Mouse

Mouse Polling Rate

Measure how many times per second your mouse reports its position. See your real polling rate in Hz live, and check it against your setting.

Last updated: August 2026

Idle

Click area to start

Live Velocity

0px/s

Move with varying speed Continuous motion is needed for accurate readings.

Realtime Polling Rate

Click to Start Measuring Your cursor will be locked. Move your mouse continuously with varying speed. Click again to stop.

Maximum

0Hz

Average

0Hz

Stability

—%

Stability Visualizer

Last 100 samples · flat line = consistent polling

Standard Polling Rate Match

Your reading highlights the closest standard rate

125

Office / Budget

8 ms

500

Standard wired

2 ms

1000

Gaming

1 ms

2000

Esports

0.5 ms

4000

Pro / Wireless 4K

0.25 ms

Quick Summary

What it does: measures how many times per second (Hz) your mouse reports its position to your PC.
How to start: move your mouse continuously across the test area for a few seconds.
Reading it: common rates are 125, 500, and 1000 Hz; higher means smoother, more up-to-date tracking.
Note: a heavily loaded system or older browser can under-report your mouse's true rate.

What Mouse Polling Rate Means

Polling rate is how often your mouse tells the computer where it is, measured in hertz. A 125 Hz mouse reports its position 125 times a second — once every 8 milliseconds. A 1000 Hz mouse reports 1000 times a second — once every millisecond. The higher the rate, the more frequently the cursor's position is updated, and the smoother and more immediate fast movements feel. This tester measures the real rate your mouse is achieving right now, by timing the gap between the position updates your system actually receives.

125Hz8 ms between reports

500Hz2 ms between reports

1000Hz1 ms between reports

8000Hz0.125 ms between reports

The test runs in the browser with nothing to install. Move the mouse continuously in small circles and the tool samples how often fresh position data arrives, converting the interval into a live Hz reading. Keep moving for a few seconds to let the average settle — a stationary mouse sends nothing, so the rate only registers while you're moving.

Reports Arriving Over Time

The difference between polling rates is really a difference in spacing. At a low rate, updates arrive in widely spaced pulses; at a high rate, they stream in tightly packed. The same mouse movement is described in far more detail at 1000 Hz than at 125 Hz.

125 Hz

500 Hz

1000 Hz

Each dot is one position report across the same slice of time. At 1000 Hz the reports are so dense they read as a continuous stream.

Polling Rate in Plain Terms

Polling rate

How often the mouse reports position, in Hz. A timing measurement — the spacing between updates.

DPI

How far the cursor moves per inch of physical movement. A spatial measurement, completely separate from polling rate.

Report interval

The gap between updates in milliseconds. The inverse of polling rate: 1000 Hz equals a 1 ms interval.

Stability

How consistent the interval is. Steady spacing feels better than an average rate that swings up and down.

What Affects Your Real Rate

Like controllers, mice rarely hit their headline number perfectly in every situation. A few factors set the rate you actually get.

Connection: wired USB and modern proprietary wireless dongles hit full rate; older or budget Bluetooth often caps lower and less consistently.
Driver software: many gaming mice let you select 125, 500, 1000, or higher in their software — the tester shows whether the selected rate is actually being delivered.
USB port and hub: a port shared through a hub can drop the effective rate; a direct motherboard port is most reliable.
Browser sampling: a browser reads mouse events on its own loop, so an in-browser figure can read slightly below the hardware's true rate, especially above 1000 Hz.
CPU load: heavy background load can starve the polling loop and introduce variance you'll see as an unstable rate.

Worth knowing

The jump from 125 Hz to 500 Hz is the one most people can feel. From 500 to 1000 Hz the difference is subtle, and the leap to 4000 or 8000 Hz is real on paper but invisible to most players — and it costs noticeably more CPU. Match the rate to what you'll actually notice.

How to Measure Accurately

Use a wired connection if you can, to see the mouse's true ceiling without wireless scheduling in the way.
Move the mouse in continuous small circles — steady motion gives the cleanest sample. Stopping pauses the readings.
Let the average settle over several seconds rather than reading the first number that appears.
Close heavy background apps so CPU load doesn't add false variance.
If the rate reads below what you selected in your mouse software, try a direct USB port and re-test before assuming a fault.

Polling rate is only one half of mouse responsiveness — the other is DPI, which sets how far the cursor travels. Measure that with the DPI Analyzer. While you're checking the mouse, the Click Speed Test measures your clicks per second, the Double Click Test catches a failing switch, and the Mouse Button Check confirms every button registers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good mouse polling rate?

1000 Hz (a 1 ms report interval) is the standard for gaming mice and is more than enough for virtually everyone. 500 Hz is perfectly fine for most use, and the step up from 125 Hz to 500 Hz is the one most people can actually feel. Ultra-high rates of 4000 or 8000 Hz exist but the benefit over 1000 Hz is subtle and they use noticeably more CPU.

How do I test my mouse polling rate?

Use the tester on this page: move the mouse continuously in small circles while it samples how often fresh position data arrives, then converts the interval into a live Hz reading. Keep moving for several seconds to let the average settle, since a stationary mouse sends no reports. For the truest reading of your hardware's rate, use a wired connection.

Is polling rate the same as DPI?

No — they measure completely different things. Polling rate is how often the mouse reports its position, in Hz (a timing measurement). DPI is how far the cursor moves per inch of physical movement (a spatial measurement). A mouse can have a high DPI and a low polling rate, or vice versa. You want the right DPI for your aim and a high polling rate for responsiveness.

Does a higher polling rate reduce input lag?

Yes, but by a small amount. Going from 125 Hz to 1000 Hz removes up to about 7 ms of worst-case delay between a movement and its report. That's a real, felt improvement. Beyond 1000 Hz the gains shrink to fractions of a millisecond, well below what most people can perceive, while the CPU cost rises. Polling is also just one part of total system latency.

Why does my polling rate read lower than I set it to?

Common causes: a Bluetooth connection capping the rate, a USB hub between the mouse and the PC, heavy CPU load starving the polling loop, or the browser's own sampling reading slightly below the hardware rate (especially above 1000 Hz). Try a direct motherboard USB port, close background apps, and use a wired connection to see your mouse's true ceiling.

Is 8000 Hz polling worth it?

For almost everyone, no. The difference over 1000 Hz is technically measurable but extremely subtle to feel, and high rates consume significantly more CPU — which can actually hurt frame rates in demanding games, undoing the benefit. Unless you're a competitive player on a high-end system with CPU headroom to spare, 1000 Hz is the sensible choice.

Why does the rate only show when I move the mouse?

Mice only send position reports when they detect movement — a stationary mouse has nothing to report, so the polling rate reads zero until you move. That's normal and not a fault. Move the mouse in continuous small circles to generate a steady stream of reports, which the tester times to calculate your live rate.