Fix 0XC01E031B Monitor Frequency Range Set Invalid

You set a custom resolution in the NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Adrenalin, hit apply, and the screen blinks. Then a message appears: "The specified monitor frequency range set is invalid." That's error 0XC01E031B. It usually shows up when you're trying to overclock a monitor to 75Hz or 144Hz on a panel that officially caps at 60Hz. It can also appear after a Windows update resets your graphics driver, or when you plug in a second monitor that reports weird EDID data.

Here's what's happening under the hood: your monitor tells your graphics card its supported frequency ranges through a small chunk of data called EDID (Extended Display Identification Data). Windows trusts that data. When you try to force a refresh rate outside those ranges, the display driver rejects it with this error. The annoying part is that sometimes the monitor can actually handle the higher rate, but the EDID says no. Other times, the monitor genuinely can't, and pushing it will cause flickering or even a black screen.

Why this error is more common than you'd think

I've seen this error most often on budget monitors and older panels. For example, a Dell S2719DGF might advertise 155Hz, but if you try to set a custom 160Hz profile, you'll get this exact error. Also, some HDMI-to-DisplayPort adapters mangle the frequency range data, which triggers the error even on a premium monitor. So before you blame the monitor, check your cable and adapter.

Fix 1: Use the monitor's own OSD to check native refresh rate

Wait, this isn't a fix, it's a sanity check. If your monitor is rated for 75Hz, trying to push it to 100Hz is asking for trouble. Look up the official spec online or in the OSD menu. If your target refresh rate is within the advertised range, move on to Fix 2.

Fix 2: Update or reinstall the display driver

A corrupted or outdated driver is the number one cause of this error after a Windows update. Here's what to do:

Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
Expand Display adapters, right-click your GPU, and choose Uninstall device.
Check the box "Delete the driver software for this device" if available, then click Uninstall.
Restart your PC. Windows will install a basic driver. Then go to NVIDIA or AMD's site and download the latest driver for your card.

This wipes any custom profiles that might be conflicting. I've seen this clear the error on a friend's RTX 3060 Ti after a botched driver update.

Fix 3: Remove custom resolutions and let Windows auto-detect

Open the graphics control panel (NVIDIA Control Panel, AMD Adrenalin, or Intel Graphics Command Center).
Go to Change resolution or Display settings.
Look for any custom resolutions you've created. Delete them all.
Set the resolution to the recommended one (usually marked "Recommended" in Windows Settings).

This resets the frequency range set to the EDID default. If you were overclocking, you'll have to recreate the custom resolution later, but use the steps below to do it safely.

Fix 4: Override the EDID with Custom Resolution Utility (CRU)

This is the real fix if you're sure your monitor can handle a higher refresh rate. CRU lets you edit the EDID and add new frequency ranges. It's a free tool from monitor test sites like monitortests.com.

Download and run CRU (extract the zip, run CRU.exe).
Under the Detailed resolutions section, you'll see your current resolutions. Click Add to create a new one.
Set your desired resolution and refresh rate. Make sure the timing is set to LCD standard or CVT-RB and the refresh rate matches your target.
Under Extension blocks, look for Display range limits (also called Monitor range limits). Click Edit and increase the Maximum vertical rate to your target refresh rate (e.g., 75 for 75Hz).
Click OK, then run restart64.exe (or restart.exe for 32-bit) from the CRU folder. This restarts the graphics driver.

After the screen comes back, go to Windows display settings and see if the higher refresh rate now appears. This works because you're telling Windows "my monitor actually supports this range", even if the original EDID was lying.

If it still fails after the EDID override

Then the monitor really can't handle it. You'll see one of two things: the refresh rate option shows but the screen goes black when you select it, or the error pops up again. In that case, restore the original EDID by clicking Reset in CRU, then run restart64.exe again.

Also, check your cable. If you're using an HDMI 1.4 cable on a 144Hz monitor, that could be the bottleneck. Switch to DisplayPort if your monitor has it. And if you're using a docking station or KVM switch, bypass it temporarily—those devices often mess with the frequency range data.

One last thing: some GPUs have a known bug with the driver that causes this error on specific monitors. If you've updated to the latest driver and still get the error, try rolling back to the previous version via Device Manager → Driver → Roll Back Driver. It's a pain, but it's beaten me more than once.