Refresh Rate Stuck at 60Hz in Windows 11? How to Get Your 120Hz or 144Hz Back

Published ✓ Verified ⏱️ 2 min read February 10, 2025 · by Ryan Bennett

Your 120Hz or 144Hz monitor only offers 60Hz in Windows, so motion looks less smooth than it should.

Why: Windows defaults to 60Hz until you pick a higher rate, and the list of available rates is limited by your monitor, cable, and current resolution. If the higher rate isn’t even listed, the bottleneck is usually the connection, not Windows.

Fix 1: Select the higher rate in Advanced display

Go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display (called Advanced display settings on some builds).
If you have more than one monitor, pick the right one from the dropdown at the top.
Under Choose a refresh rate, select the highest number offered (for example 144 Hz).

The screen may flash as it switches. If it looks wrong, do nothing for 15 seconds and Windows reverts automatically.

Fix 2: Check Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR)

Windows 11 can vary the rate on its own to save battery, which can make it look “stuck” at the low end.

On the same Advanced display page, look for Dynamic refresh rate. Set it to a fixed high rate if you always want maximum smoothness.
DRR only appears on supported hardware. Per Microsoft, “DRR requires that a display supports VRR and a refresh rate of at least 120 Hz.”

Fix 3: Fix the connection if high rates aren’t listed

The refresh rates shown “depend on your display and what it supports.” If 120Hz/144Hz never appears:

Use the right port and cable. High refresh rates at 1440p/4K usually need DisplayPort or a high-bandwidth HDMI 2.0/2.1 cable. An old or thin HDMI cable can cap you at 60Hz.
Lower the resolution as a test. In Settings > System > Display, drop Display resolution, then re-open Advanced display — if higher rates appear, your cable/port can’t carry that rate at full resolution.
Update the display driver: Device Manager > Display adapters > right-click your adapter > Update driver, or get the latest driver from your GPU maker (Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA).
On many gaming monitors the high rate is off by default in the monitor’s own menu (OSD) until you enable DisplayPort 1.2+/“Overclock”/the high-Hz mode.

FAQ

I set 144Hz but games still feel like 60. Some games cap their own frame rate or have V-Sync set to 60. Check the game’s video settings; the Windows rate and the in-game frame cap are separate.

Will a higher refresh rate drain my laptop battery? Yes. Microsoft notes lowering the rate “can save battery power.” That’s exactly why DRR exists — it raises the rate only when you need it.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Change the refresh rate on your monitor in Windows