What mouse acceleration is

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Mouse acceleration means a fast swipe travels farther than a slow swipe of the same length. Move the mouse one inch slowly and the pointer goes one distance. Move it one inch quickly and the pointer goes farther. The hand did the same work. The computer added distance because the hand was faster.

On Windows, that behavior is a checkbox named Enhance pointer precision. Microsoft’s mouse settings page is the official path: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Mouse. The checkbox is on by default. For a desktop cursor, some people like it. For a match, it makes the same flick land in a different place depending on how fast you threw it, which is the opposite of practice.

I aim Overwatch on Zarya with a Logitech PRO 2 LIGHTSPEED at 1200 DPI, left-handed, UHJK, Enhance pointer precision off, Windows pointer speed 6 (of 20). I match other games by cm/360 on /tools. More mouse guides.

This is not DPI. DPI is how many counts the mouse sends per inch, and that count stays the same whether you move slowly or quickly. Acceleration is a multiplier Windows applies after those counts, and the multiplier grows as the swipe gets faster. It is also not the G number on a sensor sheet. That number is the camera losing the picture. The checkbox is software.

You do not need a new mouse to turn this off. If you are buying one anyway, the shells I actually pick up are below.

The mice on my setup (and one budget look)

• The mouse I aim with: Logitech PRO 2 LIGHTSPEED. Symmetrical, 80 g, HERO 2 to 44,000 DPI, LIGHTSPEED wireless. Magnetic side buttons move under a left thumb. Official US price $149.99 at Logitech G. G HUB does not add a second acceleration switch; Windows is the switch. PRO 2 (white) on Amazon
• The mouse I play WoW with: Razer Naga Left-Handed Edition, model RZ01-0341. Wired, 109 g, Focus+ at 20,000 DPI, 12-button thumb grid. Official US price from $99.99 at Razer. Acceleration is still the Windows checkbox, not a Naga feature. Amazon search for RZ01-0341
• Budget wireless to look at: Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED. HERO to 12,000 DPI, 1000 Hz, 75 g empty / 99 g with the AA (Logitech support specs). Same Windows checkbox. Amazon search for G305

Best gaming mouse is the shape page. Here it’s the software multiplier that sits on top of any of them.

Which switch to clear

Mouse acceleration is a fast swipe traveling farther than a slow swipe of the same length. On Windows, that checkbox is Enhance pointer precision.

Where it might be onNot sureWindowsInside the gameBothWhat you use the mouse forMatchesThe desktop onlyPointer speedNot sure yetThe slider is in the middleThe slider is off to one side

Do this

Clear the checkbox

Open the Pointer Options tab and clear Enhance pointer precision. Leave the pointer-speed slider at the default before you decide how the mouse feels.

If you play matches, clear Enhance pointer precision and leave the pointer-speed slider in the middle. If the game reads the mouse itself, the Windows checkbox never reached it, so the game needs its own switch too. If you only move a cursor around a desktop, you can leave the checkbox on.

On a Mac, it’s the ‘Pointer acceleration’ toggle in Mouse settings.

How to turn it off

The steps are the Windows settings. Microsoft documents the same screen under “Change mouse settings.”

1. Open Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Mouse.
2. Drag Mouse pointer speed to the middle of the slider. That middle position does not multiply the counts. A position off to either side still does, even after the checkbox is clear.
3. Open Additional mouse settings. That opens the older mouse window.
4. Choose the Pointer Options tab.
5. Clear Enhance pointer precision. The slider on this same tab is the pointer speed again. Its middle notch is the same position you just set.
6. Choose Apply, then OK.

Windows 11 also exposes an Enhance pointer precision toggle on the Settings → Mouse page itself. Either control is the same idea. The Pointer Options tab is the one How-To Geek and Microsoft’s older path both name. Use it once, then leave it.

Play one scene you already know. Do not change DPI or in-game sensitivity in that same session. If the aim feels different, the checkbox was doing something. If it feels the same, the game was never using Windows, and the next section is the one that matters.

The desktop cursor will feel different after this, especially on long moves across two monitors. I sit in front of a 1080p 240 Hz and a 1440p 155 Hz monitor. Crossing both screens without acceleration is a longer swipe. That is the checkbox doing what you asked. You can turn it back on for the desktop and still have a game that ignores it. You cannot have one Windows setting that is off in a match and on in a browser, unless the game is reading the mouse itself.

When the game ignores Windows

A lot of games take the mouse counts directly. Raw input is the usual name. With that on, Enhance pointer precision never touches the crosshair. The desktop cursor still uses the checkbox. You can clear it, watch the desktop change, and see no change in the match. That is not a failed step. It means the game was already past Windows.

Open the mouse or controls page in that game. If you see raw input, turn it on. If you see a line named mouse acceleration, turn it off. Those are the game’s copies of the same idea. The menu will not use Microsoft’s words. If the page has neither line, the game is probably already reading the mouse without the Windows curve, and the checkbox was only ever the desktop.

Overwatch is the shooter I queue. I set 1200 DPI, match cm/360, and leave the Windows box off. If your title has its own curve, that title’s page is the one to clear. Do not hunt for a second Windows checkbox that the page does not have.

Change one of these at a time. Change one thing at a time. Two changes in one night feel like a new mouse, and you will not know which one you wanted. How to find your sensitivity is the cm/360 pass after the checkbox is settled.

What the mouse software does not add

Logitech G HUB on the PRO 2 does not give you a separate acceleration slider that replaces Windows. Clear Enhance pointer precision and you are done on that mouse. Razer Synapse on the Naga is the same idea for this checkbox: the OS setting is the one that stretches the desktop cursor.

A polling rate change is not acceleration. 1000 Hz is once a millisecond. The PRO 2 includes 1000 Hz. The 8 kHz step needs the separate PRO LIGHTSPEED receiver. Raising Hertz does not turn the checkbox off.

Wireless latency is not acceleration either. LIGHTSPEED is the radio I play on. Bluetooth is the slower mode. Use the dongle in a match.

What it is not

A sensor’s acceleration rating, in G, is how sharply a flick can speed up before the camera loses the count. Clearing Enhance pointer precision does not raise that limit, and a higher G on a box does not turn the checkbox off. Gaming mouse for FPS is the shape and the sensor after this software is quiet.

The pointer-speed slider is the control people mix up with the checkbox. Acceleration changes the distance based on speed. The slider changes the distance the same way for every speed. For aiming, the middle of the slider plus the checkbox cleared is the pair. For a desktop you never aim with, leave the slider where the cursor is easy to live with, and decide on the checkbox separately.

If a flick still lands long only when you throw it fast, and both switches above are already off, you are feeling the throw, not a hidden Windows curve. Practice that flick at the sensitivity you play.

I left the box off, set 1200, and stopped. The mouse was already on the desk. More mouse guides.

Common questions

What is mouse acceleration?

It's a setting that makes your cursor move farther when you move the mouse faster. That means a slow and fast swipe of the same distance land in different places. In Windows it's called Enhance pointer precision.

How do I turn off mouse acceleration in Windows?

Open Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Mouse, then Additional mouse settings. On the Pointer Options tab, uncheck Enhance pointer precision and click Apply. Keep the pointer speed slider in the middle.

Does turning off mouse acceleration change my DPI?

No. Your DPI stays the same. Turning acceleration off just removes the extra speed boost Windows added on top, so the cursor follows your hand more consistently.

Why does my game still feel like it has mouse acceleration?

The game might have its own acceleration setting, or it might not be using raw input. Turn on raw input and turn off any in-game acceleration. Change one setting at a time so you know what fixed it.

Should my Windows pointer speed be in the middle?

Yes, for games that use the Windows cursor. The middle setting (10 of 20) adds no extra multiplier. Most games use raw input and ignore it anyway.

Is sensor acceleration the same as mouse acceleration?

No. The acceleration rating on a sensor spec, like 40 G, is how fast you can change speed before the sensor loses tracking. Windows mouse acceleration is a software setting, and turning it off doesn't affect the sensor.