144Hz & 240Hz Monitor Setup Guide for Windows

Before making any changes, verify what refresh rate Windows is actually using. Right-click the desktop → Display settings → scroll down and click Advanced display. The current refresh rate is shown at the top.

If it shows 60 Hz but your monitor is capable of 144 Hz or more, you either haven't set it yet, or your cable is limiting the bandwidth. Continue with this guide to fix it.

The most common reason high refresh rates don't appear in Windows is that the cable doesn't have enough bandwidth. Use this table to confirm your cable supports your target resolution and refresh rate combination.

Go to Settings → System → Display → Advanced display settings. Under Choose a refresh rate, open the dropdown — you should see all modes supported by your monitor and cable combination.

Select 144 Hz, 165 Hz, or 240 Hz (whichever is the highest available). The screen will briefly flicker and apply the new rate. Click Keep changes when prompted.

Via Display EX

Open Display EX → select your monitor → choose the refresh rate from the dropdown — all supported modes are listed. Save the setting as a named profile so you don't have to re-set it after every driver update or Windows reset.

1. Check the cable (most common cause)

Replace the cable with a certified DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.0+ cable. This is the cause in the majority of cases.

2. Update GPU drivers

Outdated GPU drivers sometimes don't enumerate all monitor modes correctly. Download the latest driver from NVIDIA / AMD / Intel and do a clean install.

3. Enable the mode in the monitor OSD

Some monitors require you to enable high refresh rate in the on-screen display (OSD) menu before Windows can use it. Look for settings like DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, or Overclock 165Hz in your monitor's settings.

4. Use Display EX custom resolution

If the mode is technically supported but Windows doesn't list it (common with older GPU + monitor combinations), Display EX can create a Custom Resolution entry that forces Windows to expose the mode. Go to Display EX → Custom Resolutions → Add and enter your target resolution and refresh rate.

Running your desktop at 240 Hz all day is unnecessary and generates more heat from the GPU. Many users prefer 60–120 Hz for desktop work and 144–240 Hz for gaming. With Display EX, switching between them is instant.

Create two profiles

Desktop profile: Set to 120 Hz (or 60 Hz for maximum power saving). Save as Desktop — Work.

Gaming profile: Set to 144 Hz / 240 Hz, VRR enabled. Save as Gaming — 240Hz.

Assign a hotkey to the gaming profile, or set it to trigger automatically when a game executable launches. Display EX switches in under a second — fast enough to do it as part of your game launch routine.

VRR (G-Sync / FreeSync / HDMI VRR) eliminates screen tearing by syncing the monitor's refresh rate to your GPU's frame output in real time — the monitor runs at exactly the rate the GPU delivers, rather than a fixed rate.

Enable VRR in Windows 11

Go to Settings → System → Display → Advanced display and toggle Variable refresh rate on (Windows 11 only). This enables VRR for windowed and fullscreen applications globally.

Enable G-Sync or FreeSync in the GPU control panel

NVIDIA: open NVIDIA Control Panel → Set up G-SYNC and enable it for your monitor.
AMD: open AMD Software → Gaming → AMD FreeSync and enable.

Save VRR state in Display EX profiles

Display EX stores the VRR enabled/disabled state as part of each profile. Your gaming profile can have VRR on while a video editing profile turns it off (some colour-critical workflows prefer a fixed refresh rate for consistent motion cadence).

Refresh rate resets to 60 Hz after reboot

Some GPU + monitor combinations revert to 60 Hz on boot due to a driver timing issue. Create a Display EX profile at your desired refresh rate and set it to Apply on startup. Display EX re-applies the configuration a few seconds after login, overriding the default.

Screen flickering at 144 Hz+

Usually a cable bandwidth issue — replace with a higher-spec cable. If flickering persists with a good cable, try disabling HDR (HDR + 144 Hz requires more bandwidth than one alone) or reduce colour depth from 10-bit to 8-bit in the GPU control panel.

Game feels the same at 144 Hz as 60 Hz

Confirm the game is actually rendering above 60 FPS — if GPU performance is below 60 FPS, the higher refresh rate has no effect. Also check in-game vsync settings: some games cap output to 60 FPS even on high-refresh monitors unless you explicitly set the frame rate limit in-game.