Have you ever wondered how to change refresh rate Windows 10? Fortunately for you, this is actually really easy to accomplish. For this article, we’ll start by walking you through how to very simply go into your Windows 10 settings and change the refresh rate. Afterward, we’ll talk about how you might change it for in-game experiences & go into what refresh rates do for you.
Change Refresh Rate Windows 10
To change our refresh rate, all we need to do is access our display settings. You can do this very simply from the Windows Start button in the bottom right of your home screen. Once here, you’ll want to click Settings -> System -> Display -> Advanced Display Settings.
There should be a very clear option that says Refresh Rate after the Display Information section. However, this is not always the case, and we’ll get to that later.
If you see the Refresh Rate section, then click the drop-down box and choose your desired refresh rate. Keep in mind that changing this is not always recommended as it can not only affect your battery life but your overall display experience.
No “Refresh Rate” Option
If you don’t see a refresh rate option, then it’s possible there’s another link at the bottom called Display Adapter Properties For Display 1. If you click this link, it should show you different settings for your connected display. I know this is the case when I use my Razer Raptor 27 connected directly to my GPU.
What you will look for next is a button on the button called “List All Modes“. From here you should be able to modify the resolution & refresh rate. You’ll find a list that shows the resolution with the refresh rate on the right side of it, with multiple of the same resolutions & different refresh rates, for example:
- 1920 by 1440, 59 Hertz
- 1920 by 1440, 50 Hertz
- 1920 by 1440, 144 Hertz
You get the idea. Every monitor will be different, so yours may not even offer these modes. If that’s the case, I’d recommend checking with the manufacturer for further instructions! Now that we know more about how to Change Refresh Rate Windows 10, let’s go on to other useful settings or methods!
In-Game Refresh Rates
When you’re playing different PC games on your Windows 10 computer, you can often times modify the refresh rates in-game. Most games follow the same similar pattern for accomplishing this.
Typically by hitting Pause and going to Options/Settings you’ll either want to find Graphics or Display. Within here you might find an option for changing the refresh rate, which often taps into your Monitor to find the native settings. Changing in-game can help avoid having to Change Refresh Rate Windows 10.
V-Sync & FreeSync
Within the same settings for finding the in-game refresh rates, you might find an option for enabling either V-Sync or FreeSync. Which option is displayed depends on the GPU your PC is using. V-Sync works for NVIDIA GPU‘s while FreeSync works with AMD GPU‘s.
So what do these settings do? It’s actually quite useful and I refuse to game without V-Sync enabled.
What these settings do is keep your monitor’s refresh rate in-sync with your frame rates (capped at your monitor’s native refresh rate). What happens when your frame rates & refresh rate get out of sync is the display image starts to get choppy and sometimes a blurry wave goes across.
I’ve played games without V-Sync in the past and it could be so unbearable when the frame rates get out of sync that gaming wasn’t even more enjoyable.
Conclusion – Change Refresh Rate Windows 10
By now you should have all the information you need on Windows 10 Refresh rates. With this knowledge, you should have every strategy you need to change the display settings whether it’s for work or playing games. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the right settings, but with a little digging, you’ll be able to customize most things, including Change Refresh Rate Windows 10.
If there’s something we’re missing or you need additional help, feel free to comment below! Our moderators are more than happy to help anyone who is struggling!
