How to check your refresh rate
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Keep this tab in front. The test starts on its own and shows Measuring… for the first moment.
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Read the result. Within a few seconds the big number settles on the rate your screen is running at right now. Compare it with what your monitor, laptop or phone should support — for example 60, 120, 144 or 240 Hz.
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Watch the motion lanes. The top object is redrawn on every refresh, the middle one on every other refresh and the bottom one 30 times a second, so you can see what a higher rate adds.
- Testing another monitor? Drag the browser window onto it and press Reset.
What the readings mean
| Reading | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Refresh rate | How many times per second your screen redraws, worked out from the median time between frames and rounded to the nearest standard rate when it’s within 2.5%. |
| Measured rate | The exact value before rounding, such as 59.94 Hz, which many TVs and laptops use. |
| FPS | How many frames the browser actually delivered per second. It matches the refresh rate when no frames are dropped. |
| Avg. frame time | The average time between frames: about 16.7 ms at 60 Hz, 8.3 ms at 120 Hz and 6.9 ms at 144 Hz. |
| Jitter | How much the frame times vary (their standard deviation). Lower is steadier; a fraction of a millisecond is typical on a smooth system. |
| Dropped frames | Refreshes the browser missed, shown as red dots on the graph. A few while the page loads or when you switch apps are normal. |
Refresh rate lower than expected? Fix it step by step
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Read the message on the test. Safari may be limiting this page to 60 Hz means Safari, like every browser on iPhone and iPad, draws pages at up to 60 fps on ProMotion displays unless “Prefer Page Rendering Updates near 60fps” is turned off in its Feature Flags. Your browser is drawing only about 30 frames per second usually means a power-saving mode — see the next step.
- Turn off power saving. Plug in your laptop and turn off Battery Saver or Energy Saver (Windows 11: Settings › System › Power & battery; Windows 10: Settings › System › Battery) or Low Power Mode (Mac: System Settings › Battery; iPhone and iPad: Settings › Battery). On Android, turn off battery saver. In Chrome, check Settings › Performance › Energy Saver; in Edge, Efficiency mode under Settings › System and performance. Then press Reset.
- Choose a higher rate in your display settings. The screen may simply be set to 60 Hz — see How to change your refresh rate below for Windows, macOS, Android, iPhone and ChromeOS.
- Check the cable and port. If the higher rate is missing from the list, the connection can’t carry it at your resolution — see Cables and ports below.
- Test the right monitor. With several screens, move this window to the one you want to test and press Reset. If the number doesn’t change, some setups sync the browser to the main display — make that screen the main one.
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Reduce the load. If the status says Uneven frame timing and red dots appear on the graph, the browser is skipping frames. Close heavy tabs and apps, stop screen sharing or remote desktop, and make sure graphics acceleration is on in your browser’s system settings.
- Keep the tab visible. The test pauses while the tab is hidden and carries on when you come back. If you pressed Pause, press Resume.
How to change your refresh rate
Windows 11 and Windows 10
- Windows 11: go to Settings › System › Display › Advanced display and pick a value under Choose a refresh rate. With several monitors, select the right one at the top of the page first.
- Windows 10: go to Settings › System › Display › Advanced display settings and choose a value under Refresh rate.
- NVIDIA, AMD and Intel graphics control panels can also set the rate and switch on G-SYNC or FreeSync.
macOS
Open System Settings › Displays and choose a value under Refresh Rate. MacBook Pro models with ProMotion show ProMotion, which adjusts up to 120 Hz automatically; external monitors list the rates they support.
Android, iPhone, iPad and ChromeOS
- Android: look for Settings › Display › Motion smoothness on Samsung phones, or Smooth display on Pixel and many others. Battery saver often limits the screen to 60 Hz.
- iPhone and iPad: ProMotion models adjust up to 120 Hz automatically and have no Hz setting. Limit Frame Rate in Settings › Accessibility › Motion caps them at 60 Hz, and so does Low Power Mode.
- ChromeOS: open Settings › Device › Displays, select an external display and choose its refresh rate.
Cables and ports
Each connection has a bandwidth limit. Use the cable that came with the monitor, connect to DisplayPort or the newest HDMI port on both ends, and avoid cheap adapters. Typical limits:
| Connection | Typical maximum |
|---|---|
| HDMI 1.4 | 1080p at 120 Hz (144 Hz on some monitors), 4K at 30 Hz |
| HDMI 2.0 | 1440p at 144 Hz, 4K at 60 Hz |
| HDMI 2.1 | 4K at 120 Hz and above |
| DisplayPort 1.2 | 1440p at 165 Hz, 4K at 60 Hz |
| DisplayPort 1.4 | 1440p at 240 Hz, 4K at 120 Hz (more with DSC compression) |
| USB-C / Thunderbolt | Depends on the DisplayPort version the port supports |
Exact limits also depend on colour depth and HDR, so check your monitor’s manual for the port that supports its highest refresh rate.
Is 60 Hz enough, or is 144 Hz worth it?
For office work, browsing and video, 60 Hz is perfectly usable — films and TV shows are made at 24 to 60 frames per second anyway. A higher rate makes scrolling, mouse movement and animations smoother, and in fast games it shows each new frame sooner. The jump from 60 to 120 or 144 Hz is the one most people notice straight away; going beyond 144 Hz mostly benefits competitive players with a graphics card fast enough to keep up. If the top object in the motion lanes looks clearly smoother than the half-rate one, you’ll appreciate a faster screen.
About this refresh rate test
The test uses the browser’s requestAnimationFrame timer, which runs once for every screen refresh. It measures the time between frames over a sliding two-second window and counts longer gaps as dropped frames. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is installed or uploaded.
It works with monitors, laptops, TVs, phones and tablets from 24 to 500 Hz, in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari and Samsung Internet. Because it measures what your browser actually gets, it also shows when a power-saving mode, a slow cable or a browser limit is holding your screen back.
Frequently asked questions
What refresh rate is my monitor?
Open this page and wait a few seconds: the big number is the refresh rate your screen is running at right now. If it’s lower than your monitor’s specification, check the display settings, the cable and any power-saving modes.
How do I test my refresh rate?
Keep this tab in front and let the test run. It times the frames your browser draws and shows the result in hertz, along with FPS, frame-time jitter and dropped frames. Compare it with the rate set in your display settings.
Is 60 Hz good?
Yes, for everyday use, video and casual games 60 Hz is fine. Higher rates mainly make motion smoother, which matters most for fast games and fast scrolling.
Is 144 Hz worth it?
If you play fast games or want smoother scrolling, the jump from 60 to 144 Hz is very noticeable. You also need a graphics card that reaches high frame rates and a connection that supports 144 Hz, such as DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0 and newer.
Why does the test show 60 Hz on my 120 Hz or 144 Hz screen?
The display may be set to 60 Hz, a power-saving mode may be on, the cable may not have enough bandwidth, or Safari may be limiting the page to 60 fps. Check each of these, then press Reset.
How accurate is an online refresh rate test?
On a steady system it’s accurate to a fraction of a hertz, because browsers draw in step with the screen. Heavy load, power saving or browser limits can make it read lower — which is useful to know, since it’s what you actually see.