Mouse Latency Test

How to Use the Mouse Latency Test

This test measures the time from when the browser receives your click to when the next frame is drawn. It doesn't include the mouse's own internal delay or your monitor's pixel response, so think of it as the browser and display part of your total latency.

1. Click the box. Click inside the box at least 20 times at a relaxed pace.
2. Read the median. The median is the most reliable figure.
3. Check your display. The test also shows your screen's refresh rate and frame time.
4. Compare setups. Try wired vs wireless, or a different browser, and compare the medians.

What the Latency Numbers Mean

At 60 Hz, a frame lasts about 16.7 ms, so input-to-frame times between 0 and 17 ms are normal. At 144 Hz, expect 0 to 7 ms. Consistently higher numbers point to a busy computer or browser.

How to Reduce Mouse Latency

• Use a higher refresh rate monitor.
• Set polling rate to 1000 Hz. Check it with the polling rate test.
• Close heavy background apps and browser tabs.
• Use wired or 2.4 GHz wireless instead of Bluetooth.

Mouse Latency, and What a Web Page Can See

Latency is the delay between moving or clicking your mouse and seeing the result on screen. Total latency is made of several parts:

• Mouse: the sensor, switch debounce and polling interval.
• Connection: USB or wireless transmission.
• Operating system: handling the input.
• Browser or game: processing and drawing the frame.
• Monitor: refresh timing and pixel response.

A web page can only measure part of this chain: from the moment the browser receives the event to the moment the next frame is drawn. That's still useful for comparing setups and spotting problems, but it isn't the same as a hardware latency tester.

What This Test Measures

We record the browser timestamp of each click and the time of the next drawn frame, then show the median and the spread across your runs. The median is the most useful number. The spread tells you how consistent your setup is.

Reading Your Result

A 60 Hz monitor draws a frame every 16.7 ms, so you'll often see numbers up to about 17 ms there. A 240 Hz monitor shortens that to about 4 ms.

How to Lower Your Mouse Latency

• Use a wired or 2.4 GHz wireless connection instead of Bluetooth.
• Set the polling rate to 1000 Hz. Check with the polling rate test.
• Use a high refresh rate monitor and turn on its game mode.
• Turn off V-Sync in games, or use a variable refresh rate (G-Sync/FreeSync).
• Close heavy background apps.
• On mice with adjustable debounce, use the lowest setting that doesn't cause chatter.

Latency vs Reaction Time

Latency is your hardware's delay. Reaction time is your own. The reaction time test measures both together, because it can't separate them. If your reaction time suddenly gets worse, a latency test can tell you whether your setup is to blame.

What Good Latency Feels Like

With low, steady latency, the cursor feels glued to your hand. With high or jumpy latency, it feels floaty or delayed. If your setup feels floaty, start with the monitor: turn on game mode, raise refresh rate, and turn off motion smoothing.

Latency Glossary

Summary

Run several clicks, read the median and the spread, and compare setups. Faster monitors, wired or 2.4 GHz connections and fewer background tasks all help. Remember this measures the browser part of latency, which is great for comparisons.

Quick Tip

Tip: run the test with your laptop plugged in, as battery mode can slow everything down. Come back and test again any time something feels different, because catching small changes early is always easier than fixing big ones later.

How the Test Decides Your Result

Each run records the time your click arrived in the browser and the time the browser finished drawing the next frame. We run several clicks, throw out obvious outliers (like a click during a tab switch), and show the median. The median is better than the average here, because one slow frame from a background task won't skew it.

Measuring Full System Latency With a Slow-Motion Camera

Want to measure the whole chain, from finger to screen? Use a phone camera that records at 240 frames per second or more. Point it at your mouse and screen together. Click, and the screen flashes. In the video, count the frames between the button moving and the screen changing. At 240 fps, each frame is about 4.2 ms. Do this ten times and average it. It's not lab accurate, but it gives you a real end-to-end number.

Wired vs Wireless Latency

Modern 2.4 GHz gaming mice have latency very close to wired mice, often within a millisecond. Bluetooth is slower, typically adding several milliseconds, and it can vary more. If latency matters to you, use the dongle, not Bluetooth. For office work, Bluetooth is completely fine.

Monitor Refresh Rate and Latency

Your monitor has a big effect on the latency you feel. At 60 Hz, a new frame appears every 16.7 ms. At 144 Hz, every 6.9 ms. At 240 Hz, every 4.2 ms. Higher refresh rates don't just look smoother, they also show your mouse movements sooner. If you're choosing between a faster mouse and a faster monitor, the monitor usually makes the bigger difference.

Questions About Latency

Is 1 ms polling the same as 1 ms latency? No. Polling is just one part of the chain.

Can a website measure my mouse's click latency? Only the browser part. The mouse's internal delay happens before the browser sees the click.

Why are my results different each time? Frame timing varies, so we use the median of several runs.

Your Runs and What They Show

Each run is listed with its time, so you can see the spread. A tight cluster, like 8, 9, 9, 10 ms, means your setup is consistent. A wide spread, like 6, 15, 9, 22 ms, suggests something is interfering, often a background task, a browser extension or power saving. Try closing other tabs and plugging your laptop into power, then run again. Consistency matters as much as speed: steady latency is easier for your hands to adjust to than latency that jumps around.

Related Tools

Check how often your mouse reports with the polling rate test, measure your own speed with the reaction time test, and confirm smooth movement with the skip test.

Latency in Games vs in the Browser

Games often have their own extra latency from frame queues, V-Sync and render settings. A low result here means your mouse and system are responsive, but a game can still feel laggy if its settings add delay. Turn on low-latency modes in your graphics settings, cap your frame rate slightly below your monitor's refresh rate, and use variable refresh rate if you have it.

Latency Test FAQ Extras

Does a gaming mouse have lower latency? Usually, thanks to higher polling and faster switches.

Frequently Asked Questions