Keep this tab focused while measuring – browsers throttle background tabs to save power.
Quick answer: Click Measure my refresh rate and hold still for three seconds. The tool counts how many frames your browser actually renders per second – which equals your display's active refresh rate. If your 120 Hz / 144 Hz monitor reads ~60 Hz, it's running below its capability and needs a settings fix.
Paying for a 120 Hz phone or a 144 Hz gaming monitor doesn't guarantee you're getting it: Windows frequently defaults new monitors to 60 Hz, the wrong cable (old HDMI) caps high resolutions at 60 Hz, and phone battery savers silently drop to 60 Hz. This test measures the real rate by timing the frames your browser draws – the browser locks its drawing to the display, so frames-per-second here equals your active refresh rate.
After measuring, watch the moving bars: this is the classic motion comparison (in the style of the well-known UFO test) – at higher refresh rates the fast bar looks visibly smoother and less stuttery. If your result is lower than the panel's spec, the fix is almost always in settings: Windows → Display → Advanced display → refresh rate; macOS → Displays; Android → Display → Smooth display; iPhone ProMotion is automatic but capped by Low Power Mode.
How to check your screen's refresh rate
- Close heavy apps and put this tab in the foreground (background tabs are throttled).
- Click Measure my refresh rate and don't switch tabs for ~3 seconds.
- Read the result: it should match your display's advertised Hz (60 / 90 / 120 / 144 / 165…).
- If it reads lower, raise the refresh rate in your OS display settings and re-test.
- Watch the motion bars to see the smoothness difference with your own eyes.
Why use the GadgetsFocus refresh rate test?
- Measures the display's real active refresh rate, not the number on the box.
- Median-based measurement rejects one-off stutters for a stable reading.
- Live motion-smoothness bars to judge the result visually.
- Catches the classic failures: 60 Hz Windows default, HDMI cable caps, phone battery-saver caps.
- Runs entirely in the browser – nothing to install, works on phones, laptops and monitors.
Honest limitations
- Browsers render at most at the display's refresh rate – a busy system can render slower, so close heavy apps for an accurate reading; the tool reports the steadiest value it sees.
- Some browsers cap rendering at 60 Hz in power-saving mode or when the battery is low – plug in and disable battery saver to measure the panel's true rate.
- On variable-refresh (VRR/adaptive) displays, the browser typically runs at the maximum fixed rate, so mid-range VRR values won't show.
- A reading a frame or two off (e.g. 143.8 for 144 Hz) is normal timer jitter, not a fault.
Frequently asked questions
My 144 Hz monitor shows 60 Hz – why?
Almost always settings or cable. Windows: Settings → System → Display → Advanced display → choose 144 Hz. If 144 Hz isn't offered at your resolution, the cable or port is the bottleneck – use DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0+ and check the monitor's own menu. Then re-run this test.
Why does my 120 Hz phone measure 60 Hz?
Phones drop to 60 Hz to save battery: check Battery Saver / Low Power Mode is off, and that Display settings have Smooth Display / Motion smoothness / ProMotion enabled. Some phones also force 60 Hz in specific apps or below a battery threshold.
Is browser FPS really the same as refresh rate?
Yes when the system isn't overloaded: browsers sync their drawing (requestAnimationFrame) to the display's vertical refresh. That's why this measurement matches your active Hz – and why a heavily loaded machine can read low. We report the median over the run to filter stutters.
Does a higher refresh rate really matter?
For gaming and fast scrolling, visibly – 120 Hz shows twice as many motion steps as 60 Hz, which you can confirm with the bars above. For static work like documents, the difference is mostly cursor and scrolling smoothness.
What refresh rate is my monitor supposed to have?
Check the model's spec sheet – then remember spec is the maximum. This test shows what it's actually doing right now, which is the number that matters.
Related tools: Dead pixel test · Reaction time test · CPS click test · Touch screen test
Last updated: July 11, 2026. Built and tested by the GadgetsFocus team on Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari (desktop & mobile). Everything on this page runs locally in your browser — we never see, store or transmit your files.