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Device & Input Tester

Mouse DPI Checker

Move your mouse a known physical distance across the test area. The tool counts CSS pixels traveled, accounts for your display's pixel ratio, and reports DPI rounded to the nearest standard step.

Mouse DPI measurement

Set browser zoom to 100% and disable mouse acceleration first (Windows: uncheck "Enhance Pointer Precision"; macOS: pointer scaling off in System Settings). Pick a known physical distance, hold the mouse button, slide horizontally that exact distance, then release.

A printed ruler or a credit card (3.37 in / 8.56 cm long) works as a physical reference.
Click and hold inside this box Slide the mouse horizontally exactly the distance above, then release.
Detected DPI
— Bucketed to the nearest standard step.
Raw DPI
— Pixel count divided by inches moved.
Pixels traveled
— Total movement during the click and hold.
Display DPR
— Device pixel ratio. 1 = standard, 2+ = HiDPI.
Copy a one-line summary to paste into a forum post or chat.

How this tester works

DPI (dots per inch) is the cursor pixel count traveled per physical inch of mouse movement. The tester listens for pointer events on the test area, accumulates the absolute pixel delta during a click and hold, multiplies by the display's pixel ratio (so HiDPI laptops are normalized to physical pixels), and divides by the physical distance you entered. The result is bucketed to the nearest standard DPI step (400, 800, 1200, 1600, 2400, 3200, 5000, 6400) since real mouse sensors output discrete values.

How to take an accurate measurement

  1. Disable mouse acceleration first. Windows: Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Mouse, Additional mouse settings, Pointer Options, uncheck "Enhance pointer precision." macOS: enable a third-party tool like LinearMouse or run a defaults command (System Settings does not directly disable it).
  2. Set browser zoom to 100%. Press Ctrl+0 (Cmd+0 on Mac). Browser zoom changes the CSS-pixel-to-physical-pixel ratio and skews the result.
  3. Set OS pointer speed to the middle. Windows: 6 of 11 notches. macOS: 5 of 10 (Tracking Speed slider). This neutralizes the OS multiplier.
  4. Pick a measurable distance. A printed ruler is best; a credit card (3.37 inches / 8.56 cm long) or a US dollar bill (6.14 inches / 15.6 cm long) work as backup references.
  5. Click and hold inside the test area. Slide the mouse horizontally exactly your chosen distance, then release the button. The tester reports the result.
  6. Repeat 2 to 3 times and average. A single measurement has 5 to 10 percent error from inconsistent sliding speed and start-stop noise. Averaging reduces error.

Why the result might not match the box

  • OS pointer-speed slider. Windows and macOS both apply a global multiplier on top of hardware DPI. A 1600 DPI mouse with the slider at 11 of 11 reports a much higher effective rate.
  • Mouse driver software override. Logitech G HUB, Razer Synapse, SteelSeries Engine, and Corsair iCUE can override the hardware DPI. Check the active profile.
  • DPI button on the mouse. Many gaming mice cycle between 2 to 5 preset DPI values via a top-side button. The currently active preset may not be the box's headline number.
  • Browser zoom. A 110% zoom shifts the CSS pixel scale. Reset to 100% before measuring.
  • Mouse acceleration / Enhance Pointer Precision. Linear DPI assumes constant acceleration response. Acceleration distorts the relationship between physical motion and cursor pixels.

Standard DPI tiers and what they are for

  • 400 DPI: esports tactical shooters (Valorant, CS2). Pro players favor low DPI plus low in-game sensitivity for control over speed. Target eDPI 200 to 400.
  • 800 DPI: the most common pro shooter setting. The "old school" CS competitive baseline; still favored by FPS pros across genres.
  • 1200 to 1600 DPI: arena shooters (Apex Legends, Overwatch) and casual FPS. Faster flick recovery; balanced precision and speed.
  • 2400 to 3200 DPI: productivity, MOBAs, RTS games. Fast cursor movement across multi-monitor setups and full-map MOBA panning.
  • 5000 to 6400 DPI: 4K monitor productivity and CAD. Required to traverse a large display without lifting the mouse repeatedly.
  • 10,000+ DPI (sensor max): marketing number, rarely used in practice. Modern PixArt sensors top out at 26,000 DPI but most users never approach 5,000.

Common mistakes

  • Not disabling acceleration. The single biggest cause of inconsistent DPI readings. Test with acceleration off for an honest hardware DPI value.
  • Browser zoom not at 100%. Easy to forget; press Ctrl+0 (or Cmd+0) before testing.
  • Using the trackpad. Trackpads do not report DPI in the mouse sense; they report touch deltas. The tester is mouse-only.
  • Sliding diagonally or with vertical drift. The tester counts total absolute pixel movement, not horizontal-only. Slide as straight as possible for accuracy.
  • Sliding too fast. High-speed motion can exceed sensor sampling rate and cause skipped pixels. A controlled 1-second slide is more accurate than a snap-and-stop.

Practical note

DPI is the headline number; in practice cm per 360-degree turn (cm/360) is the more useful comparison metric for FPS gaming. cm/360 = (360 / in-game sensitivity) / (DPI / 2.54) and represents how far you physically move the mouse to spin the camera all the way around. Pro shooters typically use 30 to 60 cm/360, lower for tactical games (CS, Valorant) and higher for arena games (Apex, Overwatch). The DPI number alone does not tell you the in-game feel; it is one input.

FAQ

What is mouse DPI?

DPI (dots per inch) is how many pixels the cursor moves when you slide the mouse one inch across the desk. Higher DPI means a faster cursor relative to physical motion. Common settings: 400 to 800 DPI for esports first-person shooters (low for control), 1600 to 3200 for general productivity, 5000+ for content creators on 4K monitors. The DPI written on the mouse box is the maximum the sensor supports, not the current setting.

Why might the result not match what my driver software says?

Three common reasons. First, the OS pointer-speed slider applies a multiplier on top of the hardware DPI (Windows Mouse Properties: Pointer Speed; macOS: Tracking Speed). Second, browser zoom changes the CSS-pixel-to-physical-pixel ratio. Set browser zoom to 100 percent and OS pointer speed to 6 of 11 (Windows) or 5 of 10 (macOS) for an accurate reading. Third, mouse acceleration (Enhance Pointer Precision in Windows) breaks the linear DPI relationship, disable it before testing.

What is eDPI?

eDPI (effective DPI) is mouse DPI multiplied by in-game sensitivity multiplier. A 800 DPI mouse with 0.5 in-game sensitivity has 400 eDPI; an 1600 DPI mouse with 0.25 in-game sensitivity has the same 400 eDPI. eDPI is the metric most pro gamers compare since it normalizes mouse hardware against game settings. Common esports eDPI ranges: 200 to 400 for tactical shooters (Valorant, CS), 500 to 1000 for arena shooters (Apex, Overwatch).

DPI vs polling rate, what is the difference?

DPI is spatial resolution (pixels per inch of motion). Polling rate is temporal resolution (how many times per second the mouse reports its position to the computer, measured in Hz). 1000 Hz polling means the mouse reports 1000 times per second; 8000 Hz polling is the high-end gaming standard. Both matter for smooth tracking, but they are independent settings. DPI affects how far the cursor moves; polling rate affects how often that movement is sampled.

Does devicePixelRatio affect this measurement?

Yes, and the tester accounts for it. On a Retina or HiDPI display, the browser reports cursor movement in CSS pixels, which are smaller than physical pixels by the DPR factor (typically 2x or 3x). The tester reads window.devicePixelRatio and multiplies the pixel count to get the underlying physical pixel travel, then divides by the inches you slid the mouse. This makes the result comparable across standard and Retina displays.

What gaming DPI should I use?

Tactical shooters (Valorant, CS2, Rainbow Six): 400 to 800 DPI with low in-game sensitivity (target 30 to 50 cm per 360 degree turn). Arena shooters (Apex, Overwatch, Quake): 800 to 1600 DPI with moderate sensitivity. MOBAs (League of Legends, Dota 2): 1600 to 3200 DPI for fast camera panning across the map. Productivity and design work: 1600 to 3200 DPI on standard monitors, 3200 to 5000 on 4K. Test what feels right; pro players use a wide range.