What polling rate means
A mouse does not stream its position continuously. It sends reports at intervals, and the polling rate is how many of those reports it sends each second, measured in hertz. At 125 Hz there is a report every 8 ms. At 500 Hz it is every 2 ms, at 1000 Hz every 1 ms, and at 8000 Hz every 0.125 ms.
How this test measures it
Move the mouse in fast circles over the pad. The large number is how many reports arrived in the last second. Peak is the highest second so far, and the verdict names the standard setting closest to it.
You have to keep the mouse moving quickly. A mouse has nothing to report while it is still, and at slow speeds it sends fewer reports than its setting allows, so a lazy movement reads low. Fast circles give the truest number.
Your browser affects the reading
Browsers normally bundle mouse movement into one update per screen frame, which would cap the reading at your screen’s refresh rate. This test avoids that in two ways, and the panel shows which one your browser is using.
- Raw pointer updates. Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers can pass every report to the page as it arrives. This is the accurate method.
- Coalesced events. Other browsers still bundle the movement, but let the page look inside each bundle. This usually works, but some browsers drop reports, so the reading can come out low. If yours looks too low, try Chrome or Edge.
Either way the result is an estimate. Expect it to land a little under the setting, for example 950 for a 1000 Hz mouse, because reports and seconds never line up exactly.
How to change the polling rate
It is set on the mouse, not in the operating system. Most gaming mice offer it in their own software, and some have a small switch on the underside. Plain office mice are usually fixed at 125 Hz. A Bluetooth connection commonly runs at around 125 Hz whatever the mouse could do on its USB receiver, so test on the connection you actually play on.
Does a higher rate matter?
Going from 125 Hz to 1000 Hz shortens the wait for the next report from as much as 8 ms to as much as 1 ms, and many players can feel the difference in a fast game. Above 1000 Hz the remaining gain is under a millisecond, and the extra reports cost processor time that some games handle badly. If a game stutters at 4000 or 8000 Hz, drop back to 1000.
Polling rate is not DPI
DPI is how far the pointer travels for a given movement of the hand. Polling rate is how often the mouse reports. Changing one does not change the other.
To check the buttons and wheel, use the mouse test.