Easy Ways to Adjust Your Mouse Polling Rate on PC & Mac

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Everything you need to know about mouse polling rate and how to change it

Written by Luigi Oppido | Edited by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: August 17, 2023 Fact Checked

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• What is Mouse Polling Rate?
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• Changing Mouse Polling Rate
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• How to Check Mouse Polling Rate
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• Does Mouse Polling Rate Improve Performance?
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• Expert Interview
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• Expert Q&A

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Do you want to change your mouse polling rate? The mouse polling rate is how often your mouse sends information to your computer. A mouse with a higher polling rate allows for better performance and more precise movements. This is especially useful when you configure your mouse for gaming. The amount you can increase or decrease your mouse's polling rate depends on both your mouse and your computer hardware. This wikiHow article teaches you everything you need to know about your mouse polling rate and how to change it.

Things You Should Know

• Mouse polling rate is different from DPI and measured in hertz (hz).
• You can change the mouse polling rate using the dedicated keys on your mouse, the number keys on your keyboard, or your mouse's official app.
• The faster your mouse polling rate, the less delay in milliseconds you will experience.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

What is Mouse Polling Rate?

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   Mouse polling rate is how often your mouse sends information to your computer. This information includes both your mouse position and your button clicks. Mouse polling rate is measured in hertz (Hz). The faster the polling rate, the less delay in milliseconds you will experience.

   • Mouse polling rate response time is as follows:
     • 125 Hz — 8 milliseconds
     • 250 Hz — 4 milliseconds
     • 500 Hz — 2 milliseconds
     • 1,000 Hz — 1 millisecond
     • 4,000 Hz — 0.25 milliseconds
     • 8,000 Hz — 0.125 milliseconds
   • Polling rate is not the same as DPI. Mouse DPI (Dots-per-inch) represents how many pixels your mouse cursor moves per inch when you move your mouse. While a higher DPI can affect the speed and sensitivity of your mouse, it does not affect your mouse's performance. A mouse with a higher polling rate will have better a much better response time in terms of position as well as button clicks.
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Section 2 of 4:

Changing Mouse Polling Rate

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   1
   Use the dedicated mouse buttons. Many high-end gaming mouses that are capable of faster polling rates have dedicated mouse buttons on the mouse itself that you can use to change the polling rate. If your mouse has dedicated buttons that allow you to change the polling rate, go ahead and press the buttons and see if you notice a difference.

   • Using a higher polling rate can negatively impact the battery life of your mouse. Don't increase the polling rate beyond what is needed for your computer hardware and monitor.
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   2
   Use the number keys on the keyboard. If your mouse supports a higher polling rate, you may be able to change the polling rate using the keyboard as you plug in your mouse. The mouse wheel should light up if you are successful. Use one of the followings steps to change the mouse polling rate using your keyboard:

   • 125 Hz — Unplug your mouse from the USB port. Press and hold 4 and 5 simultaneously while you plug your mouse back in.
   • 500 Hz — Unplug your mouse from the USB port. Press and hold 5 while you plug your mouse back in.
   • 1000 Hz — Unplug your mouse from the USB port. Press and hold 4 while you plug your mouse back in.
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   3
   Use the mouse's official application. Many mouse manufacturers have a utility app that you can download from their official website. If your mouse supports a higher polling rate, you may be able to use these apps to change your mouse settings, including the polling data. Go to your mouse manufacturer's website and download their app. The following are a few ways to change the polling rate for different mouse brands:

   • Razer Mouses: Download and install the Razer Synapse app from https://www.razer.com/synapse-3. Open the app and select your mouse. Select Mouse > Performance > Polling rate. Then select your preferred polling rate.
   • Logitech Mouses: Download and install the Logitech G Hub app from https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/innovation/g-hub.html. Open the app and select your mouse. Then click the Sensitivity (DPI) icon. Use the drop-down menu under "Report Rate (per second)" to select your polling rate.
   • SteelSeries: Download and install the SteelSeries GG software suite from https://steelseries.com/gg/engine. Open the SteelSeries Engine app and select your mouse. Then select your preferred polling rate using the menu to the right.
   • Corsair Mouses: Download and install the Corsair ICUE app from https://www.corsair.com/us/en/s/downloads. Open the app and select your mouse under "Devices." Click Settings at the top. Click the Mouse icon and use the drop-down next to "Polling Rate" to select your preferred polling rate.
   • HyperX Mouses: Download and install HyperX NGenuity from https://hyperx.com/pages/ngenuity. Open that app and select your profile or create a new profile. Then click Performance in the menu to the right. Use the slider menu to adjust the polling rate. Then click Apply.
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   4
   Use third-party software. If your mouse doesn't have a companion or utility app that allows you to change the polling rate, you may be able to use a third-party app that is used to overclock USB mice. If this doesn't work on your mouse, your may not be able to change the polling rate. Use the following steps to change your polling rate using a third-party app.

   • Go to https://github.com/LordOfMice/hidusbf/blob/master/hidusbf.zip in a web browser and click Download.
   • Extract the contents of the ZIP file you just downloaded.
   • Open the folder you just extracted.
   • Open the "DRIVER" folder.
   • Double-click the Setup.exe file.
   • Click your mouse in the list of connected devices.
   • Select your preferred polling rate using the drop-down menu next to "Selected Rate" at the bottom.
   • Click Install Service at the bottom.
   • Click Restart at the bottom.
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Section 3 of 4:

How to Check Mouse Polling Rate

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   Use an online polling rate checker. The easiest way to check your mouse polling rate is to use a free online checker. There are tons of websites you can use to check your mouse polling rate. These will tell your maximum polling rate and your average polling rate. Use the following steps to check your mouse polling data:

   • Go to https://cps-check.com/polling-rate-check in a web browser.
   • Click the green button that says Click to start.
   • Move your mouse button in a continuous circle.
   • Continue for as long as you want but don't stop moving the mouse.
   • Click Click to stop when you are finished.
   • Note your average and maximum polling rate.

Section 4 of 4:

Does Mouse Polling Rate Improve Performance?

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   Yes, but only if your computer hardware can keep up. Increasing your mouse polling rate increases the number of times your mouse sends data to your computer. This can improve your mouse's performance and response time. However, your computer processor needs to be able to keep up with the polling rate of your mouse. You will also need a monitor with a high refresh rate:

   • Computer processor speed: If your computer processor (CPU) speed isn't able to keep up with the mouse polling rate, you won't notice the difference. It may even cause some input lag. If you have a mouse that is capable of an 8,000 Hz polling rate, you will also need an 8,000 Hz CPU to keep up.
   • Monitor Refresh Rate: Your monitor refresh rate is how often the image on your monitor updates every second. This is also measured in Hz. A 120 Hz refresh rate monitor will update the image 120 times per second.
   • If you have a monitor that is capable of 240 Hz, increasing the polling rate on your mouse beyond 125 Hz might produce a noticeable improvement in your mouse's response time.
   • However, if you have a laptop with a 60 Hz monitor, you most likely won't notice much difference by increasing your mouse polling rate.
   • App Support: Even if you have a mouse that is capable of an extremely fast polling rate, and a CPU and monitor that can keep up, you may still find that not all apps and games support extremely fast polling rates.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  Does higher polling rate consume more battery?

  

  Luigi Oppido
  Computer & Tech Specialist

  Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

  

  Luigi Oppido

  Computer & Tech Specialist

  Expert Answer

  Definitely! You're asking the mouse to broadcast at quicker rates. Therefore, instead of it sending one signal out every 5 seconds, it sends a signal out every 10th of a second. So, if you're sending more signals out in a shorter amount of time, it'll absolutely kill the battery more quickly.

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