How to Check the Hertz of Monitor | Find Your True Refresh Rate in Seconds

Checking your monitor’s hertz (refresh rate) takes seconds: open Windows Settings > System > Display > Advanced display and look under “Desktop mode” or “Refresh rate.”

Buying a high-refresh gaming monitor only pays off if it’s actually running at 144Hz or 240Hz. Many new PC owners discover their $500 panel is stuck at a factory-default 60Hz — and the fix is a five-second setting change. Here is the exact route to find, verify, and unlock your monitor’s real hertz on Windows, macOS, and through the GPU control panel.

Check Monitor Hertz on Windows 10 and Windows 11

Windows shows the current refresh rate in the Display settings menu. The path is nearly identical across both versions.

Right-click an empty spot on the desktop, then select Display settings. Scroll down and click Advanced display (Windows 11) or Advanced display settings (Windows 10). If you have multiple monitors, select the target display from the “Select a display” dropdown. The current refresh rate appears next to “Refresh rate (Hz)” or inside “Desktop mode” — a value like 60Hz, 144Hz, or 240Hz.

To see every rate your monitor supports, click the drop-down arrow next to “Choose a refresh rate” and pick the highest one listed. If the higher rates are missing entirely, go to Display adapter properties > List all modes from the same Advanced display panel — this reveals hidden Hz options on some monitors and older GPUs.

How to Check Refresh Rate on macOS

On macOS 12 Monterey and newer, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Displays. Click the refresh-rate drop-down menu to view all available values — 60Hz is the default on most external monitors, but 120Hz and higher appear if the display and cable support it.

For older macOS versions (pre-12 Monterey), go to System Preferences > Displays > Advanced, or hold the Option key and click Scaled to reveal additional Hz options.

GPU Control Panel Method: NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel

The GPU control panel can override the OS setting, and it sometimes lists rates the Windows Display menu hides. Right-click the desktop and pick your GPU’s panel from the context menu.

• NVIDIA: NVIDIA Control Panel > Change resolution. The refresh rate drop-down sits near the resolution list.
• AMD: AMD Radeon Settings > Display > Refresh Rate.
• Intel: Graphics Properties > Display > Refresh Rate.

The number shown here is what the GPU is sending to the monitor. If it doesn’t match what the monitor’s own menu reports, you have a cable or port bottleneck.

Where Most People Get Tripped Up: Common Mistakes

The Windows Display panel is the fastest way to check monitor hertz, but it isn’t the whole truth. Three issues cause the most confusion.

HDMI vs. DisplayPort. Older HDMI standards (2.0 and below) often cap at 60Hz on 120Hz+ monitors. Switching to DisplayPort usually unlocks the full rate. The Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240, for example, hits its full 240Hz only over DisplayPort 1.4.

The included cable matters as much as the port. A low-quality or loose HDMI cable can silently drop the refresh rate. Use the cable that shipped with the monitor, or buy a certified DisplayPort 1.4 cable for high-Hz panels.

Multi-monitor conflicts. Running one screen at 144Hz alongside a second at 60Hz can cause the high-refresh display to skip frames. If animations feel choppy even though the setting looks correct, check both monitors’ rates are set properly.

Table #1: Quick-Reference — How to Check Hertz on Every Platform

Three Ways to Verify the True Output

Windows says 144Hz — but is the monitor actually delivering those frames? Use these checks to confirm.

1. Monitor OSD (Hardware-Level Check)

Press the physical Menu button on the monitor, navigate to the Info or Status section, and read the incoming refresh rate. If the OSD shows 60Hz while Windows reports 144Hz, a cable or port is bottlenecking the signal. This mismatch is the clearest hardware-red flag there is.

2. TestUFO Browser Tool

Visit TestUFO’s refresh rate test and let it run for at least 30 seconds. A green “Validated” status next to your Hz number means the monitor is truly delivering that rate. For deeper diagnostics, use the frame-skipping test (testufo.com/frameskipping): photograph the moving squares at a 1/10-second shutter speed — any skipped frames appear as gaps between squares.

3. Instant Online Tools

Sites like whatismyrefreshrate.com and XbitLabs Refresh Rate Test detect your monitor’s current Hz in seconds without any download. These are handy for a quick sanity check when you’re away from the OSD menu.

Windows Reverts After 15 Seconds — What That Means

If you select a rate the monitor can’t actually support, Windows automatically reverts to the previous setting after 15 seconds. This safety mechanism is useful but also reveals the limit: when you click a high Hz and the screen goes black, wait for the revert. The monitor cannot drive that rate at its current resolution and cable setup. Drop the resolution or upgrade the cable, then try again.

And if you’re shopping for a specific panel, our tested roundup of the best 200Hz monitors breaks down which models deliver their rated refresh consistency and which ones need cable upgrades to do it.

Table #2: Common Monitor Models and Their Max Refresh Rates

Final True-Hz Check You Can Run Right Now

Set the refresh rate in Windows to the highest option available. Confirm the monitor’s OSD matches that number. Open TestUFO, wait for the green “Validated” status, then run the frame-skipping camera test to eliminate the last variable. If all three agree, your monitor is running at its full rated hertz.