How to test a mouse — FAQ
Quick answers to common mouse-testing and games questions. Each one links to a free browser tool or game that actually does it.
Hardware tests
How do I test a mouse?
Start at the MouseDiag hub and run each test in turn: buttons and scroll wheel, polling rate, click speed, double-click chatter and DPI. A couple of minutes covers everything — no install needed.
What is a mouse test?
A mouse test is a set of checks that confirms whether your mouse buttons, scroll wheel, polling rate, click speed, double-click behavior, and DPI are working as expected. On MouseDiag, each part has its own browser-based tool so you can isolate exactly what is failing instead of guessing from in-game feel alone.
How do I test if my mouse is working?
Run the basics in order: confirm left, right, middle, side buttons, and scroll input on the button test; check for accidental chatter with the double-click test; then verify motion reporting on the polling rate test. If those pass, your mouse is working normally for most desktop and gaming use.
How do I test my mouse scroll wheel?
The scroll wheel has two parts: the physical click (middle button) and the scroll encoder. Open the button & scroll test, move your cursor over the diagram and spin the wheel — each scroll direction registers as a separate event. A wheel that skips steps or fires in the wrong direction means the encoder is wearing out.
How do I test my mouse polling rate?
Polling rate is how often (in Hz) your mouse reports its position to the OS. Open the polling rate test, move the cursor quickly for a few seconds and read the median Hz. Browser readings run roughly 10–20% under dedicated hardware tools — that gap is expected and is documented honestly on the test page.
What is a good polling rate for gaming?
1000 Hz is the competitive baseline — nearly all gaming mice default to it. At 1000 Hz your position is reported every 1 ms, which is good enough for any in-game situation. 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz mice exist and can marginally reduce micro-stutter at very high sensitivity, but the benefit is hard to perceive outside of top-level play. Below 500 Hz you may notice a sluggish feel. Use the polling rate test to confirm your mouse is actually hitting its rated Hz — some cheaper mice ship at 125 Hz by default.
How do I test my mouse DPI online?
No browser API exposes a mouse's DPI directly, so it has to be estimated from a measured physical move. The DPI analyzer uses pointer lock: set a distance, move the mouse exactly that far against a ruler, and it computes your actual CPI — with a two-pass check that warns you if pointer acceleration is skewing the result.
What DPI or sensitivity should I use for gaming?
There is no universal answer — it depends on your resolution, screen size, in-game sensitivity multipliers and playstyle. A common starting point: set your in-game sensitivity so a full 360° turn takes 20–40 cm of physical mouse movement. Confirm your actual CPI with the DPI analyzer first, since your mouse's stated DPI and its measured CPI often differ. Then adjust in-game sensitivity from a known baseline rather than guessing.
How do I test if my mouse is double-clicking (chatter)?
A worn switch fires two clicks from one press. The double-click test timestamps every press and flags any gap shorter than a human can click (default 70 ms). Occasional flags can be coincidence; a consistent stream means the switch is failing and is registering unintended inputs in games.
How do I test my click speed (CPS)?
Open the click speed test and click as fast as you can for the timer window. The result shows your clicks per second (CPS). Average users score 5–8 CPS; gamers who practice jitter or butterfly clicking can exceed 14 CPS. Note that very high CPS from jitter clicking can overlap with double-click detection if your switch is marginal.
How do I test mouse input?
Mouse input includes clicks, scroll events, and movement reports. Use the button test for button and wheel input, the CPS test for rapid click input, the double-click test for switch chatter, and the polling rate test for movement reporting frequency. Together they cover the main input signals your browser can measure.
How do I test mouse latency or input lag?
True end-to-end input lag (mouse movement to pixels on screen) requires a high-speed camera or external hardware to measure. The best in-browser proxy is your polling rate: a higher, stable rate means fresher position data reaching your system every millisecond. A dedicated click-to-pixel latency test is on our roadmap.
Is my mouse broken? How do I check if it works properly?
Check the things that fail most often: buttons that don't register and a scroll wheel that skips or jumps (button & scroll test), a switch that double-clicks on its own (double-click test), and an unstable or low polling rate (polling rate test). If those all pass and your DPI is consistent, your mouse is working correctly.
What is the basic function of a computer mouse?
A computer mouse sends movement, click, and scroll input to your computer so you can point at items, select them, drag objects, and interact with software. MouseDiag focuses on testing those core functions directly with tools for buttons and scroll, movement reporting, rapid clicking, and switch reliability.
Games
What mouse skill games does MouseDiag have?
MouseDiag has six free browser games targeting different aspects of mouse control: Reaction Time (click-speed reflex), Aim Trainer (precision target clicking), Tracking (smooth continuous movement), Super CoreBall (click timing against a spinning target), Bounce Ball (dynamic target chasing), and Flick Shot (snap targeting from rest). All run in the browser with no download or signup.
What is Super CoreBall and how do I play it?
Super CoreBall is a click-timing game. A core spins in the center of the screen; click (or press Space) to fire a ball upward — it locks onto the core and orbits with it. Hit a ball already orbiting and the level resets. There are 20 levels across five tiers: Learning (steady rotation), Rhythm (learnable oscillation), Chaos (dual-frequency — the pattern never repeats), Mayhem (brief direction reversals), and Nightmare (triple-frequency at 5+ rad/s, frequent snaps). All tiers are open from the start. Press Escape during a run to return to the tier select screen.
What is a good reaction time for gaming?
Average human click reaction time is around 200–250 ms. Competitive gamers typically fall in the 150–200 ms range; sub-150 ms is elite. These figures are raw browser measurements — your visual system adds roughly 80–100 ms of its own processing before your finger even starts to move, so your true perceptual reaction time is higher. Use the reaction time test and take 10+ readings for a reliable average; the first attempt is almost always an outlier.
What does the tracking game test?
The tracking game tests your ability to keep a cursor locked onto a continuously moving ball. It isolates smooth mouse control — maintaining consistent contact with a target in motion — rather than click speed or reaction time. Tight, consistent tracking is the foundation of most first-person shooter aim styles, especially for targets who strafe or move in predictable arcs.
What is the flick shot trainer for?
Flick shooting is snapping your crosshair from rest to a target that appears anywhere on screen, then clicking instantly. The flick shot trainer presents randomised targets and measures how accurately and quickly you snap to each one. It trains the specific muscle-memory arc needed when enemies appear in unexpected positions — the "reflex shot" that is hard to practise in a real game session because it happens infrequently.
Do the MouseDiag games save my scores or progress?
Super CoreBall saves your highest reached level in your browser's local storage — this persists across sessions and is shown in the Best counter below the game. The other games (reaction time, aim trainer, tracking, bounce ball, flick shot) display live session stats — average, best, and per-attempt breakdown — within the current session but do not persist across page refreshes.
Every test and game on MouseDiag is free, runs in the browser, and needs no installation. Start at the diagnostic hub for an overview of all hardware tests, or jump straight to the games to put your mouse skills to work.