CPS KING

Why is my mouse lagging? Find the cause, then fix it

Lag is when the pointer follows your hand late; stutter is when it stops for a moment, then jumps to catch up. Both usually come from one of three places: the connection between the mouse and the computer (a low battery, a receiver too far away or next to a USB 3 port, a hub), the surface under the sensor, or a computer too busy to handle the mouse's reports in time. Work through the checks below in order: the first ones take seconds.

Polling rate test

Smooth Stutter then jumps no reports: the pointer waits
Each dot is one position report from the mouse along the path your hand moves. When reports stop arriving for a moment, the pointer stays where it was, then jumps to where your hand already is.

Check these in order

  1. Battery. A wireless mouse can lag or drop out when its battery runs low, before it stops altogether. Charge it or fit a fresh battery, then try again.
  2. The receiver and USB 3 ports. USB 3 ports, cables and drives give off radio noise in the 2.4 GHz band that many wireless mice use. Put the receiver as close to the mouse as you can, in a USB 2 port away from USB 3 devices, or on a short extension cable so it sits on the desk. USB 3 ports often have a blue insert.
  3. Bluetooth. Remove the mouse from your Bluetooth devices, pair it again and keep it near the computer.
  4. The port. Plug the mouse or its receiver straight into the computer, not into a hub, monitor or keyboard, and try another port.
  5. Surface and sensor. Wipe the sensor window under the mouse with a dry cotton swab. Glass, mirrors and glossy desks can confuse an optical sensor; a plain mouse pad gives it something to track.
  6. Polling rate. At 4,000 or 8,000 Hz, the computer has to handle up to 8,000 reports a second. If the pointer or a game stutters, set the mouse's app to 1,000 Hz and compare.
  7. Power saving (Windows). In Device Manager, open your mouse and each USB Root Hub, and on the Power Management tab clear "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power". In Control Panel, open Power Options, then your plan's advanced settings, and set USB selective suspend to Disabled.
  8. A busy computer. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and look for a program using most of the CPU. If the pointer is smooth on the desktop but not in one game, the game's frame rate is the problem, not the mouse: lower its graphics settings.
  9. The mouse's app. Update the maker's app, or close it and see whether the stutter stops.
  10. Another mouse, another computer. If a different mouse is smooth on this computer, the fault is in your mouse or its receiver. If your mouse is smooth on another computer, look again at this computer's ports, settings and load.

Watch it happen

Open the polling rate test and move the mouse in steady circles for ten seconds. If the live rate and its bar hold steady, reports keep arriving; drops while your hand keeps the same pace point to the connection or a busy computer. Run it again after each fix to see whether it helped. The test counts the events your browser receives, not the mouse's USB polling rate.

Mouse clicking twice when you press once? Read why a mouse double-clicks. Pointer travelling further on fast moves? That is mouse acceleration, not lag.

Sources: Logitech, wireless products and USB 3.0 devices; Intel, USB 3.0 radio frequency interference and 2.4 GHz wireless devices (2012).