feels So Smooth

A standard 60Hz monitor refreshes the screen image 60 times per second. A 144Hz display refreshes 144 times per second, making cursor movement, aiming, and fast camera turns radically smoother.

2. Enabling 144Hz in Windows Display Settings

Follow these 4 simple steps in Windows 10 & 11:

  1. Right-click anywhere on your Windows Desktop and select Display Settings.
  2. Scroll down and click Advanced Display Settings.
  3. Under Choose a Refresh Rate, click the dropdown menu and select 144Hz (or 165Hz/240Hz depending on your screen).
  4. Click Keep Changes.

3. GPU Control Panel Settings (NVIDIA & AMD)

In addition to Windows settings, confirm your graphics driver control panel reflects the change:

  • NVIDIA: Right-click Desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel → Change Resolution → Set Refresh Rate to maximum available.
  • AMD: Right-click Desktop → AMD Radeon Software → Display Tab → Verify active refresh rate mode.

4. Testing Your Refresh Rate Live

To verify that your display is running at full refresh rate, open your web browser and visit the free UFO Test Motion Benchmark. The top UFO row should match your monitor's rated Hz value.

5. Conclusion

Unlocking your screen's full refresh rate is one of the single biggest instant upgrades you can make for gaming response time and visual clarity.