Mouse polling rate test

How to check your mouse polling rate

1. Move the pointer into the test area and start moving in fast circles. The 5-second run starts by itself.
2. Keep moving until the countdown ends. The big number shows events per second now.
3. At the end you get the Busiest second, the number of events in the best 1-second window, and the nearest Polling rate: 125, 250, 500, 1000 or 2000+ Hz.
4. The chart shows events per second over the whole run, so you can see if the rate holds steady or drops out.
5. Move again to retest.

The result also names the Method your browser allowed: raw pointer updates, coalesced pointer events, or plain pointer move events. That matters for how far you can trust the number (see below).

Polling rate, Hz and ms explained

A mouse does not stream its position continuously. It sends a report at a fixed rhythm, the polling rate, measured in hertz (reports per second):

• 125 Hz: a report every 8 ms. The classic USB default, common on office mice.
• 500 Hz: every 2 ms.
• 1000 Hz: every 1 ms. The usual setting for gaming mice.
• 2000 to 8000 Hz: every 0.5 to 0.125 ms. Some newer gaming mice; they need more CPU time and not every game benefits.

A higher rate means the computer learns about your movement sooner and the pointer path is smoother, which helps most on high refresh rate screens. Going from 125 to 1000 Hz cuts the worst-case wait from 8 ms to 1 ms; going from 1000 to 8000 Hz saves under 1 ms more.

The polling rate is not the same as DPI (how far the pointer moves per inch of mouse movement) and not the same as total latency, which also includes the sensor, wireless link, game and screen.

A mouse only reports when it moves. That is why you have to keep moving: slow movement lowers the number, which says nothing about the mouse.

Browser limits: why the number can be lower

Browsers normally pass on mouse movement once per screen frame, so a page can't see every report. This test uses the best source each browser offers:

• Raw pointer updates (Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers on a secure page): every mouse report arrives as its own event. The page says "This browser reports every raw mouse update, so the number is close to the real polling rate."
• Coalesced pointer events: the browser groups the reports of each frame but still hands over the in-between points. Often good, but some browsers cap or merge them.
• Pointer move events: one event per frame, so the result follows your screen's refresh rate rather than the mouse.

When the method is not raw and the result stays under 300 Hz, the page warns that "your browser reports at most about N Hz here". In that case a 1000 Hz mouse may show 60, 120 or 250 Hz. Run the test in Chrome or Edge on a computer to see the real figure. Phones and tablets with touch input are not a meaningful test of polling rate.

Low or unstable result?

• Below the rate you set: check the setting in the mouse software, then retest. Some wireless mice switch to a lower rate to save battery.
• Spiky chart with dips: wireless interference (USB 3 ports and Wi-Fi routers nearby are frequent causes), a low battery, or a busy computer. Plug the receiver into a front USB 2 port or use the extension cable that came with the mouse.
• Below 125 Hz: you were moving too slowly or the browser is in pointer-move mode.

Related tests: the mouse test checks buttons, double clicks and the wheel, the keyboard polling rate test estimates your keyboard's rate, and the CPS test and aim trainer put the mouse to work. The guide to reading test results explains Hz and ms across all our tests. Nothing is recorded or uploaded. More tools: device tests.