🖱 Move your mouse in fast circles to see how many times per second it reports.
Move your mouse quickly and continuously inside the box for 5 to 10 seconds. The test counts the position reports your mouse sends each second (its polling rate in Hz) and shows a live graph. For the most accurate result, use Chrome or Edge.
What Is a Mouse Polling Rate Test?
A mouse polling rate test measures how often your mouse reports its position to your computer, in hertz (Hz). A mouse polling at 1000 Hz sends 1,000 reports every second, one every millisecond. Higher rates give your computer fresher position data, which is why gamers care about them. Move your mouse in the box above and this test counts the reports it receives, shows a live graph, and estimates your mouse's polling rate.
How to Test Your Mouse Polling Rate
- Use Chrome or Edge if you can. They give the page access to individual mouse reports. Other browsers often combine reports and can show a lower number.
- Move your mouse into the box. The test starts as soon as it sees movement.
- Draw fast, continuous circles. A mouse only reports while it's moving, so keep moving smoothly for 5 to 10 seconds without stopping.
- Read the estimate. After a couple of seconds of steady movement, your estimated polling rate appears, along with the peak and average values.
Close heavy programs while testing, and use a direct USB port rather than a hub where you can.
Reading Your Results
- Hz right now is the report rate over the last quarter of a second, so it jumps around as you move.
- Estimated polling rate is the closest standard rate to your sustained speed, and it's the number to trust once the test has run for a few seconds.
- Peak Hz is the highest rate the test saw in a short window, and Average Hz averages all the windows where you were moving.
- Average time between reports shows how many milliseconds pass between reports. At 1000 Hz, that's about 1 ms.
- Input method tells you how your browser delivered the events. Raw input is the most accurate.
The graph shows the rate for each quarter second over the last ten seconds, so a steady line means a steady mouse.
Polling Rates Explained
The table shows how long your mouse waits between reports at each common rate.
| Polling rate | Time between reports |
|---|---|
| 125 Hz | 8 ms |
| 250 Hz | 4 ms |
| 500 Hz | 2 ms |
| 1000 Hz | 1 ms |
| 2000 Hz | 0.5 ms |
| 4000 Hz | 0.25 ms |
| 8000 Hz | 0.125 ms |
Many basic and office mice run at 125 Hz, 1000 Hz is the usual choice for gaming mice, and some newer high-end mice offer 2000 Hz and above.
What Polling Rate Should You Use?
For most people, 1000 Hz is a good balance. It gives smooth, responsive tracking without asking much of your computer. Higher rates reduce the delay between a movement and the next report, but they also use more processor time, so on a slower computer or in a demanding game, some players find a very high rate doesn't help or can even cost a little performance. If you play competitively, it's worth trying a couple of rates and keeping the one that feels best and runs smoothest.
How to Change Your Polling Rate
Most gaming mice let you change the polling rate in their own software, such as the app from your mouse's maker, and some have a button on the mouse to cycle through rates. Basic mice usually have a fixed rate that can't be changed. After changing it, run the test again to confirm the new number.
Why Your Result Might Be Lower Than Expected
- Browser limits. Some browsers deliver mouse events once per screen refresh instead of once per mouse report, so the test can read close to your monitor's refresh rate.
- Slow movement. If you move slowly, the mouse sends fewer reports. Move quickly and keep moving.
- Very high rates. Rates of 4000 Hz and above can be hard for a browser to keep up with, so the page may under-report them.
- Wireless or power saving. Low battery, power-saving modes and interference can lower the rate.
- A busy computer. Heavy background tasks and USB hubs can interfere with timing.
If your result is much lower than your mouse's rating, test again in Chrome or Edge, with fast circular movement and the mouse plugged in directly.
FAQ
Mouse polling rate is how many times per second your mouse reports its position to your computer, measured in hertz (Hz). A 1000 Hz mouse sends a report every millisecond.
Open this test in Chrome or Edge, move your mouse in fast, continuous circles inside the box for 5 to 10 seconds, and read the estimated polling rate that appears.
1000 Hz is the usual standard for gaming and works well for most players. Higher rates such as 2000 Hz or more can reduce delay slightly, but they use more processing power and may not make a noticeable difference for everyone.
Browsers can limit how many mouse events a web page receives, and slow movement produces fewer reports. Try Chrome or Edge, move in fast circles, and plug the mouse in directly. Very high rates can be hard for any browser to measure.
It can, a little. Higher polling rates make your computer process more input per second, which can slightly reduce performance in demanding games on slower systems. On most modern computers the effect is small.
No. DPI controls how far the cursor moves for a given hand movement, while polling rate controls how often the mouse reports that movement. They're separate settings and work together.