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How to Check Whether Your Laptop Is Running at 144Hz in Windows

Use Windows Advanced display to check the laptop panel’s current refresh rate and resolution, and see what a 144 Hz reading does—and does not—mean.
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Open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display. Select the laptop’s built-in screen if Windows lists multiple displays, then check the current refresh rate beside the resolution. If 144 Hz is available but not selected, choose it and confirm the mode shown afterward.

Check the refresh rate in Windows

  1. Open Start > Settings > System > Display > Advanced display. Microsoft’s Windows refresh-rate instructions use this page to show the selected display’s current resolution and refresh rate, along with available rates.

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  2. If a display selector appears, choose the laptop’s internal display rather than an external monitor.

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  3. Read the current resolution and refresh rate together. If 144 Hz is listed but is not the current rate, select it, then check the displayed mode again.

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Pay attention to the resolution when changing rates. Microsoft notes that an asterisk marks a rate that does not support the current resolution; selecting that rate changes the resolution. The available choices depend on the display and its supported modes.

What a 144 Hz reading does—and does not—tell you

A 144 Hz setting means Windows reports the selected display in a 144 Hz mode: the screen updates 144 times per second in that mode. It does not mean every game or app is rendering 144 unique frames per second. Refresh rate describes display updates; frame rate describes how quickly an app produces images.

So, a Windows readout and a game’s FPS counter answer different questions. The readout identifies the Windows-selected display mode; the counter reports the app’s rendering rate. A game can render fewer frames than the display’s refresh rate.

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If 144 Hz is not listed

If Advanced display does not offer 144 Hz, Windows is not exposing that mode in the current configuration. That result alone does not establish the cause. The panel’s capabilities and the display modes exposed through firmware and drivers are relevant; Microsoft’s display guidance explains that refresh support is reported through firmware and depends on accurate display descriptors.

Account for Dynamic Refresh Rate

On supported Windows 11 hardware, Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) can adjust refresh behavior according to activity. Microsoft describes DRR as a way to balance smoother behavior with power management; availability depends on the hardware. If DRR is offered, it may help explain why refresh behavior varies with what you are doing. Recheck Advanced display while observing the activity in question, making sure the built-in screen is selected.

Windows’ reported presentation rate is also not always identical to the physical pixel scan-out rate. Microsoft documents that Windows 11 can virtualize presentation-rate reporting in some display configurations. Its PhysicalPresentationRate API documentation describes the physical scan-out rate as a distinct property available through an application-level API; it is not another ordinary consumer setting in Advanced display.

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Optional: check for skipped frames

If your concern is whether a test pattern is showing gaps, the TestUFO Frame Skipping Checker offers a camera-based procedure. Wait until the page says READY, then photograph the moving-square pattern with a camera using a 1/10-second exposure or longer. The site says screenshots will not work and recommends closing other apps and browser tabs for best performance. Gaps in the photographed sequence indicate frame skipping according to the test’s instructions.

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This is a specialized, optional check of a test pattern—not the primary way to find the refresh mode selected in Windows. Start with Advanced display for that.

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