Mouse DPI Test
Mark two points on your desk, press start and click at each mark as you slide the mouse between them. The test works out its DPI.
Getting ready…
How It Works
DPI, or dots per inch, is how many movement counts your mouse sends for each inch it travels: at 800 DPI, an inch of movement sends 800 counts. Mice set it with a button or in their software, and the sensor does not always match the number.
The test locks the pointer to the box, so it hides and never stops at the edge of the screen. You line the mouse up with one mark and click, slide it to the other mark and click, and go back and forth until 4 passes are in. The counts between two clicks, divided by the distance between the marks, are the DPI.
Where the browser offers it, the test reads movement straight from the mouse, before your system’s pointer speed and acceleration, so the result is the sensor’s own. Nothing leaves your device.
Interpreting Your Result
The result is the average of your 4 passes. If any pass is more than 8% off the others, a mark was missed, and the test asks you to run it again.
If you entered your DPI setting, the test compares the two. Within 5% is accurate: sensors commonly land within a few percent of their setting, and lining marks up by eye adds about 2%. More than 10% off means the setting applied is not the one you entered, or the surface makes the sensor skip.
Without a setting, the test names the common step the result is closest to, such as 800 or 1600 DPI. A result between steps is a custom setting or a sensor that is off: enter your setting and test again to find out which.
Switching games, or moving your aim to a new mouse? Put the measured DPI into the mouse sensitivity converter to keep the same aim.
Aim still changes with speed at the right DPI? The mouse acceleration test checks whether pointer acceleration is on.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check my mouse DPI without software?
Use this page. Mark two points 10 cm or 4 inches apart, press start, and click at each mark as you slide the mouse between them. The test turns the counts into DPI, with nothing to install. Windows and macOS have no setting that shows a mouse’s DPI.
Is this a DPI analyzer?
Yes. Like a DPI analyzer, it counts what your mouse sends over a known distance and compares the result with the DPI you set, so you can see how accurate the sensor is.
Why is my measured DPI different from my setting?
A few percent either way is normal: sensors are not exact, and lining marks up by eye adds about 2%. Bigger gaps come from a setting that did not apply (check the software, or which step the DPI button is on), a glossy surface that makes the sensor skip, or lifting the mouse during a pass.
What DPI is best for gaming?
Most players in shooters use 400 to 1600 DPI and set the speed in the game. A higher DPI is not more accurate in itself: it moves the pointer farther for the same hand movement. What counts is a sensitivity you can repeat, which DPI and the game setting make together (eDPI).
Do I need a ruler?
A ruler or tape measure is best. Longer distances are more exact: a millimeter of error is 2% over 5 cm, but under 1% over 15 cm. Mark the two points with tape or a pencil on paper under the mouse.
Which browser gives the most exact result?
Chrome and Edge on Windows read movement straight from the mouse. Other browsers give movement after your system’s pointer speed and acceleration, which matches the mouse’s DPI only at the default speed with acceleration off. The result says which one you got.
Does a touchpad have a DPI?
Not one you can set. The test still runs: it reads the touchpad’s own counts through your system’s pointer settings, so the number only compares touchpads on the same computer.