Mouse Button Test

How to test your mouse buttons

Press each button inside the test box and check that its part of the drawing lights up and its count goes up. The right click test works the same way: the context menu is turned off inside the box, so a right click only counts.

1. Step 1Click in the boxPress each button inside the test area: left, right, the wheel, then Back and Forward on the side. Each part of the drawing lights while you hold it.
2. Step 2Turn the wheelScroll up and down, and tilt the wheel left and right if it can. The arrows on the drawing flash for each tick.
3. Step 3Read the tableEvery button needs at least one click. A number in the double click column means two clicks came too close together.

Mouse double-clicking on its own?

A mouse that double clicks when you click once usually has a worn switch. Inside the button, a small metal contact closes when you press. As it wears, it can bounce, so the computer sees two clicks a few milliseconds apart. This is called switch chatter. You notice it when files open on one click, drags let go halfway, or text selections jump.

The double click test times every press on each button. When two presses on one button come closer than the limit, 80 ms by default, it counts a possible double click and shows the shortest gap. A fast double click by hand is rarely under 80 ms, so a gap of 5 to 30 ms almost always means the switch. For comparison, Windows treats two clicks within 500 ms by default as a double click. Click slowly, one click at a time, about 20 times: one double click can be a fluke, several mean the switch is failing.

Try the mouse on another computer first. If it double clicks there too, the switch is worn. Some mouse software has a debounce setting that hides chatter, and most makers replace a mouse that does it within the warranty: copy the result line to show what happens.

Scroll wheel test: skipping and jumping

Turn the wheel inside the box and watch the up and down counts: each notch should add one tick in the right direction. A wheel that skips adds fewer ticks than notches. A wheel that jumps the wrong way for a moment while you scroll one way gets counted as a wrong way tick, which a worn or dirty wheel sensor does. Blowing dust out of the gap around the wheel sometimes helps.

Press the wheel down to test the middle button. A wheel that tilts left and right adds to the left and right counts. After your first click in the box, scrolling there does not move the page, so this mouse scroll test can run without the page jumping away.

Troubleshooting and privacy

A wireless mouse with a low battery misses and doubles clicks, so charge it or change the battery and keep the receiver close. If Back leaves the page, your mouse software or the system acted before the browser: the button works, so press Forward to come back. The test counts clicks on this page only. Nothing is sent, and a reload clears everything.

FAQ

• Mouse polling rate test

  Measure how many times a second your mouse reports, in Hz.

• Stick drift test

  Check a game controller's sticks and buttons.