K KeyCrane
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Mouse Polling Rate Test

Count the reports your browser usually folds away.

100% LocalFree
0 HzMove the mouse in hereKeep moving in circles for a few seconds
Right now
0 Hz
Peak
0 Hz
After browser folding
0 Hz

Common rates are 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz. Read the peak rather than a single moment, and expect to land a little under the rated figure.

Move steadily and in wide circles: a mouse that is barely moving sends fewer reports, and the reading follows.

How to test your polling rate

  1. 1 Move the pointer inside the pad in wide, steady circles for a few seconds. Slow or stuttering movement produces fewer reports and reads low for reasons that have nothing to do with the mouse.
  2. 2 Read the peak rather than the live number. The live figure dips whenever your hand slows down; the peak is the closest thing to the rate the mouse is set to.
  3. 3 Compare the peak with the second figure. That one is what a normal web page sees after the browser folds the samples into animation frames, which is why other tests report your screen refresh rate instead.
  4. 4 If the peak sits near 125 Hz on a gaming mouse, the rate is probably set low in its software rather than broken.

Frequently asked questions

Why do other browser tests show 60 or 144 Hz?
Because browsers deliver at most one pointer event per animation frame, so a naive counter measures your screen rather than your mouse. This test asks for the samples that were folded into each frame, which is where the real report rate is hiding.
Why is my 1000 Hz mouse showing around 900?
Some loss is normal: the browser is not a driver, timing jitters, and USB frames occasionally arrive late. A steady reading in the high hundreds means the mouse is running at 1000 Hz.
Does a higher polling rate make me better at games?
It lowers the delay between moving the mouse and the cursor reacting, by fractions of a millisecond above 1000 Hz. The step from 125 to 1000 is noticeable; the step from 1000 to 8000 is measurable rather than felt, and it costs processor time.
Does this work on a laptop trackpad?
It reports something, but the number means less. Trackpads report at their own pace and often smooth the input first, so treat the figure as a curiosity rather than a specification.

More tests

Mouse Test

Every button, both wheel directions, live movement.

Click Speed Test

Clicks per second, over one second or a full minute.

Double Click Test

Prove that the mouse is clicking twice, not you.