How to change mouse sensitivity and speed in Windows 10

By Peggy E. Dumas Last updated Apr 17, 2022

Featured - How to Change Your Mouse Cursor Speed on Windows 10

A mouse is essential for navigating your operating system quickly, which is why it can be so frustrating when it doesn’t behave as expected. If you’ve recently purchased a new mouse or reset your operating system, you may notice that your mouse cursor is too high or too low, which is affecting your productivity. In such cases, it is necessary to know how to change mouse sensitivity in Windows 10 – and we will show you how to do it today.

Change the DPI to adjust the sensitivity of the Windows 10 mouse if you can

There are many ways to change mouse speed in Windows 10, and we’ll focus on three of them today. One is to use the modern Windows 10 settings user interface, one is the familiar legacy control panel, and the other is regedit. Whichever method you choose, you will notice that there are a total of twenty speeds for your mouse pointer, with 1 being the slowest and 20 being the fastest.

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You should know, however, that it is always better to change the DPI of your mouse before changing the mouse speed in the settings of Windows 10. For reasons that we will not discuss here, your cursor will be more precise if you leave the Windows sensitivity at 6 or 11 and adjust the DPI in your mouse software or through its physical buttons to achieve the desired behavior.

How to check the DPI of the mouse

You can perform mouse DPI test with this web based dpi checker here. With this tool, you can measure the actual DPI of your mouse and calculate the accuracy of the sensor. It can also be used to find out what your DPI actually is if you don’t have a setting for it in your mouse driver.

Many mice, especially the cheaper ones, unfortunately don’t come with DPI control. If you are in a smaller corporate environment, your IT administrator may also prevent you from installing third-party software such as mouse drivers. If so, changing the sensitivity of the Windows 10 mouse through its built-in tools is your only choice. Here’s how to do it:

How to change mouse sensitivity in Windows 10 through settings

Windows 10’s new Settings UI lets you adjust most of the things you need these days, and that extends to mouse pointers. Its clear and user-friendly nature makes it a good choice for a simple task like this.

Open settings
press the Start , then click the settings cog, above the power button. Otherwise, press Windows + I.
Click on “Devices”
Choose “Mouse” from the sidebar and change your mouse speed
In the main pane, you will see a cursor with “Cursor speed” Above. Dragging it to the left will slow down your cursor, and dragging it to the right will speed it up. The changes will take effect immediately.

How to change mouse speed in Windows 10 via Control Panel

If you prefer function over form, the old control panel is also a good choice. It allows you to quickly reduce or increase mouse sensitivity in Windows 10 in a compact and simple user interface. Here’s how to use it:

Open the control panel
hurry Start and type “Control Panel”, then click on the first result.
Click on “Hardware and sound”
Find the “Peripherals and Printers” section and press “Mouse”
Open the “Pointer Options” tab and adjust the mouse pointer speed slider
The further to the right, the faster your cursor will go. Once you are at a speed that is convenient for you, you can click “To apply” followed by “OKAY”.

How to Change Windows 10 Mouse Sensitivity Via Registry Editor

If the other options don’t work for you or keep resetting when you update or restart your PC, you can try Regedit instead. Before doing so, however, be sure to save your registry and quickly read our secure registry editing guide. Once you are ready, follow the steps below:

Open Registry Editor
hurry Start then type “Regdit”. Click on the top result.
Access the mouse button and adjust your value data “Mouse sensitivity”

In the top bar of your registry editor, paste ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelMouse.

Scroll down the main pane until you find the “Mouse sensitivity” entry and double click on it. In the “Value data” field, enter a number, 1 being the lowest speed and 20 being the highest. hurry “OKAY” when you are done and test the changes.

If you need to change the Windows 10 mouse sensitivity again at any time, you can come back here and adjust the value.

How to change mouse cursor size or touchpad speed

Now that you know how to change mouse sensitivity in Windows 10, you want to adjust your laptop’s touchpad speed accordingly. Fortunately, we already have a guide on how to customize the Windows 10 precision touchpad this will show you how. In the meantime, if you’re looking to further customize your slider, you should check out our how to change mouse cursor size or use custom cursor Tutorial.