Mouse Test

What this mouse test checks

A button that lights up proves that the button works. It does not find the most common mouse fault: a worn switch that clicks twice when you click once. This test looks for it, and checks the rest of the mouse at the same time:

• Buttons. Left, right, middle and the two side buttons, each with its own counter.
• Unwanted double clicks. Every press is timed. A second press that arrives faster than a hand can click is counted as a fault, whether it comes after a press or after a release.
• Wheel. Steps up and down are counted, and a step sent in the wrong direction is flagged.
• Polling rate. An estimate of how many times per second the mouse reports its position.

The test works with any mouse, and with a laptop trackpad for the buttons and scrolling. Nothing is installed and nothing leaves your browser.

How to test your mouse

1. Click each button once inside the framed area. Its part of the drawing lights up and its counter rises. Right click, middle click and the side buttons are captured inside the frame only, so no menu opens and the page does not go back.
2. Look for unwanted double clicks. Click the left button slowly about twenty times, one click at a time, then hold it down for a few seconds and release. Do the same with the right button. If the counter in the last column rises, the switch sent a click that you did not make.
3. Scroll the wheel one full turn up, then one full turn down, at a steady pace. “Wrong-direction steps” should stay at zero.
4. Move the mouse quickly in circles inside the frame for a second. The polling rate appears, with the highest value kept.
5. Save the result to compare it later, for example before and after cleaning the mouse, or with another mouse.

How to read your results

Buttons

The three main buttons are expected on every mouse. The side buttons, usually called Back and Forward, exist only on some models, so a result of three out of five is normal for a simple mouse. If a side button exists but does not respond, the cause is often the mouse’s own software, which can give the button another role that the browser never sees.

Unwanted double clicks

A hand needs a little time to click twice. When a second press arrives less than 80 milliseconds after the previous one, or less than 25 milliseconds after the button was released, the switch produced it, not you. The first case is the classic “double click on a single click”. The second shows up when you hold a button to drag something and the item drops by itself.

“None” after twenty slow clicks on a button is a good sign. The fault is often intermittent, so if the problem is occasional, click more and repeat the test another day. A single fault among hundreds of very fast clicks can be your own speed: that is why the test asks for slow clicks.

Wheel

A healthy wheel sends steps in one direction while you turn it one way. A worn or dusty wheel sometimes sends a step backwards in the middle of a movement: the page jumps up while you scroll down. The test counts these wrong-direction steps. “Sideways scrolling” is only informative: it appears with a tilting wheel, a second wheel or a trackpad.

Polling rate

The polling rate is how often the mouse tells the computer where it is. About 125 times per second (125 Hz) is usual for office mice, 500 to 1000 Hz for gaming mice, and more for a few recent models. A higher rate makes the cursor movement slightly smoother; it does not make a mouse more precise.

This value is an estimate. The browser passes on the reports it received between two screen refreshes, and may limit them, so a fast mouse can read lower than its setting. Move the mouse quickly and continuously to get the best reading. See how we measure.

Troubleshooting

The left button double clicks by itself

First rule out the settings: in your system’s mouse settings, the double-click speed should not be at its fastest. If the test still counts unwanted double clicks, the switch is worn or dirty. Blowing air around the button and clicking it firmly many times sometimes helps for a while. Some mouse software offers a “debounce time” setting that hides the fault. The lasting repairs are replacing the switch or the mouse; a mouse under warranty is normally exchanged for this fault.

Drag and drop lets go of items

This is the same wear seen from the other side: the switch releases for an instant while you hold it. Hold each button down for several seconds during the test and watch the last column.

The wheel jumps or scrolls the wrong way

Dust and hair in the wheel are the usual cause. Turn the mouse over, blow air into the gap around the wheel and spin it quickly in both directions. If wrong-direction steps remain, the encoder under the wheel is worn.

A side button does not respond

Check the mouse’s own software: a button set to a macro or to a special function is not sent to the browser as a normal button. Browser extensions for mouse gestures can also intercept the side buttons. Try a private window, where extensions are usually off.

The middle button does not respond

Press the wheel straight down, without turning it. On some trackpads, a middle click is a three-finger tap or is not available at all.

The polling rate is lower than expected

A Bluetooth mouse usually reports about 125 times per second, whatever its box says about its wireless receiver. Power saving, a USB hub or a weak receiver signal can lower the rate too. Plug the receiver close to the mouse, directly into the computer, and check the rate chosen in the mouse’s software.

The test does not react to my trackpad

Click and scroll inside the framed area: outside it, the page behaves normally. A tap on a touch screen is not counted, because it is not a mouse.

Frequently asked questions

Is anything recorded or sent to TestrHub?

No. The clicks and movements are read by the page in your browser and never leave it. Saved results stay in your browser, and a result is only shared if you copy its link.

Why 80 milliseconds?

Very fast deliberate double clicks are rarely closer than about a tenth of a second. A worn switch produces its extra click within a few hundredths of a second. The 80-millisecond limit separates the two when you click slowly, as the test asks.

Can I test a gaming mouse?

Yes. All five standard buttons are tested. Extra buttons beyond those five are handled by the mouse’s own software and are not visible to a web page. High polling rates may read lower than their setting, as explained above.

Does it work with a trackpad or a touch screen?

A trackpad works for the buttons and for scrolling, and shows sideways scrolling too. A touch screen is tested with the touch screen test.

Why is there no click speed score?

Counting clicks per second is a different test, about your hand rather than the mouse. The click speed test measures it, and also flags clicks that come too fast for a finger.

Which test should I run next?

The keyboard test checks every key, key chatter and how many keys work at the same time.