[Fix] Can't change monitor refresh rate in Windows

When Windows will not let you pick 144Hz, 165Hz or 240Hz, the list in Advanced display only shows what the whole chain allows: driver, port, cable and monitor. Most often the monitor sits on the wrong port or cable. First open Advanced display, pick the right screen and check its resolution.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

Why Windows won't let you change the refresh rate

The refresh rate is how many times per second the screen draws a new picture. Microsoft's example: a 60Hz display updates the screen 60 times per second. When you can't change the refresh rate, Windows is not blocking you on purpose. It shows only the rates every part of the chain reports as possible.

That chain is Windows, the graphics driver, the port on the PC, the cable or adapter, and the monitor itself. The lowest link sets the ceiling. A 144Hz monitor on a cable that only carries 60Hz at its resolution will show 60Hz, and so will a PC that runs without the real graphics driver.

Why you can't change the refresh rate on your monitor, most common cause first

The table ranks the causes by how often they come up in the user reports we read and by how the chain works. Each row points to the fix that matches it.

How to fix a refresh rate you can't change in Windows 11 and 10

Fix 1 takes two minutes and solves the cases where the setting itself is the problem. Fixes 2 to 4 cover the hardware chain and need no software. Start with Fix 5 if the picture also looks blurry or the resolution is wrong.

Fix 1. Pick the right display and its native resolution in Advanced display

2 minutesNo riskEveryone, first. It is the only fix needed when the high rate is listed but greyed, marked with an asterisk, or set on the wrong screen.

Microsoft's page notes that rates marked with an asterisk do not support your current resolution, and that with several monitors you must pick the display first. Many readers change the rate of the wrong screen.

1. Select Start > Settings > System > Display.
2. Select the monitor at the top of the page, then set Display resolution to the size marked (Recommended).
3. Open Advanced display (Windows 11) or Advanced display settings (Windows 10).
4. On Windows 10, pick your monitor under Choose Display. On Windows 11, pick it at the top of the page.
5. Read the Display information panel: it shows the current resolution, refresh rate and whether the monitor supports VRR.
6. Pick the rate you want next to Choose a refresh rate (Windows 11) or under Refresh rate (Windows 10).
7. On a Windows 11 laptop with Dynamic refresh rate, turn the toggle off if games still run at a lower rate.

Fix 2. Plug the monitor into the graphics card, not the motherboard

2 minutesNo riskDesktop PCs with a separate graphics card, especially right after building or moving the PC.

A desktop has two sets of video ports: the motherboard's, which use the processor's graphics, and the graphics card's. A monitor on the motherboard port runs on the built-in graphics, which often cannot drive the same rate as the card.

1. Shut down the PC.
2. Look at the back of the case. The graphics card's ports sit in a horizontal row lower down, in an expansion slot.
3. If the monitor cable goes into a port higher up, near the USB ports, move it to the same type of port on the graphics card.
4. Start the PC and open Advanced display again.
5. Check the Display information panel: it names the graphics card the display is connected to.

Fix 3. Use DisplayPort or a faster HDMI cable, without adapters

5 to 10 minutesNo riskHDMI connections, older cables, adapters, docks, KVM switches and USB-C hubs.

Every cable, port and adapter has a top bandwidth. A higher refresh rate at a higher resolution needs more of it, so an older HDMI port, a cheap cable or an adapter can cap the rate at 60Hz even when both ends support more.

1. Check the monitor's manual or spec page for which input reaches its top rate at its native resolution. Some monitors reach it only on DisplayPort.
2. Use DisplayPort if both the graphics card and the monitor have it.
3. Use the cable that came with the monitor if you have it.
4. Remove adapters, docks, KVM switches and USB-C hubs and connect the monitor directly.
5. Try another port of the same type on the graphics card.
6. Open Advanced display and check the list again.

Fix 4. Check the monitor's own menu and its real maximum

5 minutesLow riskThe cable and port are right and the rate stays capped, or you are not sure the monitor supports the rate.

Microsoft says the rates that appear depend on your display and what it supports. Some monitors keep a higher mode behind a setting in their own on-screen menu, and some models sold as high refresh rate reach it only at lower resolutions.

1. Find the exact model name on the sticker at the back of the monitor.
2. Open the maker's spec page for that model and note the top refresh rate, its resolution and the input it needs.
3. Open the monitor's on-screen menu with its buttons and look for settings on the input, the port version, overclock or the refresh rate.
4. Change only the setting the manual describes for the top rate, then restart the PC.
5. Open Advanced display and check the list.

Fix 5. Reinstall the graphics driver from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel or the laptop maker

10 to 20 minutesLow riskDevice Manager shows Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, the picture looks blurry, the rate list is greyed out, or it started after an update.

Without the real driver, Windows cannot read the high refresh modes from the card and monitor and offers a basic list. A clean reinstall replaces a damaged or generic driver with one that reports every mode.

1. Download the current graphics driver first: from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel for a desktop card, from the laptop maker's support page for a laptop.
2. Right-click Start, select Device Manager and expand Display adapters.
3. If you see Microsoft Basic Display Adapter or a yellow sign, the real driver is not loaded.
4. Right-click your display adapter, select Uninstall device, tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device and select Uninstall.
5. Restart the PC.
6. Run the driver installer you downloaded, then restart again.
7. Open Advanced display and check the rate list.

If the problem began right after a driver update, Roll Back Driver on the adapter's Driver tab is quicker. If Windows kept no older driver, remove the update instead: How to uninstall a Windows update. Update, roll back and reinstall step by step: Update, roll back or reinstall a driver. If the resolution list is greyed out too, see our guide to display resolution greyed out in Windows.

Fix 6. Set the rate in NVIDIA Control Panel, AMD Software or Intel Graphics Command Center

5 minutesLow riskThe real driver is installed and Windows still lists fewer rates than the graphics app.

The graphics maker's app talks to the driver directly and lists the modes it supports for the connected monitor. Setting the rate there also writes it to Windows.

1. Open the graphics app from the Start menu: NVIDIA Control Panel, AMD Software or Intel Graphics Command Center.
2. Open its display page and select the monitor.
3. Pick the native resolution, then the highest refresh rate in its list, and apply.
4. If the screen goes black, wait 15 seconds without pressing anything so the old mode returns.
5. Open Advanced display in Windows and confirm the new rate.

Fix 7. Check the adapter properties and the monitor driver

5 minutesLow riskThe adapter properties show Generic PnP Monitor with a short list, or the Settings list misbehaves.

The older adapter properties window has its own Screen refresh rate list, which sometimes works when the Settings page does not. Some monitor makers also offer a monitor driver file with the exact modes of the model.

1. Open Advanced display and select Display adapter properties for Display 1 (or the number of your monitor).
2. Open the Monitor tab.
3. Pick the rate under Screen refresh rate and select Apply, then OK.
4. If Monitor Type says Generic PnP Monitor and the list is short, look for a monitor driver on the maker's support page for your model.
5. Install it as the maker describes, restart and check the list again.

Some users report the message that Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file when they open this window. In that case skip this fix and go back to Fix 5, as the driver install is usually incomplete.

Still stuck at 60Hz: when it is the hardware

If no cable, port, setting or driver shows the higher rate, one part of the chain cannot do it. These signs point at which one.

• The monitor reaches the rate on another PC. Your graphics card or its port is the limit. The card maker's spec page lists the top rate per output.
• No PC gets the monitor above 60Hz. Check the model's spec page again: the rate may need a lower resolution, a specific input, or the monitor may be faulty.
• A laptop's built-in screen shows less than its spec. Users report a 75Hz laptop panel offering only 60Hz in Windows 11. Install the laptop maker's own graphics driver and ask the maker's support with the model number.
• Windows 10. Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025, so graphics makers may stop releasing new drivers for it, and Dynamic refresh rate is not available there.

Before you contact support, note the monitor model, the graphics card from Display adapters, the cable and port you use, the rates shown in Display information and your Windows version from winver.

How to keep your refresh rate from dropping back to 60Hz

Windows saves the refresh rate per monitor and per connection. A new cable, port, dock or driver can bring 60Hz back, so check the rate after each change.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I change the hertz on my monitor in Windows?

Because Windows only offers the rates that every link supports: the graphics driver, the port, the cable and the monitor. If one link cannot carry the higher rate at your resolution, the list stops at 60Hz. The most common reasons are a desktop monitor on the motherboard port instead of the graphics card, an HDMI cable or adapter that is too slow, and a missing graphics driver. Start with Fix 1, then Fix 2 and Fix 3.

How do I change the refresh rate on my monitor?

Select Start > Settings > System > Display > Advanced display. On Windows 11, pick the rate next to Choose a refresh rate. On Windows 10, open Advanced display settings, pick your monitor under Choose Display and select the rate under Refresh rate. With several monitors, pick the right one first. A rate marked with an asterisk changes your resolution as well, as Microsoft notes.

Why is my 144Hz monitor stuck at 60Hz?

Most often the cable or port cannot carry 144Hz at the monitor's resolution, or a desktop monitor is plugged into the motherboard instead of the graphics card. Use DisplayPort or the cable that came with the monitor, connect it straight to the graphics card, and check the monitor's spec page for which input reaches 144Hz. If the list still stops at 60Hz, reinstall the graphics driver from the card maker.

Why can't I change my refresh rate on Windows 11?

The causes are the same as on Windows 10, plus one setting: Dynamic refresh rate. Microsoft says DRR needs a display with VRR and at least 120Hz, and that it can limit the maximum refresh rate of games not made for VRR. If a game runs lower than the rate you set, turn the Dynamic refresh rate toggle off in Advanced display. If the list itself is short, follow Fix 2 and Fix 3.

Can't change refresh rate on Windows 10: is the fix different?

Only the names differ. On Windows 10 the page is Advanced display settings, you pick the monitor under Choose Display and the list is called Refresh rate. The cable, port and driver fixes are the same. Windows 10 does not have Dynamic refresh rate, and it left support on 14 October 2025, so new graphics drivers for it may stop coming.

Why is the refresh rate option not showing in display settings?

The refresh rate sits on a second page, not on the main Display page. Open Settings > System > Display and select Advanced display (Windows 11) or Advanced display settings (Windows 10). If the page shows no list or a greyed one, Windows is probably running on Microsoft Basic Display Adapter or through Remote Desktop. Check Display adapters in Device Manager and reinstall the graphics driver (Fix 5).

What does the asterisk next to a refresh rate mean?

Microsoft says the list puts an asterisk (*) next to refresh rates that do not support your current resolution. Picking one makes Windows change the resolution to reach that rate. If you want both the native resolution and the high rate and the rate keeps its asterisk, the cable or port cannot carry both at once. Use DisplayPort or a faster cable (Fix 3).

Can I make my monitor run at a higher rate than it supports?

Not safely through Windows. Windows only lists rates the monitor reports. The NVIDIA, AMD and Intel apps can add a custom rate, but going above the monitor's spec can give a black screen or skipped frames, and the monitor may refuse the signal. Use the top rate on the maker's spec page. Some monitors offer an overclock setting in their own menu, which the manual describes.

This page is not about my phone or console. Where do I change Hz there?

This guide covers Windows PCs. On a game console or a phone the refresh rate is set in that device's own display settings, and the same rule applies: the cable, port and screen must all support the rate. Some search queries for this page were in other languages; the steps above are the same on Windows in any language.