How to use the mouse test
- Move the pointer onto the pad above.
- Press the left button, the right button and the wheel. If your mouse has side buttons, press those too.
- Roll the wheel up and down.
Each part of the drawing turns orange while it is held down and stays shaded once it has registered. The row underneath counts every press, and the list at the bottom shows them in order. When left, right, middle and both scroll directions have registered, the test says so.
What the results mean
- A part never lights up. The computer is not receiving that button. Before blaming the switch, work through the quick checks below.
- A part stays orange after you let go. The release was not received, which usually means a sticking switch. Press it again to clear it.
- A double press warning. The same button sent two presses less than 80 ms apart. A finger cannot do that, so the switch is bouncing. Confirm it with the mouse double click test, which also lists the fixes.
- The wheel scrolls but jumps. Use the scroll wheel test, which counts steps and catches the wheel reporting the wrong direction.
Why the right-click menu and the back button do nothing here
Normally a right-click opens a menu, the wheel button starts auto-scrolling, and the side buttons go back and forward in your history. Any of those would get in the way of a test, so they are switched off while the pointer is over the pad. Everywhere else on the page they work as usual.
Side buttons that do not light up
A browser only sees side buttons when they are set to their standard back and forward functions. If the software that came with your mouse has remapped them to a keystroke, a macro or a sensitivity switch, the press never reaches the page as a mouse button. That is a setting, not a fault. Set them back to their defaults for the test.
Quick checks before you blame the mouse
- Plug it into a different USB port, directly into the computer rather than through a hub.
- For a wireless mouse, fit a fresh battery or charge it, and move the receiver closer.
- Try the mouse on another computer, and another mouse on this one. That tells you which of the two has the problem.
- Close the mouse’s own software for a moment, in case a remap or a profile is the cause.
More mouse tests
- Mouse double click test: for a mouse that clicks twice when you click once.
- Scroll wheel test: counts steps and catches a wheel that jumps backwards.
- Mouse polling rate test: how many times a second the mouse reports its position.
Checking a keyboard or a game controller as well? Use the keyboard test or the controller test. To measure your own speed rather than the hardware, try the CPS test or the reaction test.