How to measure your mouse polling rate
Polling rate — more accurately the report rate — is how many times per second the mouse tells the computer where it has moved. Point at the measurement area and move the mouse in fast, continuous circles. After a second or two the big readout settles, the pill shows the standard rate it matches, and the graph starts tracing the rate over the last fifteen seconds. Keep going for five to ten seconds for a stable average; pauses are ignored rather than dragging the result down, because the checker splits your movement into segments and only measures while you are actually moving.
The graph uses a logarithmic scale so that 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz sit evenly spaced, with the dashed line marking 60 Hz, the rate you would see if the browser were only handing over one event per screen frame. Everything is measured locally in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
How the measurement works
Browsers deliberately limit ordinary mousemove events to one per screen refresh, which is why many online checkers report 60 or 144 Hz regardless of the mouse. This tool avoids that in two ways. Where available it listens to pointerrawupdate, an event Chromium browsers fire as soon as each report arrives. It also calls getCoalescedEvents(), which returns every sample that was bundled into a single event, each with its own high-resolution timestamp. The rate is then computed from those timestamps — the number of intervals divided by the time they span — in 100 ms windows.
- Average is every in-movement interval divided by the total moving time.
- Peak is the fastest 100 ms window.
- Stability is the share of windows within ±15% of the detected rate.
- Jitter is the standard deviation of the gaps between samples. Browsers round timestamps to about 0.1 ms for privacy, so at 4000 Hz and above some jitter is timer rounding rather than the mouse.
- Events delivered/s shows how often the page actually received an event, so you can see coalescing at work.
Reading your result
| Rate | Interval | Typical mouse |
|---|---|---|
| 125 Hz | 8 ms | USB default, office mice |
| 250–500 Hz | 4–2 ms | Older gaming mice, power-saving modes |
| 1000 Hz | 1 ms | The standard gaming setting |
| 2000–8000 Hz | 0.5–0.125 ms | Recent high-end wired and 2.4 GHz wireless mice |
| 60–133 Hz | ~16–7.5 ms | Bluetooth connections |
A result a little under the nominal rate — 980 Hz for a 1000 Hz mouse — is normal. A mouse only sends a report when it has something new to say, so very slow movement, a glossy or uneven surface, or a sensor in a low-power state lowers the count. If the reading is unsteady, try a different USB port directly on the computer rather than a hub or front-panel socket, move a wireless receiver closer with its extension cable, and close heavy background programs. Rates of 4000 Hz and above cost noticeable CPU time; if games stutter at 8000 Hz, dropping to 2000 Hz often gives almost all of the benefit.
Browser support and limits
Chrome, Edge, Opera and other Chromium browsers support both pointerrawupdate and coalesced events, and give the most accurate reading. Firefox supports coalesced events, which is enough for accurate results. Safari historically delivers mouse movement once per frame without the samples in between; if the measured rate matches your screen's refresh rate, the tool will say so rather than presenting it as your mouse's rate. The raw event needs a secure (HTTPS) page, which this site always is.
Changing the polling rate itself happens in the mouse's own software or with a button on the mouse — a web page cannot change it. After changing it, press Reset and measure again. To check the buttons and wheel of the same mouse, use the mouse tester; to see whether your monitor can show the smoother motion a high polling rate provides, try the refresh rate test.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my 1000 Hz mouse only show 60 Hz or 144 Hz?
That is your screen's refresh rate, not the mouse. Some browsers only hand pages one movement event per frame. This checker reads the extra samples with getCoalescedEvents where the browser allows it; if the result still matches your refresh rate, your browser hides them. Use a current version of Chrome, Edge or Firefox, and make sure the Coalesced samples option is ticked.
Is a higher polling rate actually better?
Up to a point. Going from 125 Hz to 1000 Hz cuts the delay between reports from 8 ms to 1 ms and makes cursor motion visibly smoother on a high-refresh monitor. Beyond 1000 Hz the gains are small and mostly felt on 240 Hz and faster screens, while CPU usage rises. Many players find 2000 Hz a good balance.
Why is my result slightly below the rate I set?
A mouse only sends a report when the sensor has new movement, so any moment of slow motion produces fewer reports. Browser timestamp rounding and short pauses also nibble at the figure. A 1000 Hz mouse normally measures between about 950 and 1000 Hz; a consistent reading far below that points to a setting, cable, port or wireless problem.
What does the stability percentage mean?
It is the share of 100 ms measurement windows whose rate was within 15% of the detected standard rate. Ninety per cent or more is excellent. Lower figures usually mean the movement was too slow or intermittent, but a wireless mouse with a weak signal or a mouse on an overloaded USB hub also produces an unsteady rate.
What is pointer lock and why would I use it?
Pointer lock hides the cursor and feeds the page raw movement, so the mouse never stops at the edge of the screen. That makes it much easier to keep moving quickly for several seconds, which high-rate mice need to show their full rate. Click Lock pointer to start and press Esc to release it.
Can I test a touchscreen, pen or trackpad?
Yes. Touch and stylus movement are measured the same way, and the pointer type is shown under the stats, so you can see a tablet's digitiser rate. Laptop trackpads move the cursor like a mouse and usually report between 90 and 150 Hz, although this varies widely by model and driver.