Guide
Why Mouse Polling Results Differ by Browser
The same 1000 Hz mouse can read 60, 144 or 1000 in different tests. Display frames, merged samples and…
Mouse Polling Rate Test
Estimates how often your mouse reports movement from what your browser exposes, showing the method, the browser clock and the display rate beside it.
Device Tests
Nothing uploaded
No sign-up
Free, unlimited
Move the mouse in fast, continuous circles inside the box.
In short
A mouse sends a movement report many times a second — 125 times on a basic office mouse, 1,000 on a typical gaming mouse, and 4,000 or 8,000 on some recent high-end models. A browser does not simply pass those on. It usually merges them into about one event per display frame, it may round its clock, and it only reports while the mouse is moving. So this test reads the mouse three ways where the browser allows it — raw updates, the samples merged into each event, and the merged events themselves — and counts samples over the last two seconds of continuous movement. The top available figure is the closest to what the mouse sends. It reliably tells 125 Hz from 1,000 Hz; it is not a way to verify an 8,000 Hz claim, which needs the manufacturer's own utility.
How to use the Mouse Polling Rate Test
- Move the mouse in fast, continuous circles inside the test box.
- Keep going for a few seconds; the result is counted over the last two seconds of movement.
- Read the rows: raw updates, coalesced samples and dispatched events each give their own figure.
- Compare the top available figure with your mouse's setting, and check the clock step and display refresh shown beside it.
About the Mouse Polling Rate Test
The Mouse Polling Rate Test estimates how often your mouse reports movement, and shows how it reached the number, because the same mouse can honestly read differently in two browsers.
Three ways a page can see a mouse
- Dispatched events are the pointer events the page is handed. Browsers merge movement into roughly one event per display frame, so on a 60 Hz screen this row tends to sit near 60 however fast the mouse is.
- Coalesced samples are the movements merged into each of those events, recovered with getCoalescedEvents(). They are close to what the mouse actually reported.
- Raw updates arrive as they happen, without merging, in browsers that support the pointerrawupdate event.
How the number is calculated
The test counts how many samples arrive during continuous movement in the last two seconds, leaving out any pause longer than 50 milliseconds, and divides by the time they span. It deliberately does not use the typical gap between samples: a browser that rounds its clock turns a 1,000 Hz stream into gaps of zero and one millisecond, and a typical gap of that means nothing, while the count over two seconds is still right. The browser’s clock step is measured live and shown beside the result.
Why a genuine 1,000 Hz mouse can read lower
- Moving slowly: a mouse only sends a report when it has moved, so gentle movement produces fewer reports.
- A browser that does not expose coalesced samples leaves only the dispatched events, which follow the display rate.
- Wireless power saving, a busy USB hub and other programs competing for the processor can all thin the stream.
The guide Why mouse polling results differ by browser covers each of these in detail.
Related checks
- Double Click Test — a button registering twice from one press.
- Mouse Test — every button and the scroll wheel.
- Pointer Latency Test — how far the cursor trails your hand.
Where this tool stops
This is an estimate made from inside a browser. It is indicative, not a measurement of the hardware: manufacturer utilities and USB analysers read the mouse directly and are the right tools for verifying very high rates.
Explained in our guides
All guidesFrequently asked questions
My 1000 Hz mouse reads lower. Is it faulty?
Probably not. Check which row the figure came from: dispatched events follow your display rate, and only coalesced samples or raw updates come close to the mouse. Slow movement, wireless power saving and a busy computer also thin the stream.
Why do two browsers give different numbers?
They expose different things. One may offer raw updates and coalesced samples while another offers only merged events, and browsers round their clocks by different amounts. The test shows which methods your browser supports and the clock step it measured.
How do I get a better reading?
Move continuously and fairly fast in circles, keep other applications closed, and keep moving for several seconds. Stopping produces no reports at all.
Do I need an account to use the Mouse Polling Rate Test?
No charge and no sign-up. There is no free tier to run out of because there is no paid tier — inputtesthub.com is funded by advertising rather than by metering the tool.
Does anything I enter leave my computer?
No. The Mouse Polling Rate Test runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing is transmitted, logged or stored, which you can verify yourself in the Network tab of your browser's developer tools.
When would I actually need the Mouse Polling Rate Test?
In practice it gets used for three things: confirming a mouse switched from 125 Hz to 1000 Hz mode. Comparing wired and wireless modes on the same mouse. Seeing why two browsers give different readings for the same mouse. It is built for exactly those cases rather than being a general-purpose tool with this bolted on.
Is there anything the Mouse Polling Rate Test cannot do?
This is an estimate made from inside a browser, which is the wrong tool for precise polling measurement. Manufacturer utilities and dedicated USB analysers are accurate; this is indicative. Knowing where a tool stops being trustworthy matters more than the cases where it works.
What figures does the Mouse Polling Rate Test work from?
Office mouse is 125 Hz — one report every 8 ms. Common gaming default is 500 or 1000 Hz. Recent high-end mice is 4000 or 8000 Hz. These are printed on the page itself, so you do not have to take them on trust.
Do I need to install anything to run this test?
No installation, no extension and no driver. The Mouse Polling Rate Test uses the browser's own device APIs and begins as soon as the page loads, so there is nothing to press first. Press Reset at any point to start over with a clean slate.
Related device tests tools
All 5301
Keyboard Test
Test keyboard keys, inspect repeated inputs and review a local test summary. Get clear…
02
Online Keyboard Tester
A full-size keyboard tester that runs in the browser with nothing to install. Every key you…
03
TKL Keyboard Test
Tests a tenkeyless keyboard — the full layout minus the number pad — including the function…
04
60% Keyboard Test
Tests a compact 60% or 65% keyboard: the alphanumeric block, modifiers and arrows, without the…
05
Numpad Test
Tests every key on the number pad, including Num Lock, the operators and the separate Enter…
06
Arrow Key Test
Tests the four arrow keys on their own. Useful when only the direction keys have stopped…
07
Function Key Test
Tests the F1 to F12 row and shows which keys your browser intercepts before the page can see…
08
Modifier Key Test
Tests Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Meta, Caps Lock, Tab and Escape, telling the left and right versions…
09
Key Rollover Test (NKRO)
Measures how many keys your keyboard can register at once. Membrane boards usually stop at…
10
Keyboard Ghosting Test
Hold real gaming and typing combinations together and see whether every key arrives — or one…