Pastime Arcade

Refresh Rate Test

Keep this page in front and wait a few seconds. The number is how many times a second your screen draws a new picture.

–Hz
Measuring…
Frame time
–
Steadiness
–
Dropped, last 10 s
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Screen
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How to use the refresh rate test

Just keep this page in front and wait a few seconds. The big number is how many times a second your screen shows a new picture, in hertz (Hz), also called its frames per second when a game or video keeps up with it. Common rates are 60 Hz for most screens, and 120, 144, 165 or 240 Hz for fast gaming monitors and newer phones and laptops.

With more than one screen, drag the window to the other screen to measure that one.

How it is measured

The browser draws a web page in step with the screen, once per refresh. The test times each of those drawings and takes the typical gap between them: at 60 Hz that is 16.67 ms, at 144 Hz 6.94 ms. The graph shows every gap from the last five seconds.

  • Frame time is the typical gap, in milliseconds.
  • Steadiness is how much the gaps vary. Small numbers mean smooth, even frames.
  • Dropped counts the frames that were skipped in the last ten seconds, shown in red on the graph. A few are normal, especially when you switch windows.

The motion lanes

The three lanes move the same square at the same speed, but update it on every frame, every second frame and every fourth frame. On a fast screen the top lane looks clearly smoother; on a 60 Hz screen the top two look closer. It is an easy way to see what a higher refresh rate does.

If the number is lower than it should be

  • Check the display setting. Screens often start at 60 Hz. On Windows, open Settings → System → Display → Advanced display and choose the refresh rate; on a Mac, open System Settings → Displays.
  • Check the cable and port. Some cables and ports cannot carry high refresh rates at high resolutions. DisplayPort or a newer HDMI cable may be needed.
  • Plug the laptop in. Battery saving modes often lower the refresh rate.
  • Try another browser. Some browsers hold pages to 60 frames a second on some systems, even on faster screens. Safari, for example, may do this.
  • Close heavy tabs and apps. A busy computer cannot always draw every frame, which shows as dropped frames.

Screens with a variable refresh rate (G-Sync, FreeSync or ProMotion) change their rate to match what is on screen, so the number may move around. That is how they are meant to work.

To check the screen itself for dead pixels and other faults, use the screen test.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check my monitor’s refresh rate?
Open this page and wait a few seconds. The number shown is how many times a second your screen draws, measured by your browser.
Why does it say 60 Hz on my 144 Hz monitor?
Usually because the display setting is still at 60 Hz, or because of the cable, a battery saving mode or the browser. The checks on this page go through each one.
Is Hz the same as FPS?
Hz is how often the screen refreshes; FPS is how many frames a game or program produces. A screen can only show as many frames a second as its refresh rate.
What refresh rate is good for gaming?
Many players notice a clear difference going from 60 Hz to 120 or 144 Hz. Above that, the gains are smaller and matter most in fast competitive games.
Does the refresh rate test work on a phone?
Yes. Many recent phones run at 90 or 120 Hz, though they may drop to 60 to save battery.