Changing the refresh rate in Windows 11 usually takes one trip through Settings. If you're here, though, you're probably dealing with one of two more annoying problems: a 144Hz option that keeps sliding back to 60Hz on its own, or one that never shows up in the dropdown at all. This guide covers the quick fix first, then a compatibility check that tells you which problem you actually have, followed by separate repair paths for each.
You'll need a monitor rated for 144Hz and access to Windows Settings. Admin rights only come into play later, for driver reinstalls or the advanced system checks near the end.
Set your refresh rate in Windows 11 right now
Open Settings, then go to System > Display > Advanced display, and pick the highest number listed in the refresh rate dropdown. To set a 144Hz refresh rate in Windows 11 specifically, that's the entry you're looking for. Microsoft's current instructions use this same path. For most setups, that's the entire adjustment, though as the next two sections show, Windows can quietly undo it later.
If you're on an older build or prefer the classic control panel, the same adjustment is also reachable through a legacy path, following AMD's own instructions as a guide:
Right-click the desktop and choose Display Settings.
Click Advanced Display Settings.
Scroll down and click Display Adapter Properties.
Open the Monitor tab.
Select a rate from the Screen Refresh Rate dropdown and click Apply.
Refresh rate is simply how many times per second the screen redraws, measured in Hz. Higher numbers can reduce visible flicker, which is why AMD's support documentation treats manually raising it as routine advice rather than a bug workaround, since some displays don't ship with their maximum rate active by default.
Before you touch the dropdown, check which display is selected at the top of the Advanced display page if you run more than one monitor. This single step explains a surprising number of "it didn't work" complaints, because Windows will happily let you change settings for the wrong screen.
One thing worth keeping in mind: if the rate holds after a reboot, that confirms the setting took, not that the issue is closed for good. Windows can still knock it back down later, after a driver change, a Safe Mode boot, or a switch between monitors.
Confirm 144Hz is actually possible on your setup
If 144Hz never showed up, or you're not sure your setup can actually hit it, work through this checklist before troubleshooting further. It won't fix anything by itself, but it tells you which section below applies to you.
Check the monitor's rated mode. Pull up the model's manual or spec page and confirm 144Hz is listed at the resolution and input you're using now. A panel's advertised refresh rate depends partly on whether the display's extension blocks, the portion of its EDID data that describes higher-refresh and HDR modes, reach Windows intact. Higher combinations such as 4K at 144Hz also require substantially more video bandwidth than 1080p or 1440p at the same rate, as KTC explains.
Confirm the cable and port. Check which DisplayPort or HDMI version your port and cable actually support. A faulty or inadequate cable, adapter, or connection can prevent Windows from receiving the display modes you expect.
Bypass docks, KVMs, and adapters. USB-C docks running DisplayPort Alt Mode, along with some KVM switches and adapters, can limit available bandwidth or interfere with display metadata before it reaches Windows.
Once you know the hardware can do 144Hz, here's where to go next:
144Hz is listed but you haven't selected it: pick it, reboot, and confirm it's still selected afterward.
144Hz worked before and now doesn't: the next section covers reverting rates.
144Hz has never shown up at all: skip ahead to the missing-option section.
Windows 11 stuck at 60Hz after a restart
Start by figuring out whether this is a one-time drop or a recurring one. If the rate fell once, right after a specific event, reselecting it in Advanced display is usually the entire fix. If it drops every time you reboot or change power states, treat it as recurring and keep reading.
Windows can default new or freshly reinstalled systems to 60Hz regardless of what the monitor supports, which is part of why manually raising the rate became standard advice in the first place. How-To Geek reported in August 2026 several specific triggers that can quietly reset the rate: deleting and reinstalling GPU drivers, performing a clean driver install, unplugging and reconnecting the display, switching between monitors, using a KVM switch, and booting into Safe Mode, which defaults to 60Hz. Changing resolution can trigger a reset too. Reselect the rate after any of these and check whether it sticks.
One trigger that's easy to miss: some older games with an exclusive full-screen mode can leave the desktop itself set to whatever refresh rate was active in-game, including 60Hz, once you quit. If that matches your situation, reselecting the rate in Settings clears it.
If you're on AMD hardware and haven't manually installed drivers yourself, check whether Windows Update quietly pushed an older or mismatched driver. The same How-To Geek report ties this specifically to AMD systems, where an incorrect Windows Update driver can hurt gaming performance and drop the refresh rate at the same time. Reinstalling the appropriate driver from AMD or your PC manufacturer is worth trying in that case.
Laptop users should first check whether an OEM power-saving mode is active before looking anywhere else. That reporting points to tools like ASUS Armoury Crate's GPU Power Saver or MSI Center's Display Power Saver, either of which can force 60Hz on every reboot or only while running on battery. Alienware Command Center owners should check its performance and power controls for the same kind of setting.
Also check Dynamic Refresh Rate if the option appears under Settings > System > Display > Advanced display. Windows 11 can automatically vary the refresh rate on supported hardware to reduce power consumption. Microsoft says DRR requires a display capable of at least 120Hz and can limit the maximum refresh rate of some games, so temporarily disabling it is a useful diagnostic step if your high refresh rate isn't behaving as expected.
Alongside the OEM utility, check Windows' own power settings. Go to Settings > System > Power & battery, and set Power mode to Best performance for both plugged-in and battery use if your system exposes those options. Then open Energy Saver in the same menu and turn off "Always use energy saver" if it's enabled. Microsoft confirms both controls are available from Power & battery on current Windows 11 builds.
Turning off laptop power-saving features may restore the full refresh rate around the clock, but it comes at the cost of battery life. If motion clarity matters more to you than runtime, that trade is probably worth making. If it doesn't, consider limiting the higher rate to when you're plugged into AC power.
Advanced options if the rate still won't hold
These rarely come into play, and neither one is a guaranteed fix for a reverting refresh rate specifically, but they're worth ruling out if everything above has failed.
Some Windows configurations may hide the normal battery-threshold control for Energy Saver. An elevated PowerShell or Command Prompt can set that threshold manually:
powercfg /setdcvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_ENERGYSAVER ESBATTTHRESHOLD 0
Microsoft documents ESBATTTHRESHOLD as the Energy Saver battery threshold, with values from 0 to 100. Setting it to 0 prevents Energy Saver from automatically activating based on battery percentage. It changes when Energy Saver kicks in, not the refresh rate directly, so treat it as removing one possible influence rather than as a direct 144Hz fix.
Separately, open services.msc and locate Display Enhancement Service and Display Policy Service. If either has been manually disabled, that's worth investigating. How-To Geek notes that on its tested Windows systems, Display Enhancement Service normally used Manual (Trigger Start) and Display Policy Service used Automatic. Avoid forcing either service into a different state unless it has clearly been changed from the system's normal configuration.
Once you've made a change, reboot, switch power states if you're on a laptop, and check Advanced display again to confirm the rate is still selected.
What to do when the 144Hz option is missing in Windows 11
If 144Hz has never shown up in the dropdown, start with the checklist in the compatibility section above, since the cable, dock, adapter, port, or available bandwidth may be the actual cause. From there, the fix branches by display type.
For an external monitor, connect it directly to the GPU output with a cable you know works, bypassing any dock, adapter, or KVM switch, and see if 144Hz appears. It's also worth updating the GPU driver directly from the GPU or PC manufacturer's site rather than relying solely on whatever Windows Update installed.
If Device Manager lists your monitor as "Generic PnP Monitor," don't treat that label alone as proof that something is wrong. Windows can use its Generic PnP Monitor driver with displays that are functioning normally. The more useful clue is whether Windows is also missing resolutions or refresh rates the monitor should support.
If the expected modes are missing, connect the monitor directly with a known-good cable and bypass any dock, adapter, or KVM switch. KTC's EDID guidance notes that problems along the signal path can prevent Windows from receiving extension data containing high-refresh modes. If the missing options return after simplifying the connection, the cable, adapter, dock, or KVM becomes a much stronger suspect.
Laptop owners can skip the direct-connection step entirely since it doesn't apply to a built-in panel. Instead:
Check the laptop manufacturer's spec page or support documentation for the display's confirmed maximum refresh rate and any settings required to unlock it.
Open the laptop's control utility, such as Armoury Crate, MSI Center, Alienware Command Center, or the equivalent, and look for a display or power mode capping the panel below its rated rate.
If the manufacturer recommends its own graphics or display driver package, install that before falling back to a generic driver.
For readers comfortable digging deeper, tools like Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) and MonitorInfoView can read the monitor's display data stored by Windows, showing which modes the system received from the display. Use these tools to inspect what's there, not to edit it. Rewriting EDID overrides or custom timings without understanding the parameters involved risks black screens or unsupported display modes, which is well outside the scope of a basic troubleshooting pass.
When to suspect a hardware problem instead
If the monitor's manual confirms 144Hz at your current resolution and input, and a direct connection with a known-good cable and the correct driver still shows only 60Hz, test the monitor and cable on a different computer. That isolates whether the connection path itself is at fault, though it won't confirm a specific defective part on its own. If the second PC shows the same 60Hz ceiling, contact the manufacturer with what you've already ruled out.
From here on, recheck Advanced display any time you update a GPU driver, swap a cable, change a dock, or boot into Safe Mode, before assuming the monitor itself is broken.
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