Windows · Display & Sound
Fine-tune resolution and refresh rate
Advanced display settings show detailed information about each connected display, including exact resolution, refresh rate, bit depth, and color format, with options to change them individually.
How to open Advanced Display Settings
- Open Settings → System → Display → Advanced display
- Select the display you want to configure
- Choose the desired refresh rate and resolution
- Review color format and bit depth details if needed
What you should know
- Select and change the refresh rate for each connected display
- View and adjust exact resolution, including custom options
- Check color format and bit depth details for supported displays
- View display adapter properties and driver information
Why it matters
Refresh rate has a significant impact on how smooth motion appears, which matters greatly for gaming and everyday scrolling comfort on displays capable of higher rates than the Windows default. Many high-refresh-rate monitors default to 60Hz until manually changed here, meaning users can be missing out on hardware capability they already paid for without realizing it. This page is also where display or graphics issues are diagnosed at a technical level, such as confirming whether a monitor is actually receiving the intended resolution and color depth. For creative professionals, verifying color format and bit depth ensures the display is rendering content as accurately as the hardware allows.
Best practices
- Check and manually set the highest supported refresh rate if it isn't already selected by default
- Verify resolution matches your display's native resolution for the sharpest image
- Confirm color format settings if working on color-critical creative tasks
- Recheck this page after connecting a new monitor or updating graphics drivers
Common problems and fixes
- A 144Hz or higher monitor is stuck at 60Hz
- Manually select the higher refresh rate here, since Windows sometimes defaults to the lowest supported rate.
- Display resolution looks blurry or stretched
- Set the resolution to the display's native value listed on this page.
- Colors look inaccurate for professional work
- Check the color format and bit depth settings and adjust if the display supports a higher-quality mode.
Tips and tricks
- Check this page immediately after buying a high-refresh-rate monitor to confirm it isn't defaulting to 60Hz
- Use the native resolution listed here as the baseline before troubleshooting any blurriness complaints
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't my monitor showing its maximum refresh rate as an option?
This is usually a cable or port limitation; ensure you're using a cable and port combination that supports the higher bandwidth required.
Does changing refresh rate affect performance?
Higher refresh rates can slightly increase GPU load, but the smoother motion is generally worth it for supported hardware.
What is bit depth?
It refers to how many distinct color shades a display can render; higher bit depth produces smoother color gradients.
Related settings
- Display SettingsDisplay settings allow you to adjust screen resolution, brightness, scaling, and multiple monitor configurations. Proper display configuration improves visual clarity and productivity.
- Graphics SettingsGraphics Settings lets you assign specific apps to your PC's high-performance or power-saving GPU on laptops with both integrated and dedicated graphics, override the automatically chosen graphics preference, and enable Auto HDR and Variable Refresh Rate for supported games. It's most relevant on 2-in-1s and gaming laptops with more than one graphics processor installed.
- Multiple DisplaysMultiple displays settings let you arrange, extend, duplicate, or switch between several connected monitors, and configure how your desktop spans across them.
More Display & Sound guides for Windows
- Sound SettingsSound Settings allow you to select input and output devices, adjust volume levels per app, and troubleshoot audio issues such as no sound or distorted playback.
- NotificationsNotification settings let you control which apps can send alerts, how they appear, and when Do Not Disturb (Focus Assist) is active to reduce interruptions.
- Focus AssistFocus Assist (formerly Quiet Hours) automatically silences notification banners and sounds so alerts don't interrupt you during focused work, gaming, or presentations. You can trigger it manually or set automatic rules for specific times, duplicated displays, or full-screen games, and choose whether only alarms or also priority contacts still get through.
- Game ModeGame Mode prioritizes system resources for the game you're actively playing, preventing Windows Update from installing updates or restarting the PC mid-session, and reducing background activity that could interrupt gameplay. It's a single toggle designed to squeeze more consistent performance out of the same hardware during full-screen gaming.
- Night LightNight light shifts your display's color temperature to warmer tones at scheduled times, reducing blue light exposure that can interfere with sleep and cause eye strain in the evening.
- HDR SettingsHDR settings let you turn on high dynamic range on a supported display, adjust HDR brightness balance, and stream HDR video content for a wider range of colors and contrast.