How to check your monitor refresh rate in Windows

Short answer: Windows shows the selected refresh rate in Settings → System → Display → Advanced display — but that is only the mode, not proof the panel is delivering it. A free app like Refresh Rate Test shows both sides: it reads the current mode through Win32 and measures the real FPS the display actually produces.

Why it is worth checking

  • Games only feel 144 Hz if 144 Hz is actually on. A new monitor runs at the safe 60 Hz default until you switch it, and months can pass before anyone notices.
  • A GPU driver update can quietly reset the mode. Drivers sometimes fall back to a conservative refresh rate, and “why is everything 60 Hz again?” is a common morning surprise.
  • The cable or adapter can be the hidden ceiling. HDMI adapters, long DisplayPort cables and docking stations cap the refresh rate at the weakest link in the chain — while everything still appears to work.

Method 1: Windows Settings (and the GPU driver panel)

  1. Open Settings → System → Display.
  2. Scroll down to Advanced display (on Windows 10, click Display adapter properties instead).
  3. Under Choose a refresh rate, pick the highest value your monitor supports — 144 Hz, 165 Hz, 240 Hz.
  4. Missing the value you need? Open the NVIDIA Control Panel (Change resolution → Refresh rate) or AMD Software → Display — driver panels sometimes expose modes the Settings app hides.

The catch: the Settings page only shows your selected mode. It cannot tell you whether the panel, the cable or the running app is actually keeping up.

Method 2: online refresh rate test sites

Browser-based tests animate an object with requestAnimationFrame, so they can never draw faster than the browser's own vsync and compositor allow — and they measure nothing about the panel itself. On a 144 Hz screen such a test can happily report 60, and in battery-saver mode even 30. Fine for a quick “does anything animate” check; useless as proof of your real refresh rate.

Method 3: Refresh Rate Test — reported Hz plus measured FPS

Download free — RefreshRateTest-Setup.exe

  1. See what Windows reports — the app calls the same Win32 API (EnumDisplaySettings) the system uses itself, and shows the current mode together with every refresh rate available at your resolution.
  2. Measure what actually happens — a live meter counts real FPS and keeps the average and worst frame times, with a reset button to zero in on a spike.
  3. Watch the moving bar — the stripe should glide smoothly; jumps, hitching or tearing are dropped frames made visible.

The reported Hz and the delivered FPS sit side by side: the first proves how the display is configured, the second proves what it produces, and the bar shows the smoothness the numbers alone can hide. No driver, no administrator rights, everything runs locally.

If the bar stutters

  1. Reinstall the GPU driver — a clean driver installation fixes most mode and composition problems; an old or half-installed driver is the first suspect.
  2. Change the cable or adapter — swap DisplayPort/HDMI cables, plug straight into the GPU instead of a dock or KVM switch, and re-test every mode. The weakest link caps the rest.
  3. Check the power mode — on a laptop, Windows and vendor utilities throttle the refresh rate and composition on battery or in battery saver; plug in and switch the power mode to best performance.

FAQ

Why is the measured FPS lower than the refresh rate?

The meter counts the frames the app's UI loop actually renders. Background programs, window animations and power saving shave frames off; a large gap plus spiky frame times is a real stutter signal, not just a display spec.

Does the app change my refresh rate to 144 Hz?

No — it only reads the mode and measures FPS. Change the refresh rate in Windows Settings → Display → Advanced display (or in the GPU driver panel), then start the test again and compare.

A 240 Hz monitor offers only 60 Hz — what now?

Check the cable and port (DisplayPort or HDMI 2.1, plugged directly into the GPU), the driver panel, and the monitor's own OSD menu, where some models hide an “overclock” refresh mode. Windows can only offer modes the whole chain exposes.

More: how to test a monitor for dead pixels and how to test a keyboard on Windows.

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