The Polling Rate Optimizer for Mice, Keyboards and Controllers
Polling rate is how many times per second your mouse, keyboard or controller reports its position to your PC. Higher means your movements reach the game sooner. The Polling Rate Optimizer sits on the Input Lag page.
How it works
Open Input Lag in the sidebar and start the Polling Rate Optimizer
It scans your connected devices and sorts them into mice, keyboards and controllers
Pick the device and the rate you want
Restart your PC
What rate to pick
A thousand times per second is the usual target for a gaming mouse, and it is a meaningful improvement over the older default. Going beyond that has diminishing returns and depends on your hardware genuinely supporting it.
If your device already runs at a high rate
Many gaming mice have their own software that sets this already. If yours does, use that rather than both, and treat this tool as being for devices that do not.
If a device stops working after a change
Set it back to its default rate and restart. Some devices claim to support a rate they cannot sustain, and the symptom is stuttering or the device dropping out.
Wireless devices
A wireless device polls as fast as its receiver allows. Pushing the rate up can shorten battery life noticeably. If your battery started draining fast after changing this, that is why.
Does this help in every game
It helps most where fast, precise aiming matters. In a slower game you are unlikely to notice. We would rather say that than promise a difference you will not feel.
Related: Reducing input lag.