As known, Displays on either smartphones or your laptop/desktop monitors are not static. The Content appears smooth as every pixel in the display updates each second; to display the latest content provided by the processor. However, this doesn’t happen in a random order like Brownian motion. Instead, panels refresh their content at particular and regular intervals, known as the refresh rate. This post will guide you on how to Change or Adjust the Display Refresh Rate in Windows 11/10
Why Change Refresh Rate of Display?
While one won’t readily recognize the importance of refresh rates in a panel, gamers require higher refresh rates on their monitors. It reduces the visual latency, and gameplay appears smoother.
How to Change Display Refresh Rate in Windows 11/10
Adjusting the refresh rate has become much easier than before in Windows with Windows 10 October 2020 Update. Here’s the list of all the methods used to adjust the display refresh rate in Windows 11/10.
- Using Settings
- Using Display Adapter Properties
- Display Changer II – Third-Party Application
- Turn on Variable Refresh Rates in Windows settings
Anyone can change it without admin permission.
1] Using Settings
With the introduction of Windows 10 October Update version 20H2, Microsoft has made it even simpler to change the display refresh rate in Windows 10. Here’s how to do so using the Settings panel.
- Open the Settings Panel in Windows (Win + I)
- Navigate to System > Display.
- Here, Under Multiple Display, choose the option stating Advanced Display Options.
- Scroll down, and you’ll find a drop-down menu titled Refresh Rate.
- Choose from the available and supported Refresh Rates and reboot your PC.
2] Using Display Adapter Properties
In case you haven’t updated to the Windows 10 version 20H2, there’s a workaround using which one could adjust the refresh rate as well, here’s how:
- Open the Settings Panel in Windows 11/10 (Win + I)
- Navigate to System > Display.
- Here, Under Multiple Display‘s choose the option stating Advanced Display Options.
- Select the monitor you want to adjust the refresh rate and click on the Display Adapter Properties button right below it.
- Navigate to the Monitor Tab, and here you’ll find the screen refresh rate drop-down listed
3] Using Display Changer II – Third-Party Application
Moving on to a third-party application, Display Changer II can adjust your Windows desktop width, height, color depth, refresh rate, and rotation temporarily or permanently (via a configuration file). It can also run an application in a specific display resolution and return to the previous resolution when the application is closed. It can be used for changing the refresh rate permanently or temporarily as well.
Display Changer II uses configuration files to specify display settings. It can create configuration files from existing settings, eliminating the need to edit the files yourself. The configuration file specifies every setting for each monitor, including the exact refresh rates. However, do note that the commands require to be given using a command line.
Download Display Changer II
4] Turn on Dynamic or Variable Refresh Rates
Not all applications can take advantage of a high refresh rate display, and adjusting the refresh rate for the display manually each time may be frustrating. Thankfully, Windows offers a solution with the option to turn on Variable Refresh Rate. Here’s how to turn it on:
In Windows 11
- Go to System > Display > Advanced Display > Select the monitor
- Click on the dropdown next to Choose a refresh rate dropdown
- Select Dynamic Refresh Rate
In Windows 10
- Open the Settings Panel in Windows (Win + I)
- Navigate to System > Display.
- Here, Under Multiple Display, choose the option stating Graphics Settings.
- Under Variable Refresh Rate, you’ll find a toggle sitting right below the text stating Optimize Games for Variable Refresh Rate under the new Window.
- Please turn it on, and you’re good to go.
With that said, what’s your sweet spot for the refresh rate and why? Do let us know by dropping a comment down below.
