What Is Polling Rate?
Polling Rate (Report rate): How many times per second an input device sends its state to the computer, measured in hertz (Hz).
Definition
Polling rate is how often a device — usually a mouse, but also keyboards and controllers — reports to the computer. It’s measured in hertz (Hz), meaning reports per second. A 1000 Hz mouse sends its position every 1 millisecond; a 125 Hz mouse every 8 milliseconds.
The name comes from USB: the computer “polls” the device at a fixed interval to ask for new data.
Common Values
| Polling rate | Interval | Typical device |
|---|---|---|
| 125 Hz | 8 ms | Office mice, basic keyboards |
| 500 Hz | 2 ms | Budget gaming mice |
| 1000 Hz | 1 ms | Standard gaming mice and keyboards |
| 4000–8000 Hz | 0.25–0.125 ms | High-end esports mice |
Why It Matters
A higher polling rate means the computer learns about movement sooner and in finer steps. That reduces input lag slightly and makes fast cursor movement smoother — especially on high refresh rate monitors. The benefit shrinks above 1000–2000 Hz, while CPU load grows.
Polling Rate Is Not DPI
DPI controls how far the cursor moves per inch of hand movement. Polling rate controls how often that movement is reported. They’re independent settings.
Measure your mouse’s real polling rate with the polling rate test below.
Measure It
Related Guides
Related Terms
- Input LagThe delay between an input — a click, keypress or mouse movement — and its result appearing on screen.
- DPIHow many movement counts a mouse sensor reports for each inch it travels; higher DPI moves the cursor further per inch.
- Refresh RateHow many times per second a display draws a new image, measured in hertz (Hz).
Part of the TapTest glossary · More in mouse tests.