A smart, lightweight Windows tray utility to manage monitor refresh rates based on your power source.
I love using my high-refresh-rate monitor (120Hz). It makes everything look smooth and responsive. However, my specific monitor hardware does not support dynamic refresh rate switching (auto-adjusting Hz based on power source).
Running at 120Hz constantly drains my laptop battery significantly faster. I found myself manually digging into Windows Display Settings every single time I unplugged my charger to lower it to 60Hz, and then changing it back when I plugged in. It was tedious.
I built RefreshRateManager to solve this. It automates the process, giving me the best of both worlds: high performance on AC power and battery longevity on the go, without the manual hassle.
- Smart Startup: On launch, it detects your current power mode and recommends the correct refresh rate. This prompt includes a 30-second auto-skip, so it won't block your startup if you are away from your desk.
- Intelligent Monitoring: Detects when you switch between AC Power (Plugged in) and Battery.
- Stable State Detection: When you plug or unplug your charger, the app waits 30 seconds before asking to switch. This ensures the power state is stable and prevents unnecessary prompts caused by loose cables or brief power fluctuations.
- Tray Utility Mode: Don't want automation? You can disable monitoring in Settings and simply use the app as a quick-switch tray tool to toggle between your preferred "AC rate" and "Battery rate".
- Fully Configurable: Set your specific Resolution (X, Y), Color Depth (Bits), and Refresh Rates for both power states.
- Silent & Lightweight: Runs quietly in the system tray.
| Settings Configuration | Confirmation Prompt |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| (Configure your specific rates) | (Non-intrusive confirmation) |
If you download the binary release, you can verify it is the official, unmodified version by checking its SHA-256 hash.
Current Release (v1.0) Hash: 02d8f74684663f881e0fb46c7fa4748f632debaac01f01b9ad5f3b4218ee393c
- Launch the App: It will sit in your system tray (near the clock).
- Automatic Mode: By default, if you plug in or unplug your laptop, the app waits for the power state to stabilize (30s) and then asks if you want to switch refresh rates.
- Manual Control: Right-click the tray icon to:
- Apply AC Rate: Quickly switch to your high refresh rate (120 or anything that you moniter support).
- Apply Battery Rate: Quickly switch to your low refresh rate (60 or anything that you moniter support).
- Settings: Right-click and select Settings to configure:
- Resolution: (e.g., X: 1920, Y: 1080, C: 32)
- Battery Rate: (e.g., 60 Hz)
- AC Rate: (e.g., 120 Hz or 144 Hz)
- Enable Automatic Monitoring: Uncheck this if you prefer full manual control via the tray icon.
This application acts as a safe, user-friendly wrapper around the QRes command-line utility. It handles the logic, user interface, and power detection, while QRes handles the low-level display switching.
This project relies on the following tools:
- QRes v1.1:
- Copyright (C) Anders Kjersem
- Used for the backend resolution and refresh rate switching.
- Newtonsoft.Json:
- Used for saving and loading user configuration.
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gaurav Madhukar
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.