Change your Mac’s refresh rate—and check missing 120Hz or 144Hz options

Change the rate in Displays settings

1. Note your current resolution and refresh rate so you can return to that combination.
2. Open System Settings → Displays and select the intended screen. Check its name rather than assuming the built-in display and external monitor share a setting.
3. Open Refresh Rate and choose an available value.
4. Check scrolling and video in your usual apps. If the picture is unstable and still readable, return to the previous value.

These labels use macOS Ventura 13 or later. Options vary by macOS version and display. Apple’s Displays settings reference has a macOS version selector.

If Refresh Rate is missing or stops at 60Hz

A monitor’s maximum advertised rate is not a promise for every connection. Check the setup before buying a replacement cable or app.

Apple recommends checking the Mac, cable and adapter specifications and trying a direct connection when a hub or dock is involved. See its external-display resolution and refresh-rate checks. An app cannot remove a hardware connection limit.

Fixed rate, Adaptive Sync and ProMotion

A fixed value such as 60Hz differs from a rate that adapts to the content. Compatible external displays can offer Variable or Adaptive; supported Apple displays may show ProMotion.

If variable refresh flickers, compare it with an available fixed rate. Check Apple’s Adaptive Sync requirements for the external connection, or its Apple display refresh-rate guide for supported built-in and Apple displays.

Selecting 120Hz does not mean every app or video produces 120 distinct frames each second. Keep the chosen display setting separate from the content you use to judge it.

Record the setup and change one thing at a time

Keep a short note for comparisons or a support request:

• Mac model, chip and macOS version
• Monitor model and selected input
• Cable, adapter and dock models
• Number of connected screens
• Resolution-and-Hz pair before and after the change

Changing the dock, cable and resolution together makes it hard to tell what helped. Compare one change at a time and record the stable combination. If the monitor has no picture at all, start with the external display setup checklist.

Repeat display changes from one palette

For a one-time setup, the macOS steps above may be all you need. If you repeatedly switch settings between desks or tasks, DeskCommit puts resolution and refresh rate alongside arrangement and the main display in one palette.

You can save those settings and manually restore them when the same screens are connected. See the save-and-restore workflow and product demo.

DeskCommit does not guarantee unsupported 120Hz or 144Hz modes. Available modes still depend on the Mac and connected hardware, and saved setups do not restore automatically on connection.