How to Change Monitor to 144Hz in 2023? Troubleshooting the Problem

The excitement of getting a new “144Hz Monitor” is something else for gamers.

I mean, I remember updating my monitor to a 144Hz one, and damn! It was so soothing to play games like Fortnite and Apex Legends on High Settings.

One problem that many gamers ignore while using a 144Hz monitor is that it might still work on a lower refresh rate.

In that type of scenario, you’d directly ask the question, “How to change monitor to 144Hz?”
Don’t worry! I am here to resolve this problem for you once and for all.

Less talk, more action!

Have a look:

Resolve 144Hz Monitor Not Showing 144Hz Problem in Easy Steps

Some of the basic steps that you need to take to solve this problem include:

1. Check Monitor Specifications:

The first and foremost thing to do is to check whether your monitor supports 144Hz or not.

In that aspect, you should check the specifications of your monitor first. Make sure that it offers 144Hz refresh rate.

Not only that, but you have to plug the monitor into its specified DVI-D port. Only then, the monitor would be able to offer a proper 144Hz refresh rate.

Next, open the On-Screen Display (OSD) of your newly bought monitor and see whether you can configure the refresh rate from there or not.

Done with all these steps?

Good!

Now we will advance towards changing monitor refresh rate to 144Hz for Windows 10 followed by Windows 8 and Windows 7.

2. How to Set Monitor to 144Hz Windows 10?

For gamers who use Windows 10 (an obvious choice), follow these steps to fix the low refresh rate problem.

Open Start Menu tab and type “Settings” in search box.

Open “Settings” and then click on “System” as visible on your screen.

After clicking System you will see a new navigational window. Click on “Display” visible on top left corner of the menu.

Then, select “Advanced Display Settings”




Here you will find relevant information about your display. Check the Refresh Rate option and see whether it’s set at 144Hz or not. If it is, then PROBLEM SOLVED!

If it shows 60Hz or 120 Hz, simply find “Display Adapter Properties” at bottom of the menu and click on it.

Go to “Monitor tab” in Display Adapter Properties and change Refresh Rate settings from 60Hz to 144Hz.

Ta-da! You have successfully changed your monitor refresh rate to 144Hz for Windows 10.

Now, let us advance to fix the same problem for Windows 8 and Windows 7 operating systems:

3. How to Set Monitor to 144Hz for Windows 8 and Windows 7?

Not to mention, both Windows 8 and 7 have a similar process of setting 144Hz refresh rate.
So, follow this procedure:

Right Click on the desktop and find “Screen Resolution”. Click it

Next, find and click “Advanced Settings” and hover over “Monitor Tab” accordingly.

You will see the refresh rate of your monitor. If it’s set on 60Hz simply change it to 144Hz and that’s all.

You can now enjoy playing games with 144Hz refresh rate for Windows 8 and Windows 7 respectively.

4. Update Monitor Drivers to Latest Version

If the solutions I mentioned above do not work out well, then the next troubleshooting step is to check your monitor’s drivers.

For that purpose, simply go to “Device Manager” and find “Monitors tab” there.

Expand it and double click on monitor icon to open a new window.

Hover over “Driver” tab and click on “Update”.

Your PC will take some time to find latest version of drivers online.

After downloading and installing the drivers, restart your computer and check the refresh rate of your monitor again.

Hopefully, it will solve the 144Hz monitor showing 60Hz issue.

5. Update Graphics Card Drivers

Well, you could also check your graphics card drivers to see whether they are updated to their latest version or not.

The same step applies here.

Go to Device Manager and find “Display Adapters”. Expand the menu and double click on the specific graphics card icon you are using.

Go to “Drivers” tab and click on Update. Let the system update drivers of your graphics card to latest version.

Restart your PC for the changes to apply completely. Check whether it has resolved your problem or not.

6. 144Hz Monitor Only Showing 120Hz: What’s the Solution?

In many cases, your 144Hz monitor will show a 120Hz refresh rate even when you apply all latest troubleshooting fixes.

If that’s the case, then you may be using an outdated or an old graphics card.

Hence, before you purchase a 144Hz gaming monitor, make sure that the GPU you use, supports this refresh rate. Else, you will have to sacrifice an extra refresh rate number just because your graphics card is old.

If you have already got a 144Hz monitor, then simply purchase a new and updated graphics card according to your PC specs and budget.

7. Check Your Monitor Cables

Using old or cheap cables to connect your gaming monitor to the PC is really a bad idea!

In case of gaming monitors, they would either get connected via HDMI, DisplayPort, or both.

If the monitor connected through an HDMI cable cannot surpass 60Hz refresh rate, then simply use DisplayPort cable to connect it.

Same case goes for a monitor connected via DisplayPort offering only 60Hz refresh rate. Change the cables to check whether it makes any difference or not.

The quality of the cables also matters. Do not fall for cheap cables just to save some bucks or it will have a long-term impact on your monitor.

In terms of DisplayPort, go with a properly manufactured cable that could go fine with both 1.2 and 1.4 connections.

In terms of HDMI, do not get a standard cable. In fact, go for a High-Speed HDMI to ensure stable 144Hz without any problem.

What to Do After You Set Your Monitor to 144 Hz?

After applying all aforementioned solutions and finally changing your monitor to 144Hz, you have to test whether it’s really giving the applied refresh rate or not.

I recommend doing an online 144Hz test for that purpose.

Simply go to TestUFO and run the refresh rate checking test. The website is also capable of monitoring the current FPS rate of your monitor.

So, check it out and wait for the final result. If it’s 144Hz, then you have finally solved the problem.

If it’s still stuck at 60 or 120Hz, follow all troubleshooting steps again to see whether it changes anything or not.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Final Takeaways: How to Change Monitor to 144Hz?

Changing the monitor refresh rate from 60Hz to 144Hz is not as difficult as you think.

With some minor tweaks, you can set the refresh rate to 144Hz within one minute.

However, some problems might prevent you from using this type of refresh rate and for that purpose, you have to try all troubleshooting steps I have mentioned.

Happy Gaming!!