Mouse Latency Test

How to test mouse latency

1. Close other heavy tabs and apps, and keep the browser window on the monitor you want to test.
2. Move the mouse quickly in circles inside the box for about five seconds. Watch how far the red dot trails behind your arrow.
3. Read the numbers: polling rate, event delay, event to frame, frame time and the estimated browser latency.
4. Click the box on the right about 20 times at your own pace to measure click-to-frame time.
5. Change one thing (refresh rate, wired vs wireless, browser, power mode), press Reset and compare.

What the results mean

Total input lag is the time from moving or clicking the mouse to seeing the result on screen. A web page can measure the part inside the computer:

• Polling rate: how often the mouse reports to the computer. At 125 Hz a movement can wait up to 8 ms to be reported; at 1000 Hz, up to 1 ms. Half the interval is the average wait.
• Event delay: time from when the system time-stamped the movement to when the page could handle it. Chrome and Edge line mouse movements up with the next frame, so there it is often a few milliseconds up to one frame; clicks and other browsers are usually under 2 ms. Large jumps mean the browser is busy.
• Event to frame: how long each movement waits for the next frame to be drawn. On average this is about half a frame.
• Frame time: the time per screen refresh; 16.7 ms at 60 Hz, 6.9 ms at 144 Hz, 4.2 ms at 240 Hz. Drawing and showing a frame takes about one more frame.
• Estimated browser latency: the sum of half a polling interval, event to frame, and one frame. Typical results are 20-35 ms at 60 Hz and 8-15 ms at 144 Hz or more.

The monitor adds its own input lag (often 1-10 ms on gaming monitors, more on TVs outside game mode) plus pixel response time. Measuring the full chain needs a high-speed camera or a dedicated tool such as NVIDIA LDAT or Reflex Latency Analyzer.

Why the red dot lags behind the cursor

Your operating system draws the mouse arrow as a "hardware cursor" on a separate layer, updated straight from the latest mouse report. Web pages, games and apps draw their content in frames, which then go through the browser's compositor and the display pipeline. That is why the red dot sits a little behind the arrow when you move fast, and why the gap shrinks on a higher refresh rate: each frame is shorter, so content waits less. Games that render their own cursor show the same effect, which is one reason high refresh rate monitors feel more responsive.

Lower your mouse latency

Use the highest refresh rate your monitor supports and check it with the refresh rate test. Set the mouse to 1000 Hz polling in its software and confirm it with the polling rate test. Use a cable or the mouse's own 2.4 GHz receiver rather than Bluetooth, which often adds 10 ms or more. Turn on the monitor's game mode, and in games use exclusive full screen with NVIDIA Reflex or AMD Anti-Lag when available. To see how latency affects your clicking, try the reaction time test.

Common problems and fixes

Polling rate shows 125 Hz or less

Open the mouse software and set the report rate to 500 or 1000 Hz. Plug the mouse or receiver straight into the computer, not into a hub or monitor USB port. Bluetooth mice usually report at about 90-133 Hz.

Event delay is high or jumps around

The browser is busy. Close other tabs, especially video and games, switch the laptop to its high performance power mode, and turn off extensions you do not need. Then press Reset.

Frame time says 60 Hz on a 144 Hz monitor

The monitor is running at 60 Hz. Set the refresh rate in the display settings, use DisplayPort or a fast HDMI cable, and check with the refresh rate test.