Your High-Refresh Monitor Is Stuck at 60 Hz: How to Check and Fix It
High-refresh monitor stuck at 60 Hz? Use TryYourGear's Refresh Rate Test to see what your browser renders, then check settings, GPU, cable and port.
A monitor sold as 120, 144 or 240 Hz can end up running at 60 Hz for several unrelated reasons: a display setting, the graphics driver, the cable or port, a dock, a second monitor, or a power-saving feature. The fix depends on which link is limiting, and the reliable way to find it is to measure, change one thing, and measure again.
What this guide can and can't tell you
TryYourGear doesn't read your monitor's refresh rate: the Refresh Rate Test estimates how often your browser renders frames. That is enough to tell whether the browser is rendering at roughly 60 frames per second or at a higher rate, and to check each change you make. It can't tell you which link is limiting the rate, or what your monitor supports.
Step 1: Measure what your browser is rendering
Use the right window
Put the browser window on the monitor you want to check and keep the tab visible while the test runs, so the reading is about the display you care about.
Press Start test
The test warms up for half a second and then measures for about three seconds. It stops if the tab stops being visible.
Read the result
Look at Estimated refresh rate and Frame rate, and at the sentence under them. Write both numbers down: you will compare against them after each change.
| What you see | What it suggests | What it doesn't show |
|---|---|---|
| An estimate close to 60 Hz, described as consistent with a 60 Hz display | Your browser is rendering at about 60 frames per second. That is consistent with the display running at 60 Hz, or with something else holding the browser at 60. Continue with step 2. | Which link is limiting the rate, or whether your monitor supports more. |
| An estimate close to your monitor's rate (120, 144, 165 or 240 Hz), described as consistent with that rate | Your browser is rendering at about that rate, which is consistent with the display running at it. If the problem you saw was in a game or another app, check that app's own settings and variable refresh rate. | That the monitor is set the way you expect: this is an estimate, not a reading of the hardware. |
| “Doesn't closely match a common refresh rate”, “inconsistent” or “No reliable estimate” | Frame timing was irregular. Variable refresh rate, power saving, a busy system or a non-standard mode can cause this. Close other tabs and apps and run the test again before changing anything. | Anything you can act on yet: don't change settings based on an unstable reading. |
| “Interrupted” | The tab stopped being visible during the test and none of its data was used. Run it again and keep the tab in front. | Anything about your display. |
Step 2: Check the display setting in your operating system
If the estimate is around 60 Hz, start with the setting that costs nothing to check.
Windows
- Windows 11: Start > Settings > System > Display > Advanced display. If you have several displays, choose the one you're checking, then pick the refresh rate you want from the list.
- Windows 10: Start > Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings. With several monitors, choose your display in the Choose Display list.
- Dynamic refresh rate (Windows 11): on the Advanced display page, a Dynamic refresh rate toggle lets Windows adjust the rate depending on what you're doing. It needs a display that supports variable refresh rate (VRR) and at least 120 Hz. If a reading looks lower than expected, you can switch it off, measure again and switch it back on afterwards.
These paths and the DRR requirements are from Microsoft Support, which also notes that the refresh rates offered depend on your display and what it supports.
macOS
Apple menu > System Settings > Displays, then the Refresh Rate pop-up menu. Apple documents this menu for the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple silicon and for Apple's own displays (Studio Display XDR, Pro Display XDR), which offer adaptive options such as ProMotion. For an external display from another maker, Apple's article on Adaptive Sync external displays describes selecting the display in Displays and choosing a variable or adaptive option in the same menu on Macs that support it, and recommends Thunderbolt, USB-C or DisplayPort cables rather than HDMI adapters.
Set the rate, then run the test again. If the rate you want isn't in the list at all, the limit is further along the chain: go to step 3.
Step 3: If the rate isn't offered, or won't stick, check the links in between
A high refresh rate needs every link in the chain to support it, and the operating system's list only shows what the chain offers. Work from the monitor towards the computer and measure again after each change.
Monitor menu and input
Some monitors only reach their top rate on a particular input, or after you enable a setting in their on-screen menu. Your monitor's manual lists the modes each input supports. BenQ, for one, lists checking the monitor's on-screen menu, the type of connection and the graphics driver among its suggestions in its troubleshooting article.
Cable and port
Use the port and the cable your manual recommends for the highest rate. BenQ notes that cheap or low-quality cables can cause flicker and drops in refresh rate, and Apple recommends Thunderbolt, USB-C or DisplayPort connections rather than HDMI adapters for adaptive refresh on a Mac. If your monitor has more than one input, try another one: they don't all have to support the same modes.
Adapters and docks
Adapters and docks add limits of their own. Dell's dock guide explains that the resolution and refresh rate available through a dock depend on the display bandwidth it can carry, and that higher refresh rates at higher resolutions need more of it. To test, connect the monitor straight to the computer's video output.
Graphics driver software
In the NVIDIA Control Panel, the refresh rate list is under Display > Change resolution (choose the display first if you have several). NVIDIA notes that when VRR is enabled, the rate is set automatically to the highest for VRR-capable displays (NVIDIA Control Panel help). For AMD or Intel graphics, look for the equivalent option in their control software or in the Windows display settings; the steps vary by driver version, so check your GPU vendor's documentation. Updating the graphics driver is also on BenQ's list.
More than one monitor
The refresh rate is set per display. In Windows, choose each display in Advanced display; in macOS, select each display in Displays. If you're stuck, test with only the monitor in question connected, then add the others back one at a time.
Variable refresh rate
With variable refresh rate (VRR, G-Sync, FreeSync, Adaptive Sync) the display's rate follows the content instead of staying fixed. Windows shows whether a display supports VRR under Advanced display, and its Dynamic refresh rate feature depends on it. That is one reason the Refresh Rate Test can report an irregular result, or one that doesn't match a common rate; on its own, that isn't a sign that something is broken.
Step 4: Measure again
After each change, run the test again and compare it with your first reading. You are looking for an estimate that moves from about 60 Hz to a rate your monitor supports, described as consistent with it.
- Now consistent with your monitor's rate: the change worked, as far as your browser can tell.
- Still about 60 Hz: go on to the next link in step 3.
- Still stuck after the operating-system setting, the graphics software, the monitor menu, the cable and the port: try the monitor on another computer or video output. If the test there is consistent with the high rate, the limit is in your first setup; if it isn't, check the monitor's manual and the manufacturer's support.
What the test can't confirm
Even when the estimate is consistent with 144 Hz, TryYourGear hasn't read your monitor. It has seen your browser render frames at about that rate, which is an estimate based on requestAnimationFrame, and MDN says those callbacks generally match the display's refresh rate but pause in background tabs.
Summary
- Measure first: run the Refresh Rate Test with the tab visible on the monitor you're checking, and write the estimate down.
- An estimate near 60 Hz, described as consistent with a 60 Hz display, means the browser is rendering at about 60 frames per second. It doesn't say which link is limiting it.
- Check the operating-system setting first, then the monitor menu and input, the cable and port, any adapter or dock, and the graphics software.
- Change one thing at a time and measure again after each change.
- Treat every result as an estimate of what the browser renders, not as a reading of your monitor.