Mouse Drift Test - Cursor Detector - Check Mouses Drifting - Drift Tester

Place your mouse on a flat surface and keep it completely still. The test measures how far your cursor moves on its own. Any drift indicates a sensor, surface, or hardware issue.

Ready — 10s
Duration
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Mouse Drift Test
Move your cursor into this zone, then press Start Test
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Place Mouse & Hold Still
Move your cursor here, stop moving, then keep it still — the test starts automatically when the cursor is stationary for 1 second
0.0
0.00 px/s drift
Time left: 10.0s — Keep mouse still!
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Test Complete!
0.0
px total drift • —
Press Reset to test again
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Total Drift (px)
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Peak px/s
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Direction
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Duration

Session Stats

Last Drift—
Max Drift—
Best (Lowest)—
Total Move—
Worst (Highest)—
Drift Events—
Test Timer—
Avg Drift—
Tests Run0
Drift Distance Per Second — Breakdown

Drift Rating Guide

0 px
✅ No Drift
Ideal
1–5 px
🟢 Minimal
Acceptable
6–15 px
🟡 Moderate
Investigate
16–30 px
🟠 High
Clean sensor
>30 px
🔴 Severe
Hardware issue

Drift Over Time

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What is Mouse Drift?

Mouse drift is unintended cursor movement that occurs when your mouse is completely stationary. It is caused by optical sensor noise, surface reflectivity issues, dust on the sensor lens, or a failing hardware component. If you're also curious how fast your clicks register, try our cps speed checker to measure your clicks per second.

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Cleaning the Sensor

Use a dry microfiber cloth or a cotton swab to gently wipe the sensor lens on the underside of your mouse. Avoid liquids. Compressed air can remove loose debris. Clean the mouse pad surface as well for best results. Once your mouse is clean, run it through our click speed counter to confirm it's registering clicks accurately.

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Surface Matters

Highly reflective or transparent surfaces confuse optical sensors and cause drift. Use a solid-colour, non-glossy mouse pad. Cloth surfaces work best for most optical sensors. Avoid glass or mirrored desks. You can also double-check click responsiveness with the cps speed checker or the click speed counter after switching surfaces.

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DPI & Drift

Higher DPI amplifies any sensor noise — the same tiny imperfection appears as a larger on-screen movement. Testing at your normal gaming DPI gives the most representative real-world result for your setup. Pair this test with the click speed counter to get a fuller picture of your mouse's performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mouse drift is unintended cursor movement while your physical mouse is stationary. It is typically caused by sensor noise, dirty optics, reflective surfaces, or hardware defects.
Zero is ideal. 1–5 px over 10 seconds is considered acceptable noise. Above 5 px suggests a surface or sensor issue. Above 20 px may indicate a hardware defect requiring cleaning or replacement.
Higher DPI magnifies all sensor output — including noise — so the same physical imperfection reads as a larger pixel displacement at higher DPI settings. Test at your normal operating DPI for the most relevant measurement.
Clean the sensor lens, try a different mouse pad (cloth, non-reflective), update your mouse drivers, change the USB port, and test on multiple surfaces. If drift persists across all surfaces, the sensor may be defective.
The test measures cursor movement reported by the browser, so it works for any pointing device. However, trackpad drift has different causes (palm rejection, sensitivity settings) than optical mouse drift.