Mouse Lagging

Mouse lagging shows up as a pointer that stutters, jumps, trails behind your hand or freezes for a moment. On a wireless mouse the fastest fix is a fresh battery and a receiver moved close to the mouse, away from USB 3 drives and hubs. To find where the lag starts, move the mouse in circles inside the mouse polling rate test for ten seconds. A steady rate means the mouse and its connection are fine and the delay comes from the computer or the game. A rate that drops, jumps or stalls points to the battery, the wireless link or the USB port.

Quick checks

• Charge the mouse or fit a fresh battery. Many wireless mice stutter long before they stop.
• Move the receiver to a port near the mouse, or put it on a short USB extension cable on the desk.
• Unplug USB 3 drives and hubs next to the receiver and see if the lag stops.
• Try another surface and check the sensor for hair or fluff.
• Close heavy programs. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and look for a process using most of the CPU or disk.
• Plug in a wired mouse if you have one. If it is smooth, the problem is your mouse or its link.

Read the polling rate test

The click latency test then shows how long the browser takes to show each click on screen, which covers the part after the mouse report arrives.

Fix wireless interference

Wireless mice with a USB receiver use the 2.4 GHz band, shared with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the noise that USB 3 ports and cables give off. Apple's own advice for Bluetooth devices is to keep USB 3 devices and hubs away from wireless devices and not to place them on top of the computer, and the same applies to mouse receivers.

1. Plug the receiver into a port within a meter or two of the mouse, with a clear line between them. Metal desks and the side of a metal PC case block the signal.
2. Use a USB 2 port, or a short extension cable, so the receiver sits away from busy USB 3 ports.
3. Move the Wi-Fi router, wireless headsets and their dongles away from the receiver.
4. On a laptop, keep the receiver on the side away from USB 3 drives.

Fix Bluetooth lag

Bluetooth mice are more sensitive to a busy radio than mice with their own receiver.

• In Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, open the adapter's Properties > Power Management and untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
• Switch your Wi-Fi to the 5 GHz band if your router offers it, which leaves 2.4 GHz to Bluetooth.
• Streaming audio to Bluetooth headphones through the same adapter can make a Bluetooth mouse stutter. A mouse with its own USB receiver avoids this.
• Remove the mouse in Settings > Bluetooth & devices and pair it again.

If Bluetooth drops out for every device, see bluetooth not working.

Set a sensible polling rate

Gaming mice let you set how often they report, in their own software. 1000 Hz is the safe choice. Rates of 4000 or 8000 Hz send up to eight times more reports, which some games, older processors and USB hubs cannot keep up with, so the pointer stutters instead of getting smoother. If your mouse is set that high and stutters, drop to 1000 Hz and test again. A mouse stuck at 125 Hz looks choppy on a fast screen, so raise it if the software allows.

Windows settings that add lag

Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse in Windows 11, or Settings > Devices > Mouse in Windows 10:

• Scroll inactive windows when hovering over them. Turn it off as a test. If the stutter stops, leave it off.
• Enhance pointer precision. This is pointer acceleration. It does not add delay, but it makes movement speed change with how fast you move, which can feel like lag. Turn it off for consistent movement. In Windows 10 it is on the Pointer Options tab of Additional mouse options.
• Pointer trails. In Additional mouse settings > Pointer Options, untick Display pointer trails.

Power settings also matter, especially on laptops:

1. Plug the laptop in, or turn off battery saver. It slows the processor to save power.
2. In Control Panel > Power Options, select Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings, expand USB settings and set USB selective suspend setting to Disabled.
3. In Device Manager, open each USB Root Hub under Universal Serial Bus controllers and untick the power saving box on its Power Management tab.

Update the graphics driver from AMD, Intel or NVIDIA, and update or remove mouse software you do not need. Two mouse apps running together often fight over the same device.

Mouse lagging or stuttering in games only

If the desktop is smooth but a game feels slow, the delay is in the game or the display:

• Frame rate. At 30 frames per second each frame lasts 33 ms, so a movement can wait that long to appear. Lower the graphics settings until the frame rate is close to or above your screen's refresh rate.
• V-Sync and frame caps. V-Sync can add a frame or more of delay. Turn it off, or use the variable refresh option your screen supports.
• The screen. Check that your monitor runs at its full refresh rate with the refresh rate test. A 144 Hz monitor left at 60 Hz looks laggy.
• Raw input. Many shooters have a raw input option that reads the mouse directly. Turn it on.

If you suspect the monitor itself, the input lag tester measures how much later one screen shows a frame than another, using a phone camera.

Mac

• Move USB 3 drives and hubs away from the Mac and the mouse, and use 5 GHz Wi-Fi where possible. Apple lists erratic or jumpy pointer movement as a sign of wireless interference.
• Set Tracking speed in System Settings > Mouse if the pointer feels slow rather than delayed.
• Restart Bluetooth: open Terminal, type sudo pkill bluetoothd, press Return and enter your password.
• Update or reinstall mouse software such as Logi Options+.

When it is a hardware fault

If the mouse lags on two computers, wired or with a fresh battery, and the polling rate test shows drops in every port, the mouse is failing. Common causes are a worn cable that cuts out as it bends, a dirty or failing sensor, and a receiver that has lost range. Clean the sensor window with a dry cotton swab and replace worn feet, which can make the sensor sit too far from the pad. Inside the warranty, claim a replacement with your test results. To check that the sensor still tracks the distance it should, use the mouse dpi test, and if the mouse stops responding altogether, see mouse not working on pc.

Mouse lag questions