In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the high refresh rate bug on the external display on macOS Sonoma. Even though the fourteenth interaction of the OS for the Mac ecosystem has brought in quite a lot of intriguing goodies, but on the flip side, it also has paved the way for a noticeable chunk of issues as well. While we are keeping track of all of them in this guide, but the list seems to be on an ever-expanding spree, which isn’t a great sign.
The latest entry to make its way is the high refresh rate bug on external monitors on macOS Sonoma. According to many users, they are unable to set the highest possible refresh rate on their secondary monitor. For instance, users having a secondary display with support for 144Hz are having to settle for 120Hz, as opposed to Ventura when the former was easily attainable. If you are also facing this issue, then this guide will help you out. Follow along.
Fix macOS Sonoma High Refresh Rate on External Display Bug
The only workaround that is spelling out success for the users involves using the open-source app BetterDisplay from Github. So download and install it, head over to its Smooth Scaling Resolutions section, and set the settings as follows:
Fixed 120Hz: max scaled HDR res is 2432 x 1368 Fixed 144Hz or VRR (48-144Hz): max scaled HDR res is 2208 x 1242
While there are a plethora of apps in this domain, but this is the most popular and efficient one [and is open-source as well!]. So do give it a try and this should give you temporary respite from the high refresh rate bug on external display on macOS Sonoma.
As far as the official stance on this matter is concerned, the developers are yet to acknowledge this issue, let alone give out any ETA for the rollout of a fix. As and when any of these two things happen, we will update this guide accordingly. In the meantime, the aforementioned workarounds are your best bet.
