With Mouse Acceleration feature ON, you’re far more likely to overshoot your target. It can be particularly frustrating if you’re doing activities such as playing games, where precision is crucial. This guide covers various methods on how to turn OFF mouse acceleration in Windows 11.
However, the steps will be similar for Windows 10 devices as well.
As gaming has become more immersive & competitive, computer peripherals have also got refined in terms of design & functioning.
More control over the input devices, especially mouse, translates on the screen into better navigation & accurate targeting in the game.
Experts in this field recommend turning off the mouse acceleration, to avoid under-aiming or over-aiming of the targets.
But before we get to know about disabling this feature, we should be aware of what exactly mouse acceleration is, what it does when it’s on and when it’s off.
What is Mouse Acceleration?
Let’s break this phrase to understand it clearly. Mouse is mouse. No joke there. Acceleration is the rate at which speed changes.
Moving the mouse is similar to pressing the accelerator pedal of the car & the car’s pace is analogous to the cursor’s on-screen speed. The harder we press the pedal, the quicker the car’s speed changes, say from 0 km/hr to 80 km/hr in 10 seconds.
While applying a constant level of pressure on the pedal, the car moves at an unchanging pace, say, of 45 km/hour. Likewise, moving a mouse at regular speed makes the cursor proceed proportionately, with a fair idea to the user, where the cursor will end up on-screen space.
But try moving the mouse faster and you will realize that the speed of the cursor is exponentially increased, where it even vanishes for a microsecond before coming to halt & being seen again.
This sprinting of the cursor across the screen, on moving the mouse fast is termed “mouse acceleration”. It also known as pointer precision, which is quite contradictory to its function!
Let’s understand the mouse acceleration graphic above.
With mouse acceleration ON, the faster your mouse moves, the further distance the cursor travels.
With mouse acceleration OFF, your mouse and the cursor travels at a 1:1 ratio. It isn’t affected by how fast you move the cursor.
Who Benefits From Mouse Acceleration?
Mouse Acceleration was incorporated, to save time while navigating the screen & also to make the most of limited desk space. In the case of regular home or office users, this feature of mouse acceleration proves to be advantageous.
For users’ convenience in terms of time & effort, Windows have kept enhance pointer precision enabled by default.
As we have established before, with this feature on, long-distance in digital space can be covered in a short swipe, by moving our mouse fast.
When mouse acceleration is turned off, we will have to make repeated swipes on our laptop’s touchpad to make our cursor reach a distant point on the screen.
There are thousands of video games that require you to use your eye-hand coordination well in order to perform better than other players.
With Games like Overwatch, Fortnite Battle Royale, Call of Duty, etc., you will need to turn off mouse acceleration to improve your gaming performance.
Note: For best results, you’ll need to disable the mouse acceleration feature in both your Operating System (such as Windows) and in-game settings
Why Do We Need to Disable the Mouse Acceleration?
Most people may not consider disabling this feature, until the need arises for pointing with precision, especially when playing high-resolution games on PC or specific tasks like working on a detail in a design program.
If you are someone looking to improve your performance in games, you can turn off the mouse acceleration by going to settings provided by Windows for the hardware. Disabling the ‘enhance pointer precision’ feature will let you have more control over your mouse.
By disabling it, you’ll immediately notice more consistent mouse movements.
How to Turn Off Mouse Acceleration in Windows
To change Mouse Properties, you may choose any of the 3 methods provided below. All of them yield the same result.
Note: Screenshots have been taken on a Windows 11 Computer.
Through the following steps, we will get to know how we can turn off the mouse acceleration in Windows 11:
Method-1
1. Press Windows key + I simultaneously, to access the settings page.
Alternatively, use the Search button on the Task bar to look for Settings and then click Settings App to open it
2. Find the Bluetooth & devices option on the left side panel and click on it. On the right, select Mouse
3. On the right side, under the heading of Related settings, click on Additional mouse settings.
4. Mouse Properties window will open. Spot the Pointer Options tab & click on it.
In the very first category of Motion, you’ll notice that the feature Enhance pointer precision is turned on. Uncheck the box to turn it off. Don’t forget to hit the Apply button before clicking OK.
Method-2
1. Using the Search button, search for Control Panel & click the Control Panel below in the search results.
2. Open Hardware and Sound
3. Under Devices and Printers, click Mouse
4. Mouse properties windows will open. In that, choose the Pointer Options
Uncheck the Enhance pointer precision option. Click on Apply, and then press OK.
Method-3
1. In the task bar, there is a the Search button. Use it to type the mouse.
A list of results appears. From there, you should select mouse settings.
2. This will take us to the Mouse page. Under Related settings, click on the Additional mouse settings on the right side.
3. A separate window titled mouse properties will open. Hit the pointer options tab.
There’s a box containing the checkmark, preceding the Enhance pointer precision option. Click in the box to uncheck it. Complete the process by pressing Apply and then OK.
Conclusion
When it comes to gaming and other activities where accuracy is crucial, turning off Mouse acceleration can be beneficial. However, the decision to let the mouse acceleration remain enabled or disable is absolutely a user’s own choice.
Giving it a try is the only way to know if it proves useful for you or not. Carefully notice the cursor’s movement, after turning the mouse acceleration feature disabled.
Undertake a few game missions to assess your performance with the changed setting. This will let you decide. Or you may simply keep switching it on or off according to the need of the application that you are using.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is turning off mouse acceleration good for gaming?
Turning off mouse acceleration makes sure your cursor only moves a fixed distance depending solely on the physical movement of your mouse. This gives you more control over your cursor, which drastically improves gaming aim.
How do I turn off mouse acceleration?
To turn off mouse acceleration, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings (under related settings) > Pointer options > uncheck Enhance Pointer Precision > Apply >OK.
Is mouse acceleration good for FPS?
Going by the gaming industry experts, mouse acceleration is a strict no for FPS or First-person-shooter games.
Does Mouse acceleration affect aim?
In short, yes it does affect the aim. But besides mouse acceleration, there may be many other contributing factors that can affect it. Like the mouse pad you are using, the stuff it is made of, the friction it offers. Also, if there are any other mouse settings (like the one in the game itself) coming into play, can adversely affect the aim.
