Refresh Rate Test

Refresh rate (measured in Hz) is the number of times per second your monitor updates the image on screen. A 60Hz monitor refreshes 60 times per second, while a 144Hz monitor refreshes 144 times. Higher refresh rates result in smoother motion, reduced motion blur, and lower input lag — especially noticeable in fast-paced games, scrolling, and video playback. However, many users buy high refresh rate monitors without realizing their system may default to 60Hz. Running a refresh rate test ensures your monitor is operating at its maximum advertised frequency.

You can check your monitor refresh rate using our online refresh rate test above — simply click "Start Test" and the tool measures your actual display refresh rate in real time using the browser's requestAnimationFrame API. Alternatively, you can check through your operating system: on Windows, go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings. On macOS, go to System Settings > Displays. However, OS-reported refresh rates may not always match the actual output — our browser-based Hz test gives you the real number your display is producing.

Ghosting is a visual artifact where fast-moving objects leave visible trails or "ghosts" on screen, caused by slow pixel response times. It is especially common on VA panel monitors. To test for ghosting, use the UFO test above — enable "Show UFO" and watch the moving UFO. If you see a visible trail behind the UFO, your monitor has ghosting. You can adjust the speed to test at different motion velocities. Ghosting can often be reduced by enabling your monitor's overdrive or response time setting in the OSD (on-screen display) menu.

Frame skipping occurs when your monitor fails to display every frame sent by the GPU, resulting in stuttery motion. This can happen when the monitor's refresh rate is set higher than its physical capability, or due to cable bandwidth limitations (e.g., using HDMI 1.4 for 144Hz at 4K). Our refresh rate test monitors the interval between frames and flags any frames that arrive significantly later than expected. If the "Frame Skips" counter increases during testing, your monitor is skipping frames. Try lowering the resolution, using a DisplayPort cable instead of HDMI, or reducing the refresh rate setting.

If your 144Hz monitor shows 60Hz in our test, the refresh rate has not been properly configured in your operating system. On Windows, go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings and change the refresh rate from 60Hz to 144Hz. On macOS, go to System Settings > Displays and select the higher refresh rate. Also ensure you are using a cable that supports high refresh rates — DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 are typically required for 144Hz at 1080p. Some older HDMI cables (1.4) only support 60Hz at 1080p. After changing the setting, run the test again to verify.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies like AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-Sync, and VESA Adaptive Sync dynamically adjust the monitor's refresh rate to match the GPU's frame output, eliminating screen tearing. When VRR is active, your monitor's refresh rate fluctuates based on the content being displayed. During our refresh rate test, you may see the measured Hz fluctuate if VRR is enabled. To get a stable reading, you can temporarily disable VRR in your graphics driver settings, or simply observe the average refresh rate reported by the tool.

No. This tool only measures the refresh rate your browser receives from the display — it cannot determine the physical cause of a display problem. If your monitor is not reaching its advertised refresh rate, the cause could be a faulty cable, a damaged display port, a GPU issue, or an OS configuration problem, but our tool cannot tell you which one. What it can do is confirm the actual refresh rate your display is producing, helping you isolate whether the issue is configuration or hardware. For physical damage diagnosis, consult the monitor manufacturer.

No. This tool is read-only — it measures and displays your current refresh rate but cannot change it. To change your refresh rate, use your operating system settings: on Windows, go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings > Refresh rate. On macOS, go to System Settings > Displays and select a refresh rate. After changing the setting, run our test again to verify the new refresh rate is active. Some monitors also allow refresh rate changes through the OSD (on-screen display) menu.

No. This is a diagnostic tool, not a repair tool. It cannot adjust your monitor's overdrive settings, change response time modes, or fix cable bandwidth issues. What it can do is help you detect whether ghosting, motion blur, or frame skipping is occurring so you can take corrective action. To fix ghosting, enable overdrive in your monitor's OSD menu. To fix frame skipping, use a DisplayPort cable instead of HDMI, lower the resolution, or reduce the refresh rate setting. Run our test after each change to verify the improvement.

Yes. This tool works perfectly for testing laptop displays. Many modern gaming laptops advertise 144Hz or 240Hz screens, but sometimes the system defaults to 60Hz to save battery. Run our refresh rate test to verify your laptop screen is running at its advertised refresh rate. If it shows 60Hz, check your display settings and ensure you are not in a power-saving mode that caps the refresh rate. Some laptops also use variable refresh rate technology that adjusts the Hz dynamically based on content.

Yes. This tool works with all monitor types, including OLED, IPS, TN, and VA panels. OLED monitors have near-instant pixel response times, so ghosting is typically not visible. Gaming monitors with high refresh rates (144Hz, 240Hz, 360Hz) benefit the most from this test — you can verify the monitor is actually running at its advertised Hz, check for frame skipping, and test for ghosting using the UFO animation. Brands like ASUS ROG, Acer Predator, LG UltraGear, Samsung Odyssey, and MSI are all supported.

Yes. This tool works with any display connected to your computer — external monitors via DisplayPort, HDMI, or USB-C, as well as TVs used as monitors. For external monitors, ensure the cable supports the desired refresh rate (DisplayPort 1.2+ or HDMI 2.0+ for 144Hz). For TVs, note that some TVs apply image processing that can affect refresh rate detection. Connect the display, ensure it is set as your active display, and run the test. If the refresh rate is lower than expected, check the cable, the display settings, and the TV's game mode setting.

Yes, but with limitations. Most mobile devices have fixed refresh rates (60Hz or 120Hz) that are controlled by the operating system. Our tool will measure the actual refresh rate the browser receives, which on mobile is typically 60Hz or 120Hz depending on the device. Some high-end phones (iPhone Pro, Samsung Galaxy S series) support variable refresh rates that adjust based on content. Note that mobile browsers may cap the frame rate in certain situations, such as low battery mode.

Yes, our refresh rate test works on all operating systems — Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS — as long as you use a modern web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Opera). The test uses the standard requestAnimationFrame API, which synchronizes with your display's actual refresh rate. Note that some browsers may cap the frame rate to 60fps in certain situations, such as when the tab is in the background or when power saving mode is active. For the most accurate results, keep this tab in the foreground and disable any power saving features.

60Hz refreshes 60 times per second (16.67ms per frame) — the standard for most monitors and adequate for office work and casual use. 120Hz refreshes 120 times per second (8.33ms per frame) — noticeably smoother, good for general gaming and media consumption. 144Hz refreshes 144 times per second (6.94ms per frame) — the sweet spot for competitive gaming, offering smooth motion without extreme hardware demands. 240Hz refreshes 240 times per second (4.17ms per frame) — designed for professional esports, where every millisecond counts. Use our refresh rate test to verify which rate your monitor is actually running at.

No. This tool is 100% privacy-friendly. All testing happens locally in your browser using the requestAnimationFrame and performance.now() APIs. No data about your monitor, refresh rate, or any other information is sent to any server. The test results exist only in your browser's memory and are cleared when you close or refresh the page. You can verify this by checking your browser's network tab during testing.