Microsoft announces new Dynamic refresh rate feature in Windows 11

Microsoft today announced the release of the first Windows 11 Preview build for Windows Insiders. This new Insider build comes with several new features including the new Start menu, new Settings UI, new Microsoft Store app, new File Explorer and more.

This new Windows 11 build includes a brand-new feature called Dynamic refresh rate (DRR) which will allow you to enjoy more natural and responsive inking experience along with smoother scrolling, without compromising on battery usage. As the name suggests, Dynamic refresh rate lets your device set the refresh rate dynamically. For example, if you have a 120Hz display, the device will switch to 120Hz during inking and scrolling and switch back to 60Hz for other normal tasks. This helps to balance performance and power consumption.

The following apps support Dynamic refresh rate on Windows 11:

• Smoother inking: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Whiteboard, Microsoft Photos, Snip & Sketch, Drawboard PDF, Microsoft Sticky Notes, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft To Do, Inkodo
• Smoother scrolling: Microsoft Office

If you have the following hardware running Windows 11 Insider build, you can enjoy this new DRR feature:

• To use DRR, you’ll need a laptop with a display that supports Variable refresh rate (VRR) and a refresh rate of at least 120 Hz.
• Additionally, DRR requires a graphics driver (WDDM 3.0) that supports it (available through Windows Update). We’re working with our graphics display partners to bring updated graphics drivers that support DRR to the Windows Insiders Program. Therefore, some people might need to wait a little longer to use DRR.

Source: Microsoft