- To enable DRR on Windows 11, open Settings > System > Dispaly > Advanced display, and choose the “Dynamic” option from the “Choose a refresh rate” setting for version 23H2.
- On version 24H2 and higher releases, open Settings > System > Dispaly > Advanced display, and turn on the “Dynamic refresh rate” toggle switch.
Windows 11 has a “Dynamic Refresh Rate” (DRR) feature, allowing laptops and desktops computers to lower their refresh rate to save battery. You will be trading off some display quality, but it will enable you to use the device longer without recharging.
In a nutshell, refresh rate describes how often the screen refreshes the content per second. It is referred to as frames per second, and the standard is 60 frames per second. However, some displays support higher refresh rates to allow content on the screen to feel smoother.
The problem is that increasing the refresh rate also increases power usage, reducing laptops’ battery life. To address this issue, Windows 11 (via DirectX Developer Blog) has a Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) setting to seamlessly switch between a lower refresh rate and a higher refresh rate based on what you’re doing on the device, helping to balance performance and power consumption.
Dynamic Refresh Rate is available on laptops with displays that support variable refresh rate (VRR) and a refresh rate of at least 120 Hz. Also, the feature requires a graphics driver (WDDM 3.0) to support it.
In this guide, I will teach you the steps to manage the Dynamic Refresh Rate feature on Windows 11 23H2, 24H2, and higher releases.
Enable Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) on Windows 11
To enable DRR on Windows 11, use these steps:
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Open Settings on Windows 11.
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Click on System.
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Select the Display tab on the right side.
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Click the Advanced display setting under the “Related settings” section.
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Choose the monitor from the “Select a display to view or change settings” section if you have a multi-monitor setup.
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(Windows 11 23H2) Use the “Choose a refresh rate” option and select the Dynamic option to enable the DRR feature.
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(Windows 11 24H2) Turn on the “Dynamic refresh rate” toggle switch to enable the DRR feature.
Once you complete the steps, your computer will lower the refresh rate automatically to save power, reducing the quality of your overall experience.
If the device doesn’t support the feature, you won’t find the option in the “Choose a refresh rate” setting, or the toggle switch will be grayed out.
In addition to enabling Dynamic Refresh Rate, you can also improve energy consumption while preserving battery life by turning on “Battery Saver” mode and changing the system power mode. It’s important to note that starting with Windows 11 24H2 and higher releases, Battery Saver is being replaced by the new Energy Saver mode.
Disable Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) on Windows 11
To disable DRR, use these steps:
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Open Settings.
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Click on System.
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Select the Display tab on the right side.
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Under the “Related settings” section, select the Advanced display tab.
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Choose the monitor from the “Select a display to view or change settings” section if you have a multi-monitor setup.
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(Windows 11 23H2) To disable the feature, use the “Choose a refresh rate” option to select another regular rate, such as 60Hz, 120Hz, or the highest rate supported by the display.
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(Windows 11 24H2) Turn off the “Dynamic refresh rate” toggle switch to disable the feature.
After you complete the steps, Windows 11 will no longer automatically increase or lower the display’s refresh rate for higher performance but at the cost of higher power usage.
Update April 17, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].